Going into the 1993 season, the MVNC women's volleyball team had achieved much success in its previous 17 seasons. However, the Lady Cougars had never managed to break the 40-win plateau.
All of that changed in 1993 as MVNC posted a 41-8 record, setting school marks for wins and winning percentage (.836). The Lady Cougars also continued to show that they are one ot the best teams in the Mid-Ohio Conference and NAIA District 22. In addition, the team won another National Christian College Athletic Association District I title and competed in the NCCAA National Tournament.
The Lady Cougars started the season with a school-record 17 straight wins that included seven wins in route to the Oberlin College Early Bird Invitational Tournament championship and a victory over defending MOC champion, the University of Rio Grande. During this span, MVNC also set a school record with 12 consecutive road wins.
"Many of the players had set winning the Oberlin Tournament as one of their goals," said MVNC head coach Paul Swanson. "Once we won that tournament, our momentum continued and the team as a whole continued to play well together."
The Lady Cougars were also busy trying to win their first-ever MOC title. However, the team finished as the conference runner-up for the second straight year with a 12-2 mark. MVNC's only losses came at Rio Grande (the MOC champs again) and at Tiffin University, both in five games.
The Lady Cougars claimed the NCCAA District I title by winning five straight matches on their home court without losing a single game. With the victories, MVNC earned an automatic berth in the NCCAA National Tournament. In their fourth appearance in the tournament, the Lady Cougars advanced to the semi-finals and claimed third-place with a 5-1 record. Their only loss came to the eventual national champions, Bethel (IN) College.
"We were disappointed in not making it to the finals of the national tournament," said Swanson. "However, after going 3-9 the past three years, it was nice to finish in third-place. The competition was tough and we responded by playing well enough to win. We represented MVNC well."
Next up for MVNC was a berth in the NAIA District 22 Tournament. The second-seeded Lady Cougars downed Central State University in their first match. Then, they gained a measure of revenge by knocking off Rio Grande to advance to the finals. In the championship match, MVNC fell to the College of Mount St. Joseph.
The Lady Cougars finished the season with a 14-0 home record to extend their home winning streak to 29 straight matches dating back to 1991. The NAIA record for the longest home winning streak is held by Indiana Univeristy-Purdue Univeristy at Indianapolis and ended at 37 matches in 1993.
Several team records were set in 1993 as MVNC posted its best season ever. The team set new marks in kills (1,448), aces (303), aces per game (2.24), serving percentage (92.9), and serve reception percentage (91.7). Against Rio Grande, the team also totalled a record 108 digs.
Several players also set individual records during the season. Sophomore Jodi Webb eclipsed the previous records with 687 serve reception attempts and a 95.1 serve reception percentage. Junior Wendy Rader served up a record seven aces in a match against Earlham (IN) College, while Webb recorded 62 serve reception attempts against Rio Grande.
Senior Trista McNeal became the Lady Cougars' all-time leader in kills (1,384), aces (182), and serve attempts (2,039). She also finished her stellar career ranked second in serve reception attemtps (1,879) and third in blocks (431) and digs (1,028).
Senior Pam Troyer finished her career ranked third in assists (1,384), fifth in digs (627), and ninth in aces (73). Meanwhile, senior Samantha Penfound rounded out her career in seventh-place on the all-time blocks list with 244 total blocks.
Several players earned honors for their performances during the 1993 season. In the MOC, McNeal was named to the First Team, Rader was selected to the Second Team, and Webb received honorable mention. Freshman Courtny Testa was chosen to the MOC All-Freshmen Team. McNeal and Rader were also named to the NAIA District 22 Team, while Webb received honorable mention. McNeal was selected as the NCCAA District I Co-Player of the Year, while Rader and Webb joined her on the All-District Team. Finally, McNeal and Rader were tabbed NCCAA All-Americans.
The loss of McNeal, Troyer, and Penfound will leave a large hole in the Lady Cougars' starting line-up, but with quality returning players and several good recruits, MVNC will look to add to their success in 1994.