History Continues for MC Volleyball
History Continues for MC Volleyball
Lady Choctaws stop West Florida's 51-match conference winning streak
The Lady Choctaws came in this past weekend with an 11-1 record, the best start in school history for the program. After this past weekend, Mississippi College added to their already impressive resume, knocking off Auburn-Montgomery and 12th-ranked West Florida.
In Friday’s Gulf South Conference match, the Choctaws defeated AUM in four sets. MC looked dominant in the first set, winning 25-20. In set two, AUM showed signs of life, taking the set 26-24. However, that was all AUM had in them as they would fall in the final two sets. Kendall Platt, the fifth-year Senior, had her best match of the year, racking up 12 kills, six service aces, and 13 digs. As a team, the Choctaws hit well below their average .247 hitting percentage, at .147. It was their ability to get it done at the service line, which made the difference in this match, with 15 total aces.
Saturday was MC’s first big test of the season with a nationally ranked West Florida team coming to town. And the Choctaws’ came out firing on all cylinders taking the first set 25-12. However, as dominant as MC was in set one, West Florida was in set two, winning 25-14. In the final sets, the fans that packed A. E. Wood Coliseum were able to witness history. The Argonauts won the third set to put MC in a pressure situation for sets four and five.
As the situation got bigger, MC got better. The Choctaws won set four to force a winner takes all set five. In the fifth set, the Choctaws were out to a quick start and never looked back. Mississippi College would go on to defeat twelfth ranked, West Florida, for the first time in program history. West Florida was on a 51 consecutive match winning streak in the GSC, which was snapped by the Choctaws.
In the match, Lydia Paulette, Caroline Chastang, and Julia Sumrall had great performances. Chastang led the team in Kills with 15, while Paulette had 14. Paulette led the team in service aces with five, while also tallying three total blocks. Sumrall was able to help the Choctaws out at the net in a different way. She totaled eight blocks in the match, two below her season high.
The historic weekend didn’t stop after MC took down West Florida, as a trio of MC players were honored by the GSC. For the first time in conference history, all three weekly awards were given to players on the same team. Chastang, Outside Hitter, was named the Freshman of the Week for the conference. Paulette, Middle Blocker, was named the Offensive Player of the Week. The two have received their respected honor in back-to-back weeks. Julia Sumrall, Middle Blocker, was named Defensive Player of the Week in the GSC.
The Choctaws look to stay hot, as they travel to Jackson, Tennessee to play Lane College on Friday at 6:00 pm, and Union University on Saturday at 2:00 pm.