With a 3-0 sweep of USC Upstate and 3-1 victory over Kennesaw State University last weekend, the lady Bisons clinched the regular season championship and with it secured the No. 1 seed heading into the Atlantic Sun Tournament.
Head coach Brandon Rosenthal knew that something was different with the team this year with heir attitude towards the game and outlook on winning.
“Going to Kansas and beating Kansas, going to Missouri and beating Missouri and Illinois State,” Rosenthal said, “It was just one of those years where everybody believed and it was special.”
Injuries and illness plagued the team towards the start of the season, but they found a way to fight back and end conference play 13-1. Rosenthal said that it’s not necessarily about the talent but the character.
Over a quarter of the team are seniors this year and their leadership was apparent in each and every game they played during the regular season.
“We talked at the beginning of the year about leaving a legacy, and that has nothing to do with wins and losses, it has everything to do with who you are,” said Rosenthal. “These girls, led by our seniors have done that.”
Rosenthal mentioned when you have a season like theirs you expect to win every match you go into and there’s definitely an expectation of going into the tournament and winning.
“I don’t think there’s any surprise for us or for anyone else that we want to do this,” said Rosenthal. “We aren’t going to win every set 25-0, we know they’re going to push us.”
The Lady Bisons went 20-7 overall in their season and moved to 32nd in the RPI; highest in Lipscomb volleyball history. That stat alone has given Lipscomb national recognition, beyond the Atlantic Sun Conference.
In the conference, Rosenthal was named A-Sun Coach of the Year and senior Lauren Ford and junior Molly Spitznagle were named to the First Team All-Conference. Senior Sophie Kellerman, junior Brittnay Estes and sophomore Kayla Ostrom made the All-Conference Second Team.
Tears were shed by many of the girls when they became conference champions on Saturday night. They were elated with the victory, but also filled with the excitement of going forward. Their coach believes that their mindset is sound and that they are ready.
“Our girls are very excited but at the same time very business-like in a sense that they know this is just a next step of what they’ve been working for,” said Rosenthal. “I don’t anticipate any nerves coming into play. They’ve thought about this for quite some time and are more than prepared to handle this.”
As first seed in the tournament, the Lady Bisons will play the winner of the Northern Kentucky University-Stetson University match in the semifinals Friday night.