Top 10 of 2012-13: #7 Volleyball’s Best Start

We have reached the No. 7 moment in our #MGTop10 of 2012-13. Coming in at the seventh spot is the record-breaking start our women’s volleyball team had to begin the 2012 campaign. Facing numerous obstacles, including a new, first-year head coach, a roster of a mere nine student-athletes, and an opening trip to Pennsylvania, placed the odds against head coach Jamie Baker and the Mustangs. However, Baker’s squad returned strong senior leadership in Megan Gohl, Elizabeth Lerczak, Jaci Michetti, and Shana Tooley, as the foursome helped lead the Mustangs to tbe best start in the brief history of the program.

Beginning in Indiana at the annual stop for the Indiana Northwest Tri-Match, the volleyball team cruised to a perfect 2-0 record before their trip to Pennsylvania. The 2-0 mark was the best start in the four-year history of Marygrove Volleyball. From there, the team would head east for the Penn State Invite where they would win their next four matches – which were later taken away due to the USCAA three-set format, to unofficially land at 6-0. Despite the wins taken away at the NAIA level, the Mustangs’ record still managed to reach a program best late into September as the team was .500 at 6-6 on Sept. 21 after topping Ohio State-Marion. The .500 start on Sept. 21 was the latest the Mustangs obtained a .500-plus record in a single season. Below is the match recap from the Ohio State-Marion contest that lifted the senior-laden team to 6-6 on the 2012 season, and the release from the first ever 2-0 start in program history. #Relive #MGTop10

Want to get in on the conversation? Additional conversation and releases can be found on our social media pages throughout the duration of the series. On facebook and twitter, use #MGTop10 to help us interact daily.

GET CONNECTED WITH THE MUSTANGS: Facebook | Twitter | Score Updates & News Alerts

—————————————————————————–

History! Mustangs Start Season 2-0 For First Time

Women’s Volleyball – Fri, Aug. 24, 2012

GARY, Ind. — Friday (08/24) marked plenty of firsts for the volleyball program at Marygrove College. New head coach Jamie Baker coached her first intercollegiate contest, and later won her first intercollegiate contest. In the end, the Mustangs started the season 2-0 for the first time in program history.

Friday’s tri-match featured a pair of matches against familiar foes, Robert Morris-Peoria and Indiana University-Northwest. The Mustangs entered the night with a 3-0 lifetime record against Peoria and a 6-1 mark against IU-Northwest.

In the first match, the Mustangs would get on top with a first set win against Peoria, 25-21. The narrow margin indicated that the Mustangs were not facing the same Peoria team from a year ago. In fact, Peoria would come back to steal set number two after a fierce battle, 26-28. The Mustangs, led by a strong core of seniors, would battle back to take a 3-1 decision to earn Coach Baker’s first intercollegiate victory. The win also marked the first time the Mustangs started 1-0 to begin a season in their brief program history.

The nightcap would pit the Mustangs against the host Redhawks of IU-Northwest. The Mustangs used their momentum from the first match to cruise to a three-set sweep of the Redhawks, 25-18, 25-21 and 25-11.

The Mustangs featured a balanced effort from their cast of four seniors. Newcomers Alixandria Pappas (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Lakeview) and Katharina Hall (Livonia, Mich./Henry Ford CC) contributed nicely in the pair of victories. Kiara Cobbs (Detroit, Mich./King) had a solid night minding the net by turning away plenty of attacks by the opposition and turning in a few kills of her own.

“I am very pleased with the team’s effort tonight. We got into trouble a couple time but managed to pull out on top for two victories due to our veteran leadership. We have a mature group of young ladies that have a drive to succeed this season, and I am excited to see what the rest of the season has in store for us,” said Baker.

Coach Baker and the Mustangs (2-0) will scrimmage Schoolcraft College next week before heading to the Penn State Invitational for the weekend. We will keep you updated on all of next weekend’s action at marygrovemustangs.com and our facebook and twitter feeds.

—————————————————————————————-

Mustangs Return To .500 with Straight Set Victory

Women’s Volleyball – Fri, Sep. 21, 2012

MARION, Ohio — The Mustangs, behind solid all-around play, made the most of their Friday (09/22) night road trip by cruising past the Scarlet Wave in straight sets, 25-15, 25-13, and 25-11.

The win brings the Mustangs’ record back to the .500 mark at 6-6. The even mark on Sept. 21 is the latest the Mustangs have been .500 or better in program history.

Friday’s win over the Scarlet Wave lifts the Mustangs all-time record against their Ohio counterpart to 4-1. The lone loss came in the second match ever played in the history of the program.

The three-set victory was a balanced effort that witnessed two Mustangs tie for the team lead in kills. Sophomore Kiara Cobbs (Detroit, Mich./King) and freshman Alixandria Pappas (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Lakeview) paced the Mustangs attack with nine kills each.

Senior setter Megan Gohl (Belleville, Mich./Belleville) contributed 37 assists to help formulate a steady dose of Mustang attacks throughout the match.

Senior libero Shana Tooley (Belleville, Mich./Belleville) led all Mustangs in digs with 14.

The Mustangs return home for their next match as they host Siena Heights University at 7:00pm Wednesday (UD Jesuit High School).  The Saints come to town 9-4 and 2-1 in the WHAC. The Mustangs (6-6) will be seeking their first WHAC win (0-2) when the pair square off in Wednesday’s conference contest.