After twenty years of intercollegiate volleyball play at Mount Vernon Nazarene College, the Lady Cougars have established themselves as one of the top small college programs in the state of Ohio.
MVNC has come a long way from its inauspicious 1-8 start in 1976. In fact, the Lady Cougars finished the 1995 campaign with the best record in school history at 51-10. They also won their second straight Mid-Ohio Conference title and advanced to the NAIA Great Lakes Regional semi-finals for the first time.
The team began the season with five returning players from last year's 42-6 team and seven new players (four freshmen and three transfers). With that many new faces, MVNC head coach Paul Swanson was not sure what to expect.
"I knew that we had the individual talent to have some success," said Swanson. "I just was not sure how all of that talent would fit together. However, with great senior leadership and a wonderful mix of personalities, it all came together great."
The season started out well for MVNC as the team won its first twelve matches, including the championship match of the Kenyon College Invitational. The Lady Cougars also finished as semi-finalists in the Cedarville College Invitational and as finalists in the Grace College Invitational.
On Saturday, October 7, MVNC competed in the six-team Georgetown College Invitational. Despite playing nine matches in twelve hours, the Lady Cougars came out of the loser's bracket to defeat host Georgetown, ranked 15th in the NAIA at the time, twice in the finals.
"Winning the Georgetown tournament was definitely one of the highlights of our season," said Swanson. "There were so many times when we could have given up, but the team hung in there and played together. It was an exhausting day, but it was well worth the outcome."
The Lady Cougars also won the National Christian College Athletic Association District I Tournament and made their sixth straight appearance in the NCCAA National Tournament. MVNC lost in the semi-finals to the eventual champion, Grace College.
Besides competing in tournaments, the Lady Cougars were busy dominating their MOC foes in route to becoming the first team to finish undefeated in MOC volleyball history. MVNC posted an 18-0 match record and only lost five games in claiming its second straight title. The Lady Cougars went on to win the conference tournament to advance to the NAIA Great Lakes Regionals for the second straight year. With those two victories, MVNC extended its MOC winning streak to 34 matches dating back to 1994.
"It was a nice accomplishment to become the first unbeaten team in MOC history," said Swanson. "One of our goals was to win the MOC title, and the team stayed focused on that the whole year."
Speaking of winning streaks, the Lady Cougars finished the 1995 season undefeated at home for the fourth straight year and extended their NAIA-record home winning streak to 54 consecutive matches dating back to 1991. In fact, seniors Julee Anderson, Melissa Gregory, and Jodi Webb finished their four-year careers with an impressive 50-0 mark at home.
The Lady Cougars wrapped up their season at the NAIA Great Lakes Regional Tournament in Michigan. As the 7th-seed in the 12-team tournament, MVNC finished 2-1 in pool play with victories over Trinity Christian College and Concordia College, ranked 25th in the NAIA at the time.
With those two victories, the team advanced to the single elimination portion of the tournament for the first time in school history. They were pitted against the College of St. Francis, the defending region champions who entered the match ranked 16th in NAIA. After losing two of the first three matches, the Lady Cougars rallied to upset St. Francis in five games.
"The win over St. Francis was the biggest win that our program has ever had," said Swanson. "They have been the dominant team in our region for the past ten years. To beat a team with that kind of tradition is a great accomplishment. Our team showed that they can compete with anyone and win."
MVNC went on to face Madonna University, ranked 13th, in the semi-finals and fell to the eventual region champions in four games. However, the Lady Cougars had earned a lot of respect for their team by the way that they had competed.
"The team understood the importance of working together," explained Swanson. "They continued to improve throughout the season. We were an outstanding serving, attacking, and blocking team. We made teams try to earn the right to beat us."
Ten new team records and eighteen individual records were set during the 1995 season. Individually, several players were honored for their performances that led to the successful season. Webb became the first MVNC volleyball player to receive NAIA All-American status when she was named to the honorable mention team. She was also selected to the Great Lakes Region first team, while Anderson and Kellina Snyder were named to the second team. Webb and Anderson were also named NCCAA All-Americans, and Anderson and Snyder were chosen to the NCCAA All-National Tourney team.
Webb, Snyder, and Anderson were selected to the MOC first team, Tara Seiter was named the MOC Freshman of the Year and was named to the MOC second team. Anderson and Webb shared NCCAA District I Player of the Year honors, while Gregory and Snyder joined them on the All-District I team.
In addition, Anderson, Webb, and Courtny Testa were each named to the MOC All-Academic team and the NAIA and NCCAA Academic All-American teams. Anderson and Webb were also selected to the GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-District IV team with Anderson be chosen to the GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American third team as the lone player from an NAIA school.
Swanson was tabbed as the MOC Coach of the Year for the second straight year while also being named the NCCAA District I Coach of the Year. He has compile a 363-157 record in his 12 seasons at MVNC, and ranks eighth in the NAIA in career wins.
Swanson must now replace the four seniors whose careers have ended. They helped to compile a 163-33 (.832) record during their four years. Despite the loss of these players, the future looks bright with a talented group of returning players and an outstanding recruiting class.