MAYFIELD, Ky. - Missed opportunities have not been as big a part of the Mid-Continent University volleyball season this year as they have been in years past, but on Saturday Mid-Continent missed several key opportunities to take control of their first match with the Williams Baptist College Eagles and it cost the Cougars dearly.
Mid-Continent (14-18) dropped a hard-fought tilt with the Eagles (23-11) in their first match of the day, eliminating Mid-Continent from contention for the NCCAA postseason, but in the match Mid-Continent's Jenavera Gibson did set the Mid-Continent single season kills record. In the final match of the day, the Cougars won the first set, but after missing an opportunity to close out the Eagles in the second frame, Williams Baptist came back to win the match 3-1.
In the first set of the day, Williams took a lead midway through the stanza, but the Cougars hung close, trailing by just three points at 15-12. From the point, the Eagles finished the set on a 10-2 run to take the first frame of the day 25-14. A 9-1 run for the Eagles early in set number two put Williams Baptist ahead 11-3, but the Cougars battled back. Mid-Continent closed to within two thanks to a 7-2 spurt that pulled Mid-Continent to within 17-15, but the Eagles took eight of the final 11 points of the frame, taking the set win 25-18. The third set was an even battle from the start, with neither team holding a lead of more than three points. Late in the set, the Cougars took an 18-16 lead, but they were unable to distance themselves any further. Williams Baptist came back to reclaim the lead at 23-22, and though the Cougars were able to fight off one set point and send the match beyond its scheduled length, the Eagles hung on for the 26-24 win, ending Mid-Continent's chance of reaching the postseason.
Gibson and Kristin Selph each posted double-doubles again for the Cougars, with Gibson recording 15 kills and 11 digs, while Selph added 10 kills and 13 digs. Alyssa Ybarra had 16 digs in the match, and Rachel Brueggeman added 25 assists.
In the second match, Mid-Continent came out strong, taking the lead early in the first set and coasting in with a 25-18 win. In the second set, the Eagles got off to a fast start, building an 11-1 lead, but Mid-Continent battled back, forcing the set beyond the scheduled 25 points. Back-and-forth the teams went deep into extra points before Williams Baptist finally converted a set point opportunity to win the set 34-32. The marathon set changed the momentum completely, and the Eagles took the remaining two stanzas 25-14 and 25-20 to take the match 3-1.
Individually, Gibson and Selph each posted another double double, and for the second time this season, Gibson set the single match record for kills at MCU. Gibson blasted 25 kills in the match - extending her record setting single-season total to 409 - with 13 digs; while Selph struck 18 scoring shots and posted a team-high 22 digs. Brueggeman posted her first double-double in the match as well, handing out 48 assists and notching 11 digs, and Ybarra added 13 digs.
The Cougars now know they will wrap up their 2012 campaign on Monday and Tuesday at the 2012 TranSouth Championships. Mid-Continent enters the tournament as the #4 seed, and they will battle the TranSouth regular season champion Bethel University Lady Wildcats (13-18) in the tournament's opening match on Monday at Noon. The winner of the match will play again at 5 p.m., while the loser will face elimination at 7:30 p.m.
