"Aquinas College Tournament"

  With only two players on the team that have played for the Lady Cougars for more than two years, the MVNC women's volleyball team is still adjusting to each other.

  However, the Lady Cougars (8-2) showed few signs of inexperience as they compiled a 3-1 record on their way to a second-place finish at the two-day, five-team Aquinas (MI) College Invitational Tournament.

  MVNC began play in the round robin tournament on Friday evening against the defending National Christian College Athletic Association national champions, Grace (IN) College. Last season, the Lady Lancers gave the Lady Cougars two of their ten losses.

  It looked like things would go Grace's way again in 1996 as the Lady Lancers took the first game 15-8. MVNC rallied to win the hard-fought second game 15-13, but Grace took the third game 15-12. Then, the Lady Cougars showed great determination as they battled back to take the fourth game 16-14 to force a fifth and deciding game.

  That set the stage for MVNC's sophomore middle hitter Tara Seiter, who helped the team to a quick 7-1 lead in the rally scoring game with four kills and two aces. Grace pulled to within 12-10, but Mandy Metzger served the final three points, including one ace, to give the Lady Cougars a 15-10 victory.

  Seiter finished with a team-high 13 kills, while Rachel Widener and Tammy Custer each added 11 kills. Widener, Seiter, and Courtny Testa each recorded three blocks, and Seiter and Metzger served up three aces apiece.

  "This was an awesome win against a high quality team," said MVNC head coach Paul Swanson. "This win will go a long way in building the confidence of the team."

  Next up for the Lady Cougars was the host school, Aquinas, a regional qualifier along with MVNC and Grace in 1995. The Lady Cougars continued to play with confidence as they took the first game 15-13 behind six kills and two aces by Custer.

  The Lady Saints bounced back to take the next two games by the scores of 15-11 and 15-10. Then, a tired MVNC team showed what they were made of as they earned a hard-fought 15-13 victory to force another fifth game.

  This time, however, the magic was not there for the Lady Cougars as they lost 15-7 for their first loss in a rally scoring fifth game in 1996.

  Seiter led the way again with 15 kills and two blocks. Custer added 11 kills, while Christa DeLorenzo finished with nine kills.

  "They (Aquinas) are a very good team and they played well in this match," said Swanson. "Our team could have given up after the third game, but they decided that they didn't want to lose without a fight."

  On Saturday, the Lady Cougars began play against Robert Morris (IL) College. MVNC was able to use all twelve players in this match as they won in three games, 15-2, 15-9, 15-4. Amber Rice led the team with eight kills and two aces, while Jessica Huffaker added seven kills and two aces.

  "We controlled the ball and executed well in this match," said Swanson. "Becky (Jefferys) set an excellent match."

  The final match of the tournament for MVNC pitted them against a Mid-Ohio Conference foe, the University of Rio Grande. Once again, the Lady Cougars took the match in three games, 15-7, 15-13, 15-9. Seiter smashed a team-high 18 kills and added four blocks, while DeLorenzo finished with 11 kills and three blocks.

  "We had excellent execution during this match," said Swanson. "It was a close and very well-played match."

  Grace, MVNC, and Aquinas each finished the tournament with identical 3-1 records. However, Grace only lost three games throughout the tournament (all to MVNC), while the Lady Cougars lost five and Aquinas lost seven. So, by virtue of the tiebreaker, Grace claimed the tournament title with MVNC finishing second.

  "This was a very productive weekend for our new, young team," said Swanson. "I am very pleased with their development."

  Seiter and Metzger were named to the eight-player all-tournament team. "This was a very nice and much deserved award for both players," said Swanson. "Tara was outstanding in both the front and back row, while Mandy set intelligent and consistent matches."

  The Lady Cougars will return to action on Tuesday as they travel to North Canton to face MOC-rival, Walsh University, in a battle of two of the top teams in the conference.