The Lady Govs volleyball team gave their seniors a few gifts, including some revenge on senior day, Saturday, Nov. 14.
Seniors Stephanie Champine, Kirstin Distler and Marisa Jordan got to celebrated with their teammates in the Dunn Center after they swept the Murray Racers 3-0 (25-14, 27-25, 25-20).
The Racers dealt the Lady Govs one of only three OVC losses this season on Oct. 16. However, they did not have the gas to stop the Lady Govs from crossing the finish line first this time.
The win was the third in a row for the Lady Govs and places them second in the OVC at the end of the regular season with a 22-8 (15-3 OVC) record. It was also the end of Mike Johnson’s first year as a volleyball head coach.
“I think the thing that stands out the most was how much fun it was to work with these kids,” Johnson said. “It was fun for them. It was fun walking into the gym everyday for practice. I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did.”
The Racers did not have any fun in the first set of the match.
They were out of sync early and the Lady Govs took full advantage. They established an early 9-4 lead, forcing the Racers to take a time out.
But the break did not help, and the Lady Govs marched easily to a 25-14 win.
The Racers recovered in the first set to fight hard in the second set. The second set duel included 14 ties. The last tie of the set was 25-25 and the Racers had the serve. Kayla Grantham ended the Racers possession with a kill for the Lady Govs that made the score 26-25.
Grantham served an ace to win the set. Grantham produced six aces in the match.
She was one of six different Lady Govs that produced 15 total aces against the Racers.
The third set appeared to be another close battle.
The two teams fought to a 6-6 tie. However, Champine made a booming kill to give the Lady Govs a lead they would not relinquish.
Champine put in an impressive day’s work with 17 kills and four aces in the match. She and Taylor Skinner combined for a block that gave the Lady Govs the 25-20 win.
Before looking ahead to the OVC tournament, three Lady Govs had to say goodbye to the court in the Dunn Center.
Champine leaves the Lady Govs, after leading the team in kills for the second year in a row.
Distler played for the Lady Govs all four years of her college career. Jordan joined the team with Champine in the 2008-09 season.
The seniors will enjoy some postseason play when they travel to Jacksonville, Ala., Friday, Nov. 20.
The Lady Govs earned a first round bye with a second place regular season finish. They will play in the Semifinal round of the 2009 OVC Championship Tournament against a yet to be named opponent.
However, they do not want to stop there.
“It’s always been our goal to go to the NCAA Tournament,” Johnson said. “I think if we meet our capabilities, its in reach, we can do it. But we are going to have to come to play. I hope we do.”
