November 16, 2007

 

     Bristol, TN--The #2 seed Lady Lions entered the NAIA Region XII Semifinals as a "favorite," but many knew the team was truly an underdog team. Entering the match against #3 Union College, the Lions were without starting MB Robin Renfroe and back-up MB Sarah Lyons, both out with season-ending injuries. Freshman reserve OH Lauren Pratt received the nod from Coach Sayles to start in the middle for the Lions, and the team sought to rally behind her in their first NAIA Region semifinal in Bryan history. The Lions gritty effort paid off, as the team fought for a tough 3-2 (29-31, 30-19, 28-30, 30-23, 15-8) victory over the regular season champions. Sophomore OH Gabrielle Claxton had a career-high 21 kills along with 18 digs as she led the Lions to victory. Amber Smith added 11 kills and 4 total blocks, while Kathryn Rawley tallied 29 digs. Alison Young, playing through pain, tallied 10 kills and 20 digs for the Lions. Freshman Deborah Lowery finished with 30 assists, while Hannah Suits added 22. Opposites Leah White and Kaylin Carswell combined for 12 kills on the right side, and freshman Jessica Etress added 19 digs in the winning effort. The Lions advanced to their first NAIA regional final in school history against UVA-Wise, who pulled out a stunning upset of #1 seed King College. Wise came from down two games to pull out the 5-game victory.

     After a 30 minute break, the Lions set out to win the opportunity to advance to the NAIA national tournament. The team took control of game one 30-22, and appeared to be ready for a solid match. Wise, however, answered with a strong win of their own in game two, 30-19. "Both (Wise coach) Steve Dallman and I were playing a chess match with our lineups, trying to pit our strengths against our opponent's weaknesses," commented Bryan's coach Leo Sayles. "I think the early games were the result of tinkering with lineups. We both seemed to settle on a lineup by game three."

     The Lions roared out to an early lead in game three, building up to a 6 point lead. But the Cavs, led by Tournament MVP Natasha Viers, were not to be put away so easily. The team stormed back to tie the match at 22 apiece, then traded the lead the rest of the game. Wise eventually pulled out the victory 31-29. "I thought game three was pivotal. We had a collapse and lost our momentum right when I thought we were about to put away the Cavs," said Sayles. In game four, both teams fought valiantly, though neither team would break. Despite some errant play, the efforts of the two teams to pull out the win were evident to the fans that at one point were standing on both sides of the court cheering on both teams. The Lions forced a fifth and deciding game with a 30-28 win.

     The Cavs came out with confidence in game 5, seizing control after a tie at 5-all, and never relinquished the lead afterward. Senior Lion Kathryn Rawley tried valiantly to rally her Lions, closing a 13-7 gap to 13-11, but a quick side-out by the Cavs put the game in their hands. A point by the Lions appeared to give them hope, but with the score 14-12, Cavalier Kristen Salyer buried a kill to send the Cavs to the National tournament.

     "Of course it is disappointing to be so close and not pull out the victory," commented Sayles. "However, I give the Wise players credit for pulling out two huge victories. Today, they simply wanted it more than us. Our girls played tough, scrappy ball. Both teams had some fantastic play, and some very sloppy play. But both teams fought hard to the end, and I am proud of the Lions. We had to overcome quite a bit of adversity to get where we are. Not only were we missing two key players, we had 6 others playing through injuries or illness that might have sidelined them in the regular season. At one point, I had 1 senior and 5 freshmen on the floor working for a victory, which gives us a glimpse into the future. Still, we accomplished more than any team in Bryan history has in recent memory, advancing to both the Conference championship and the Regional championship. The girls will eventually take pride in their accomplishments this year."

     Alison Young tallied a season-high 20 kills and added 14 digs to pace the Lions. Claxton added another 18 kills, while Amber Smith tallied 12 with 5 total blocks. Lauren Pratt, Junior Kaylin Carswell, and freshman Ashley Sours combined for 11 kills, while Lowery added another 30 assists to her total. Hannah Suits contributed 18 assists, while Etress added another 16 digs.

     Gabrielle Claxton and Kathryn Rawley made the Region XII All-tournament team. Claxton, along with Robin Renfroe, were also named to the All-Region First Team, while Rawley was named to the Second Team. 

     The Lions, 23-15 overall, now await word for a bid to the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Assoc.) National championships, to be held in Minneapolis, Min. Nov. 29-Dec. 1. The Lions are currently ranked #6 nationally in the NCCAA, and should receive a high seed for the tournament.