2009 Volleyball Season Review

Overall: 25-13 (TranSouth 11-3, 2nd of 8) TranSouth Tournament: (2-2) Defeated Martin Methodist, Defeated Bethel, Lost to Freed, Lost to Union

NASHVILLE, Tenn.-The 2009-2010 Trojan Volleyball team returned four seniors, two four-year players (Kaley Ward, Kimi Coffey) and two who joined the program after junior college play (Jessica Hood, Rachel Spotten). All four were a key part in the Lady Trojans success through their leadership on and off the court, especially this year.

There were four other returning players from the highly successful 2008-2009 squad. Juniors Brooke Cannon and Jennifer Peterson as well as sophomores Kristen Evans and Halley Wiggins. Six new players joined the mix for the Trojans: juniors Teegan Hunziker and Cortney Keagle, sophomore Haley White, and freshmen Maddie Burford, Cassidy Watkins, and Casey Kania.

Coach Jayme Crowley said before the season, "I think this year we will hold ourselves to a higher standard of success," and succeed they did. Trevecca finished second in the TranSouth, with an 11-3 record, for the first time. The team was 25-13 overall, marking the 10th time a TNU volleyball team has produced a 20-win season in the 36 years of Trevecca volleyball. Nine of those seasons have been in the last 12 seasons.

Trevecca started the season with a pair of losses against No. 25 Campbellsville and highly touted Lee University before cranking it up with a five-game winning streak (Mountain State, Asbury College, Brescia University, Mid-Continent, and Calumet of St. Joseph). The Mid-Continent win put the Trojans at 1-0 in TranSouth play and 6-3 overall. No. 25 Mt. Vernon Nazarene broke the streak in the second game of the Georgetown Tiger Invitational. TNU bounced back to beat Calumet St. Joseph again before the host Tigers defeated the Trojans in the tournament finale.

TranSouth preseason favorite Freed-Hardeman dropped the Trojans to 1-1 in TSAC play before the Trojans rolled off another six-game win streak (Martin Methodist, Mountain State, Faulkner, Rio Grande, Lindsey Wilson, and Cumberland) that included two more conference wins. The middle four wins were at the Cumberland University Classic.

October brought on two four-game win streaks, but the first two games, both conference tilts, were losses-at Union and in Moore Gym against Freed-Hardeman. Trevecca rebounded with a home TSAC win over Martin Methodist and a tough loss at Campbellsville. Four wins (at Cumberland, Union University, Dana College, and Oklahoma City) followed, with the first two in TranSouth play. The last two were in the Lindenwood Tournament, where the Trojans lost the next two games to No. 4 Columbia College and No. 22 Lindenwood. Lee made it three in a row, but the Trojans ended the month with four wins (Brescia, Mid-Continent, Bethel University, and Lyon College), which started an eight-game winning streak.

November saw the Trojans crescendo road wins at Lyon College and Bethel University, securing the No. 2 TranSouth regular season position and the second seed in the TranSouth Tournament.

Trevecca opened the tournament, held at Trevecca's Moore Gym, with a pair of wins--Martin Methodist first and then Bethel University. Top-seeded Freed-Hardeman and defending champion Union ended the Trojans' run with back-to-back losses.

The quarter-final five-set thriller against #1-seed Freed-Hardeman was one to remember in the winners bracket championship. Freed looked unstoppable in the first two sets, but the Trojans rallied to take the next two, setting up only the second five-set match of the tournament. The teams sparred early, but with Trevecca leading 7-6, the Lions pulled away to take a 10-7 lead, and Trevecca could not close the gap. Then the Lady Trojans' season ended with a loss in another five-set game to Union University. The Bulldogs defeated Trevecca 16-25, 25-10, 25-17, 26-28, 11-15.

Coach Jayme Crowley is now 47-24 overall following her second season at the helm of the Trojan program. Crowley has produced an impressive 20-8 TranSouth record and is 6-4 in postseason play.

The senior class-Kaley Ward, Kimi Coffey, Jessica Hood, and Rachel Spotten-have produced a 93-49 overall record and a 44-19 TranSouth record, and they were 11-9 in postseason play. The seniors never finished below third in TranSouth play.

NAIA Scholar-Athletes: Rachel Spotten, Brooke Cannon

All-TranSouth: First Team All Conference: Kaley Ward, Teegan Hunziker

All-TranSouth: Second Team All Conference: Jessica Hood, Jennifer Peterson

TranSouth Scholar-Athlete: Kristen Evans, Brooke Cannon, Teegan Hunziker, Kimi Coffey, Jessica Hood, Rachel Spotten, Kaley Ward