Cedars, December 2017

December 2017 19 SPORTS Lady Jackets Volleyball Looks Ahead by Tim Miller T he Cedarville volleyball Lady Jackets’ 2017 season concluded with a 3-0 loss to Walsh in the first round of the G-MAC tournament on Nov. 16. The Lady Jackets finished 17-16 and 12-5 in the con- ference, which was good for sixth overall in the G-MAC and third in the West Division. The Lady Jackets began the year in tur- moil, starting 1-7. Head coach Doug Walters said the rough start to the season actually benefited the Lady Jackets in the long run. “We always have a very tough schedule as that is what better prepares you to make a postseason run later in the year,” Walters said. “So, we knew that we would take our lumps, but it paid off as we entered into the middle part of the schedule.” These eight games came in two differ- ent invitationals. The first, the Ferris State Invitational, featured Cedarville suffering three losses in sweeps. The Lady Jackets’ first win of the season came in this invita- tional, a 3-2 win over Quincy. Cedarville then traveled to Evansville, Indiana for the Southern Indiana Invita- tional during the following weekend. The Lady Jackets left the invitational emp- ty-handed, going 0-4 on the weekend. The tough competition seemed to ready Cedarville later on in the season, as the Lady Jackets rattled off 12 wins in their next 14 matches starting with their home opener against Lake Erie, which was the best team in the G-MAC East Division, finishing 26-9 and 15-3 in the conference. “The home opener is always one of my favorites,” Walters said. “The atmosphere in Callan for that event every year is always something to behold. That was also another match where we were playing some of our best volleyball of the season.” Cedarville cooled off at the worst time they could have and lost four of their final six regular season matches. Cedarville lost to Hillsdale and Findlay in back-to-back games. “Those matches showed our inconsis- tency that we struggled with and were the beginning of a rough patch that provided a lot of learning opportunities for us as we go into next season,” Walters said. The Lady Jackets exited the first ex- panded G-MAC conference tournament in the first round after losing to Walsh. “In terms of our overall record, I would say the season was below our standards,” Walters said. “But this year was a learning year for a very young team. Not just learn- ing how to play the game at a national level in Division II, but learning how to be better teammates and leaders.” Cedarville was led by its front line this season, as two senior hitters helped carry the Lady Jackets. Senior middle hitter Gabby Olson fin- ished the season with 402 kills, including three 20-kill or more matches. Olson also hammered 42 service aces which was first among all Lady Jackets. Senior outside hitter Krissy Pratt was sec- ond on the squad in kills, tallying 328. Pratt piled up 989 kills in her Cedarville career. Freshman setter Sierra Schuitema broke onto the scene with 752 assists and played in all 33 matches this season. Schuitema deliv- ered 34 service aces in 2017. Nearly half of Cedarville’s roster were freshmen this season, as the Lady Jackets showcased six rookies. Of the six, four saw extensive playing time. Freshman middle hitter Lauren Willow was one of the higher performing freshmen on the team, turning in 272 kills. Willow said that even though the team’s play was incon- sistent, the character remained constant. “There would be games and practices where we were playing at a very high level, and others where we would play more on the timid side,” Willow said. “But our love for one another, our opposing girls, and most importantly our love for the Lord was always consistent, which matters most.” Walters said the play of the freshmen was satisfactory and that the future for the class should bring success to the program. “Overall, we were very pleased with the play of our freshmen,” Walters said. “I am really looking forward to January and February with them where we can take the things that they learned from this season and begin fine tuning their games.” Tim Miller is a sophomore marketing ma- jor and sports editor for Cedars. He enjoys having a baby face, sipping Dunkin Donuts coffee and striving to be the optimal combi- nation of Dwight Schrute and Ron Swan- son. Online • M.B.A. • M.S.N. • M.Min. Residential • M.Div. • M.Min. • Pharm.D. Ready to take the next step? Start nowwith dual-listed courses, and you’ll save time and money. Access the free, fast-track application just for Cedarville students: cedarville.edu/gradapply