WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Volleyball team took ninth place in the National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Division I Women’s National Volleyball Championship Tournament Saturday morning, Nov. 17, at the West Plains Civic Center in West Plains, Mo.
The ninth seeded Grizzlies (28-10) defeated No. 14 Temple College (24-19), Temple, Texas, 21-25, 25-11, 25-14, 25-18, to cap off a season that returned the team to the national spotlight. This was the Grizzlies’ first appearance in the tournament since 2009 and their 12th overall.
“It’s always great to end the year with a win, whether you’re playing for a championship or ninth place,” Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann said. “We wanted to get to the last day, and we did what we needed to accomplish that goal. We’ve learned a lot of lessons along the way, and if the freshmen can carry that into next year, it will just continue to get better.”
Emotions ran high even before this tight-knit group of Grizzlies took the court, as they realized this would be their last match together, but they were able to put feelings aside long enough to “take care of business” and end the season on a high note.
“It kind of hit them before we started. This group is so close, and I think that’s why we were a little tight in game one,” Wiedemann said. Although the Grizzlies started out with a slight lead, Temple was able to come back and win the first set.
“We didn’t pass well at all, but once we started passing better, that set everything else in motion,” Wiedemann said. “It set up our serving by giving us more confidence, knowing that if we lost the point, we could get it back. At that point, we really took control of the match.”
Leading the charge was sophomore outside attacker Taylor Swayzer, the team’s captain, who scored the final point of the match on a spike from the left side of the net and seemed to carry the team on her shoulders during the match. She led the team in kills with 17 and recorded the second best hitting percentage at .400. She also had the second highest blocking total with 2.5, but she led the team in solo blocks with 2. In addition, she recorded 11 digs and a team-leading 19.5 points earned.
“I could not be happier with Taylor,” Wiedemann said. “Her performance today is very indicative of what she can put together at any time. Our team really feeds off her personality on the floor, and she’s learning how to assume that responsibility and pressure. It has been so nice to see her free herself and play and let the team follow her. She’s come so far, and I’m so proud of her and the fact that she had a great game. It was a fitting end to the game and the season.”
“For me personally, my first thoughts (after the match) were of my teammates, and I just wanted to tell them ‘thank you,’” Swayzer said. “Without them, we wouldn’t be here. As a team, we were so excited we came this far. It wasn’t exactly where we wanted to be, but we’re very happy with the win.”
As for her own performance, she said, “I felt like I had been letting my team down. As the team captain, I should be setting the example. But today I came out feeling that, if I needed to carry the team, I would carry the team. That’s the first thing that came to my mind. I feel I’ve grown so much as a person and a player. I’ve learned so much and gained so much.”
Wiedemann was just as pleased with the rest of her team, especially fellow sophomores Magda Zietek and Candyce Alexander, middle attacker and right side attacker, respectively. “Magda, Candyce and Taylor all were very emotional after the game,” the coach said. “I love to see how much this means to them. You want your players to invest themselves in what you are doing, and they did. Just watching them afterward, you see it, you feel it, and that’s when you can be so happy and proud of what they’re doing.”
Zietek had nine kills, an attacking percentage of .250 and 1.5 blocks, including a solo block. Alexander had four kills, two assists, one block and 11 digs. “Candyce and Magda were a little frustrated with their stats, but they took good swings and got good points, and that’s what’s important,” Wiedemann said.
The freshmen also contributed well to the victory. Outside attacker Helena Peric had 13 kills, three aces and led the team in digs with 12 and aces with three; middle attacker Torika Baleilekutu had seven kills with no errors, led the team in attacking percentage with .412 and in blocks with three, and added two aces; setter Sarah Stretch led the team in assists with 46 and had seven digs; and libero Victoria Williams led the team in passing rating with a 2.8.
“When you’re playing in this tournament, the freshmen can learn so much,” Wiedemann said. “They see and feel all the things that need to happen to make the final four and ultimately reach the championship match and a championship. Now they can take that experience and begin understanding why we do the things we do. Our returning group set the tone this year, and the freshmen responded. I think this freshman group will set the tone as sophomores, and if next year’s freshmen respond as they did, good things are going to happen.”
Wiedemann pointed out going 3-1 in the national tournament is “a big deal, especially after losing that first match,” and it wouldn’t have been possible without a total team effort – players and coaches. “I really appreciate the work our players, Assistant Coach Crystal Stigler and Athletic Trainer Keri Elrod put into all that we do. This whole process – the players, the coaches, our athletic trainer – we all are invested in each other and what we’re doing, and that’s why we’re able to accomplish the things we’ve accomplished and feel good about it,” Wiedemann said.
For more information about the Grizzly Volleyball team, visit the team’s website at http://wp.missouristate.edu/grizzly/vb/. For more information about the national tournament, visit http://www.njcaavbd1.com/.