Senior libero Tiffany Milburn and senior middle hitter Shena Beheler were honored prior to the match for their accomplishments over the past four years, and then the duo combined to lead the way for MVNU (35-1, 11-0 AMC South Division) as the Lady Cougars, who are ranked 15th in the most recent NAIA national poll, posted their 23rd straight victory and captured their seventh conference title in the program’s storied history and the first since registering four in a row from 1998-2001.

The first game was extremely close throughout and went back and forth with 20 ties and 12 lead changes with the visiting Lady Bears (18-15, 3-8 AMC South) holding a slim 25-24 lead. Following a sideout that knotted the score at 25-25, sophomore outside hitter Courtney Springer (left) pounded a pair of kills and freshman Jackie Albrecht added a kill to put MVNU in front 28-25. Shawnee State pulled within 28-27, but Springer and Albrecht combined on a block for a point and Springer served up an ace for game point as the Lady Cougars took the game 30-27.

MVNU jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in the second game as Albrecht served the first seven points while Beheler and junior outside hitter Audrey Hickinbotham both had two kills apiece. The margin grew to 13-3 following an ace by sophomore setter Kaylin Austen and a kill by sophomore middle hitter Stephanie Zollars, and the Lady Bears would get no closer than nine points the rest of the way as the Lady Cougars prevailed 30-17.

However, Shawnee State, which had won eight of its previous 11 matches coming into Tuesday’s contest, did not give in. The Lady Bears built an early 10-5 advantage in the third game and then extended it to 22-14. MVNU tried to rally and was able to pull within 28-27 by scoring 13 of the next 19 points, but Shawnee State scored the final two points to take the game 30-27 and force a fourth game.

The fourth game was close early on with the Lady Cougars holding a slim 8-7 lead. MVNU built its lead to 18-12 as Springer registered two kills and two blocks, but the Lady Bears answered right back with three straight points to close the gap to 18-15.

Hickinbotham and Albrecht each pounded two kills and Beheler (right) smashed another as the Lady Cougars scored five of the next six points to extend their lead to 23-16. Shawnee State made one last run to pull within 23-20, but MVNU closed out the game with kills from Beheler, Springer, and Zollars to post a 30-21 victory and take the match and the outright conference title.

“It is great to be able to celebrate winning a conference title,” said MVNU head coach Paul Swanson. “This is a special group of players who have been working hard and working together to see what they can accomplish. To do this on Senior Night while also honoring two great people and players in Shena and Tiffany just makes for a great evening.”

“(Shawnee State) played us really tough,” Swanson added. “They did a great job in the back row and really made us earn our points. I was pleased with the way that our team kept battling until they got the job done.”

Beheler pounded 25 kills to go with 16 digs and seven blocks to lead the Lady Cougars. Austen (left) handed out a career-high 71 assists - eight shy of the school record set against Cedarville University in 2000 by Andrea Rudd - along with nine digs and two aces, and Springer smashed a career-high 19 kills with five blocks and 15 digs. Hickinbotham registered 13 kills and a team-high three aces, while Zollars and Albrecht contributed nine and eight kills respectively with Albrecht adding five blocks and 10 digs. Milburn also posted a team-high 17 digs as MVNU finished the regular season with a 15-0 mark at home.

The Lady Cougars will close out the regular season on Thursday when the team travels to Walsh University to face the defending AMC South Division champions, who received votes in the latest NAIA poll. The match is slated to get under way at 7:00 p.m.