The women’s volleyball team conference run came to an end in the finals against Reinhardt University on Nov. 16. The final score of the match came out to 3-0 with the Reinhardt Eagles taking it in a clean sweep.
“Our mentality going into the weekend was to win,” said senior Alyssa Gibson. “After going to nationals last year, we were hungry for more, and we wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less than another trip.”
The Lady Buffs season run does not end there because by earning a spot in the finals, they also earned a spot in the NAIA National Volleyball Championships. “We are preparing for nationals both on the court in practice, as well as off the court with team building activities,” said Gibson.
She explained how she and her team were going to shop for underprivileged children before practice. “It’s the little events like these that coach Bays organizes that help us learned to be cohesive and work well with each other,” she said.
The Buffs started out the tournament with a 3-0 win over Montreat College in the quarterfinals. Next was the semifinals, and the team faced off against Truett-McConnell University. The ladies won the match 3-1. The lone losing set from Truett-McConnel came from a close score at 29-27.
In the final match versus the Eagles, the first two games were neck and neck until, in both sets, Reinhardt pulled away from the Buffs to take the wins. In the final set, the Buffs were unable to gain the lead against Reinhardt and ultimately fell 16-25.
Before the tournament, awards were given out to players. Senior Kellee Geren was awarded Player of the Year and Setter of the Year, and she also received the Setter of the Week award six times throughout the season. Geren, as well as fellow senior Julie Dockery were also named to the All-Conference team, and Gibson was named to the Champions of Character team.
Gibson expressed her team’s excitement over the first round being held at Milligan. “We understand how big of a deal it is to host nationals. It’s something that has never been done on Milligan’s campus,” she said. “We are so excited to have a home court advantage because we have incredible fans who influence the game in such a positive way.”
The ladies will be facing Martin Methodist in the Steve Lacy Fieldhouse in the opening round on Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. The final site of the tournament will be Sioux City, Iowa.
Headline photo: The team playing in the the AAC Tournament. Photo credit to Alyssa Gibson.