Lady Eagles Finish as Conference Runner Up
The Faith volleyball team traveled to Haviland, KS this past weekend to participate in the Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament. The Eagles entered the tournament as the #3 seed behind...
The Faith volleyball team traveled to Haviland, KS this past weekend to participate in the Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament. The Eagles entered the tournament as the #3 seed behind regular season champion and nationally ranked Manhattan Christian College and #2 Ozark Christian College.
The Eagles reached the championship match against the Crusaders after defeating #2 Ozark 3-2 in a thrilling five set match. The Eagles momentum carried into a first set win against Manhattan, 28-26. "We really did a great job all weekend with energy and enthusiasm. The first set win against Manhattan showed us the team progress we have made. I was hoping we would be able to sustain the effort throughout the match," cited coach Lanny Nihart.
The second set began with Faith on the wrong end of some unusual volleys. Manhattan quickly grabbed a 4-0 lead after two free balls landed on the Eagles side and a ball inadvertently hit an Eagle player's foot. The Crusaders used the strange start to easily defeat the Eagles and knot the match at 1-1. Manhattan established a strong offensive attack in set three for another win and a 2-1 lead. Faith mounted a strong defense in set four leading early in the match but in the end Manhattan's high attack percent was too much for the Eagles. "We built an early lead in set four and competed up until the teen points. I was hoping the momentum we had built over the past week would carry us but we just simply were outplayed by Manhattan. I am pleased by the effort and results our team has given in recent weeks," noted Nihart.
In the opening round the Eagles defeated #6 seed Calvary Bible College 3-0 to reach the semi-final round against Ozark Christian College. The two teams had split during the year and were very similar in style and production. "Ozark is coached very well. We have enjoyed playing them and knew it would be a great test of where we were as a team. The ladies gave a great effort and it was a very good win at this point in the season, "noted Nihart. Faith won a close set one 25-23, however Ozark captured consecutive wins in sets two and three. Faith mounted a comeback in set four down 13-10 and 18-16 to force a set five. The Eagles quickly grabbed 3-1 and 8-4 leads. After some standout defensive effort and outscoring Ozark 7-4 the Eagles won the decisive set 15-8.
With the wins the Eagles now post a 17-12 season record. Senior Libero Rikki Powell was named to first team all-conference, junior Julia Bray and senior Ariel Dicks were named to second team. The Eagles travel to Otterburne, Manitoba (Canada) this week to participate in the NCCAA North Central Region and the right to participate in the National Tournament November 8th through the 10th.
