AUSTIN, Texas. – University of Arkansas-Fort Smith volleyball coach Jane Sargent was happy with the way her Lady Lions were playing going into the Heartland Conference Tournament, but in the back of her mind, she knew they were capable of so much more.
They proved that Saturday afternoon.
After losing to St. Edward’s University twice in the regular season, the No. 2 seed Lady Lions stunned the No. 1 seed Hilltoppers on their home court in four sets to claim their first conference tournament championship in their first season as a full-fledged NCAA Division II member.
UAFS won the match 25-22, 25-19, 23-25, 25-16, extending its winning streak to eight matches. The Lady Lions clinched their first-ever berth in the South Central Region Tournament. The eight-team region tournament field will be announced at 9 p.m. on Sunday night during a webcast on
www.ncaa.com.
It was the first postseason championship for the Lady Lions (27-7) since they won the NJCAA Region II Tournament in 2008 on their way to a national runner-up finish. UAFS left the junior college ranks for NCAA Division II in July of 2009 and was a provisional member the past two seasons and ineligible for postseason play.
“It kind of reminded us of those days when we won the (NJCAA) region tournament,” said Sargent, who is the only coach in the program’s 14-year history. “We went into it with the thought that we had to win it in order to earn a spot in the (South Central) Region Tournament, and we just played our game.”
UAFS, which was ranked No. 6 in the last region rankings, lost to St. Edward’s in five sets in the first encounter of the season on Sept. 24 at Austin and lost in four sets on Oct. 15 at the Stubblefield Center. The Lady Lions are 3-3 all-time against the Hilltoppers.
The Hilltoppers’ only losses to a conference opponent this season were to Dallas Baptist and UAFS. St. Edward’s (21-10) was ranked No. 5 in the last region rankings and likely will earn one of the five at-large bids to the region tournament.
So how did the Lady Lions stun the favored Hilltoppers? Defense.
UAFS, which switched to a 6-2 scheme specifically for the four-team, two-day tournament, collected 16 total team blocks – junior middle hitter Heidi Luks had five solo blocks and five assists – and held St. Edward’s to a paltry 0.96 hitting percentage. The Hilltoppers had been averaging a 0.218 hitting percentage.
Five Lady Lions had double-digit digs, too – senior libero Keely Rivera (28), senior defensive specialist Janie Price (26), Luks (17), junior setter Whitney Hale (14) and sophomore defensive specialist Taylor Jordan (10). In all, 10 Lady Lions had at least two digs.
Senior outside hitter Whitney Rhoden led the Hilltoppers with 13 kills, while senior outside hitter Lindy Luleff and senior right-side hitter Courtney Trevino had 12 and 10 kills, respectively.
“Our defense was amazing,” Sargent said. “That was the big difference.”
Sargent loves to credit wins to “total team” effort, and this time, it was more than just coach speak. Luks had 11 kills to lead the Lady Lions, but Luks, who was named the MVP, was one of nine Lady Lions with at least one kill.
Hale finished with 26 assists, while Price, a true utility player, had 12 assists. Rivera and senior outside hitter Morgan Banner had two aces apiece, and UAFS had six aces total. St. Edward’s had just eight total team blocks, and no Hilltopper recorded a solo block.
“Our middles played great, and we really just had more hitters than they did,” Sargent said. “This was a total team effort again, and we had a lot players step up and contribute at key moments.”
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Pos. Player School
OH Heather Sanchez UT Permian Basin
OH Miranda Pratt Texas A&M International
OH Whitney Rhoden St. Edward’s
L Michelle Hundt St. Edward’s
L Keely Rivera UAFS
RS Fabiane Nass UAFS
MVP: Heidi Luks, UAFS
