MVNU got off to its best start ever as the Lady Cougars won their first 10 games to begin the season. During that span, MVNU captured both the Bluffton University Tip-off Tournament title and the Trinity International University Classic title.

Over the next seven games, the Lady Cougars went 4-3 to improve to 14-3 overall with two of the losses coming by two points each to Kenyon College and at Walsh University and the other loss coming by four points to Daemen (N.Y.) College. During this span, sophomore post Amanda Himes was sidelined due to illness.

With Himes still sidelined, MVNU dropped back-to-back games to Cedarville University and at Northwestern Ohio. After an overtime win against Notre Dame College and a loss at Ohio Dominican University, Himes returned to the starting lineup and the team split its next two games with a win at Cedarville University and a loss at NAIA Division II No. 2 Shawnee State University as the Lady Cougars’ record moved to 16-7.

The next game proved to be one of the turning points in the team’s season as MVNU rallied to beat the University of Rio Grande in overtime. That would start a run of eight straight wins that would push the Lady Cougars not only over the 20-win mark for only the fourth time in school history but also into the American Mideast Conference Tournament for the first time in nine years.

MVNU began AMC Tournament play with a 74-71 win at No. 4 seed Northwestern Ohio. Then, the No. 5 seeded Lady Cougars traveled to top-seeded Walsh and posted a convincing 84-70 victory to advance to the championship game.

MVNU traveled to No. 2 seed Ohio Dominican for the AMC Tournament championship game where the Lady Cougars came up just short of earning the program’s first-ever trip to the NAIA Division II National Tournament as the host Lady Panthers won 51-49 on a layup with four seconds left.

At this point, the team switched gears and hosted Nyack (N.Y.) College in the National Christian College Athletic Association East Region championship game. After rallying from a 13-point second-half deficit to take a one-point lead, MVNU suffered its second straight last-second playoff loss as a three-pointer at the buzzer gave Nyack a 71-69 victory.

The Lady Cougars got a second chance, though, when they received an at-large berth into the NCCAA National Tournament at Grace College in Winona Lake, Ind. MVNU made the most of this second chance as the Lady Cougars knocked off Oakland City (Ind.) University and Mid-America Christian (Okla.) University to reach the championship game.

In the championship game against Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.) University, MVNU fell behind 11-0 to start the game and trailed 35-25 with 13:45 left in the second half. However, the Lady Cougars used an 11-0 run of their own to take their first lead 36-35 with 7:22 to play.

The game went back and forth over the next seven minutes with MVNU holding a 50-48 lead as the final seconds were ticking down. Palm Beach Atlantic missed a go-ahead three-pointer with four seconds left, and the Lady Cougars captured their third NCCAA national title.

"I think John Wooden said it best when he said the famous line, ‘success is not a destination, it’s a journey,’” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory, who was named the NCCAA National Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. "What a wonderful journey it was this season. As with any season, there are lots of highs and lows. The highs of winning and playing well, enjoying the camaraderie that is synonymous with a team, and building a competitive team one game at a time. The lows come in a multitude of ways such as injuries that can ravage a team, dropping hard-fought games or losing a streak, and inconsistent play to name just a few.”

"Our season was filled with highs and lows and both contributed to the special season that we had,” Gregory continued. "Without the up and down emotions and the big plays or lack thereof, how would you have a true grasp of the game without the emotions that go with it? We lived it for 36 games this season and were fortunate to have the ultimate high of ending our season on a neutral court with a win in the national championship game. Nothing beats the feelings and emotions tied to cutting down the nets at the end of the year and bringing back a banner that will hang in the rafters as a constant reminder of a team’s great journey together.”

Individually, there were many standout performances during the 2008-2009 season. Senior point guard Rachel Fiely set school records with 249 assists and 113 steals while also averaging 13.2 points as she was named the NCCAA Kathy Freese Player of the Year. Fiely finished her illustrious career fourth in school history with 1,551 points while also becoming the program’s all-time leader in assists (654), steals (335), consecutive games played (123), and games started (122).

Seniors Melissa Mastrodonato (6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds), Bethany Hughes (4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds), Jessica Lynn (3.3 points and 2.5 rebounds), and Ashley Brown (2.7 points and 2.9 rebounds) also closed out their four-year careers in style by finishing with a 71-52 record during their time at MVNU.

"I am pleased that this senior group got to go out on top by winning a championship,” said Gregory. "Their work ethic, commitment, sense of purpose, and faith in each other allowed them to go out in a very special way. They have set the bar high as the 27 wins will be pretty tough to beat. They hung together when times got tough, adjusted when they had to, and remained very coachable all the way through. They have represented MVNU very well. Not only are they athletes, but they have been model citizens at home and on the road, tremendous students, and devoted to the mission and values of a Christian university. Not only did they win, they did it the right way.”

Himes, who missed eight games in the middle of the season due to illness, still led the team by averaging a double-double of 19.8 points and 11.1 rebounds as she set new school records for points and rebounds in a season despite missing nearly one-fourth of the year. For her efforts, she was named the NCCAA National Tournament Most Valuable Player and an NAIA Division II Honorable Mention All-American. She became the first sophomore and only the 20th player overall to reach the 1,000-point mark in career scoring.

Freshman forward Alexis Harkins also had a breakout year in her first college season as she averaged 13.5 points and 7.2 rebounds on her way to earning AMC Freshman of the Year honors.

Sophomores Lauren Johnson (7.2 points and 50 steals) and Kellie Jokela (5.2 points and 5.1 rebounds) along with freshman Gabby Fowler (2.8 points and 28 three-pointers) each played significant roles for the Lady Cougars, while junior Lindsay Stein, sophomore Kim BeVier, and freshman Ashley Jessie rounded out the roster.