2007 Season Recap

Volleyball Claims Runner-up Finish At NAIA Regional Tournament; Concludes Year With 23-18 Record

The Malone College volleyball team, led by ninth-year head coach Tanya Hockman, completed its 2007 campaign with an exciting postseason run that carried the Pioneers all the way to the championship match of the American Mideast Conference/NAIA Region IX Tournament. Although Malone narrowly missed out on a berth in the NAIA National Tournament after dropping the hard-fought title contest to NAIA #13 Mount Vernon Nazarene University by the final scores of 33-31, 30-20, 26-30, 30-26, the young squad played well throughout the year and gained valuable postseason experience that will likely pay significant dividends in the near future.
 
The Pioneers won six of their last seven matches to end the regular season with a 21-16 overall mark. Malone earned a second-place finish (among eight teams) in the AMC North Division with an 11-3 divisional record and began competition at the six-team postseason tournament by splitting a pair of pool-play contests. The squad notched a 30-14, 26-30, 26-30, 30-25, 15-8 win over Point Park (PA) University in the opening match before falling 23-30, 26-30, 28-30 to the event’s host, Mount Vernon Nazarene. With the top two records from their three-team pool, Malone and MVNU each advanced to the semifinals (Point Park was eliminated). The Pioneers then knocked off Cedarville University 30-23, 30-18, 26-30, 30-28 to move on to the final round where they once again played the Cougars, losing by the three games to one margin (Mount Vernon Nazarene had defeated Walsh University in the other semifinal contest). In addition to their two tournament meetings, MVNU and Malone had faced off on three different occasions during the 2007 regular season with the Cougars coming out on top in each of those previous matches.
 
Freshman outside hitter Jennifer Gahagan (Ravenna Southeast H.S.) had an outstanding season as she earned All-AMC North First Team recognition after averaging a team-high 2.97 kills per game. The 5’10” freshman also posted 3.29 digs per contest with 55 service aces, 101 blocks and a .231 attack percentage.
 
Fellow freshman outside hitter Lori Ickes (Smithville H.S.) also played very well in her first collegiate season, garnering All-AMC North Second Team honors after drilling 2.50 kills per game and pacing the squad in digs (3.52 per game) and service aces (79 total).
 
Gahagan and Ickes were also named to the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) All-East Region Team and were two of six players voted to the All-AMC North Division Freshmen Team.
 
Another important contributor for the Pioneers in 2007 was sophomore middle hitter Erica Gann (Meadowbrook H.S.), who collected both All-AMC North Honorable Mention and NCCAA All-East Region Honorable Mention accolades. She recorded a team-best .241 attack percentage while averaging 2.34 kills and 0.85 blocks this season.
 
Also receiving All-AMC North Honorable Mention recognition were sophomore middle hitter Kristen Schoolcraft (McKinley H.S.) and freshman right side hitter Emily Beiting (Fort Thomas, Kentucky). Schoolcraft, who also earned the Honorable Mention award as a freshman in 2006, led the team with 169 blocks (1.19 per game) and averaged 2.01 kills per contest. Beiting played in all 41 of Malone’s matches this season and tallied 1.88 kills and 3.08 digs per game in addition to registering 58 blocks, 39 service aces and 99 assists.
 
Sophomore setter Alyssa Dibell (Fairless H.S.) registered 9.66 assists and 2.44 digs per game with 39 service aces and 62 total blocks. Junior defensive specialist Kristi Beun (Kidron Central Christian H.S.) scooped up 2.54 digs per game and registered 32 service aces.
 
After an impressive performance in 2007, the future of this successful Malone athletic program indeed looks very bright. With no seniors and just two juniors on its roster, the Pioneers’ young and talented squad will return intact next year with plans of continuing its strong play in 2008 and beyond.
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