For the second time in three years, the Lady Lions Volleyball program will compete in the NCCAA Volleyball National Championships, to be held in Kissimmee, FL, December 2-5. The Lady Lions received an at-large bid, and will be the third representative from the Mid-East Region, behind region champion Campbellsville University and region runners-up King College. Bryan (28-15 overall) will be the #8 seed and will be in Pool A, along with #5 King, #1 Mount Vernon Nazarene, #3 Northwestern, and #10 Southeastern University.
"We are excited at the opportunity to represent our college at the National championships again," said Bryan Head Coach Leo Sayles, "The field is very strong in both pools. I feel good about our chances, though. We have had two tight matches with MVNU the past two seasons, and always have tough matches with King. We faced off against Northwestern at the national tourney in 2007, even though we lost to them. At least we will be familiar with the teams in our pool this season. The players are thrilled at the opportunity for two of our seniors, Amber Smith and Amanda Manke, to finish their careers in their home state. This will be a capstone to a marvelous season, and we hope to finish it with a ‘bang!'"
All of the competing teams will take part in a Christian Service project with Campus Crusade for Christ on Wednesday, December 2. The players each will provide a gift for a child. Once teams arrive at the CCFC site, the players will be mixed together to pack gift boxes for needy children. "The Christian service project and comradery between the players is one of the reasons I am delighted to take the players to the NCCAA National Championship," commented Sayles, "All of the teams are there for far more than just competing for a championship, and the NCCAA national committee does a great job ensuring that we remember our higher calling."
The Lions will open pool play on Thursday, December 3, at 10:00am ET vs. Northwestern College, then will play Southeastern University at 4:00pm ET.
On Friday, December 4, the Lions face off against Mount Vernon Nazarene at 10:00am ET, then face long-time rival King at 2:00pm ET to wrap up pool play. "Both (King's) Coach Toomey and I feel it is a shame that we have to face each other again in early rounds, but we are both delighted to be at the tournament, and have a high regard for our programs. We hope to deliver a great match at the tournament," said Sayles.
The Lions have already attained several great highlights this season. The team split their first AAC regular season championship with Union, attained their third 25-win season in 4 years, their fourth consecutive 20 win season, the most wins in a single season since 1982, and their first AAC Player of the Year in two decades. The team hopes to eclipse those marks with a run to the Final Four to cap off a remarkable year.
