Having lost in a long battle against James Island in the first round of playoffs, the Lady Tigers 2023 Volleyball season come to an end.
The Lady Tigers traveled two hours to face James Island, the #2 seed in Region 7, in the first round of playoffs. In the first set, there was at most a three point difference between the two teams. James Island won the first set 25-23 with a kill from Lily Schizas. The second set began with similar energy as the first from both teams, but the Tigers lost their fight towards the middle of the set and allowed the Torjans to obtain a ten point lead. The set was heavily carried by outside hitter Keenan Jordan for the Trojans. James Island won the second set 25-17, but this didn't stop the Tigers from fighting. Head Coach John Davis told the girls to, “cheer at the end of each set like we won, regardless of the score”, to keep the energy high. The third set was a combination of the first two, long rallies and incredible plays. Setter Natalie McGeorge relied on her quick sets to middle blocker Maddison Rigsby in order to steal some points. The final score of the third set was 25-19. After many assists, kills, blocks, diving plays, effort, and team spirit, the Tigers couldn't pull through to get the victory.
This match would have gone by faster without the key players of the game. According to Coach John Davis, the following athletes played a crucial role in Thursday's game: defensive specialists Kristina Cain and Lauren Sehnke, outside hitter and Shaw commit Talia Emmen, outside hitter Elena Gregory, middle blockers Logan Murray and Veda Lewis, and setters Kaylee Braswell and Zhane Timmons.
Coach Davis was asked to describe the volleyball season as a whole in one word and he chose resilient. He says, “We never gave up…we didnt turn-tail and run, we showed up again at practice.” Inconsistency in mental toughness was a recurring problem, which led to losses in the season to teams. The playoff game was different in this sense because the Tigers were playing with optimal effort, rather than focusing on winning or losing. Coach Davis says, “I don't know that we had consistent bye in all season and that led to the inconsistency.”
Shaw University commit Talia Emmen has been guided by Coach Davis for five years. Coach Davis says, “I'm extremely proud of her numbers and her career…I think Shaw University is gonna be a really good fit for her.” Outside hitter Elena Gregory won all-region second team, outside hitter Talia Emmen won all-region offensive player of the year and all-state, and defensive specialist/libero Lauren Sehnke won all-region first team.
Written by: Talia Emmen and Lauren Sehnke
