Lions Volleyball Topple Union - Take over 1st place in AAC and Region XII

News + Women's Volleyball + Athletics
September 30, 2007
In a battle between NAIA Region XII #1 Union College and #2 Bryan College, the visiting Lady Lions emerged victorious with a 3-1 (30-23, 30-25, 26-30, 30-18) decision in Barbourville, KY.  The teams traded leads early in game 1 before the Lions pulled head behind solid serving and defensive play, and looked ready to sweep after the 30-25 decision.  The host team bounced back to take the third game but the Lions had all the answers for the quick victory in game four.  Amber Smith led the Lions with 14 kills (.480 pct) and three aces, while Alison Young had a double-double with 12 kills (.379 pct) and 12 digs.  Gabrielle Claxton added 15 kills outside, and Robin Renfroe contributed 9 kills and 4 aces in the win.  The victory snaps Union-s 14-game win streak and  gives the Lady Lions a ½ game lead in the AAC conference race with a record of 10-1. 
“This was definitely a big win for us,” commented Bryan’s Head Coach Leo Sayles. “We traditionally have long matches with the Bulldogs, and Coach Nicholson has raised the bar for the volleyball program.  Our girls were ready for the challenge of winning on the road against a tough team.  This was a team effort, and required the best from everyone.”  Deborah Lowery and Hannah Suits combined for 42 assists, while Kathryn Rawley continues to add to her career dig record with 18 more.
 
In game two of the tri-match against the Univ. of the Cumberlands, Bryan appeared fatigued, but pulled away for a 3-1 decision (29-31, 30-24, 30-27, 30-15).  An injury to setter Hannah Suits affected the Lions early in game one, and the team dropped the early game to the stingy UC team in extra points.  The Lions settled down to slowly take control of the match, and once again dominated the final game from the serving line and the net.  Robin Renfroe and Deborah Lowery played through minor injuries to guide the Lions.  Renfroe, nursing a sore knee and elbow, pulled together another quality game, tallying 20 kills (.450 pct) and 5 total blocks. Lowery, forced to lead the 5-1 offense with a hip flexor injury, contributed 32 assists and 10 digs for the Lions, now 12-5 overall.
“We had to refocus after the emotional victory over Union,’ commented Sayles.  “It took a little while to settle, then we had to make adjustments offensively with the injury to Hannah.  The girls showed resiliency and mental toughness in pulling out the victory against a good U of C program.”
The conference-leading Lady Lions will travel to Bluefield College for a conference match Tuesday, then host Tennessee Temple and Bethel College of Tennessee in a tri-match next weekend during Homecoming.  The team will take over the #1 position in NAIA Region XII, and continue to dominate the region offensively.   Several players rank highly in the region as well. 
Nationally, the Lions are currently #20 in the nation in hitting percentage, #18 in kills per game, and #25 in assists.  Robin Renfroe is currently #27 in the nation in hitting percentage.
Below are current rankings for Region XII.
 
2007 Hitting Percentage
 
#
Team
G
Kills
Errs
Tot
Pct
1
59
872
303
2184
0.261
2
87
1086
331
3047
0.248
3
86
1147
409
3255
0.227
4
84
1162
474
3078
0.224
5
55
676
271
1973
0.205
 
2007 Kills
 
#
Team
G
K
K/G
1
59
872
14.8
2
84
1162
13.8
3
86
1147
13.3
4
76
1003
13.2
5
77
1001
13.0
 
 
2007 Assists
 
#
Team
G
Asst
Asst/G
1
59
766
13.0
2
52
649
12.5
3
86
1031
12.0
4
77
905
11.8
5
76
873
11.5
 
2007 Hitting Percentage – Individual
 
#
Name
Team
G
Kills
Errs
Tot
Pct
1
59
211
52
433
0.367
2
59
148
46
304
0.336
3
86
306
72
733
0.319
4
82
217
42
565
0.310
5
66
194
60
448
0.299
 
2007 Kills  - individual
 
#
Name
Team
G
K
K/G
1
74
320
4.3
2
83
311
3.8
3
53
197
3.7
4
45
162
3.6
5
59
211
3.6
 
Name     service aces
Team
G
SA
SA/G
1
41
45
1.1
2
79
82
1.0
 
45
47
1.0
4
48
40
0.8
5
42
29
0.7