CLINTON, Miss. – The Spring Hill College (SHC) court volleyball team earned a thrilling 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 25-12, 18-25, 16-14) decision over the Mississippi College Choctaws on Saturday afternoon at A.E. Woods Coliseum, making SHC head coach
Peggy Martin the sole leader on the All-Divisions Collegiate Volleyball Career Wins list with 1,349 victories. In the tri-match's mid-afternoon match, the Badgers held off the Henderson State University (HSU) Reddies (5-6) in another 3-2 (25-17, 20-25, 26-24, 18-25, 15-8) outcome.
Martin's career record now stands at 1,350-349-8 (.793) in her 44
th overall season including a mark of 286-68 (.808) at SHC in her 11
th year with the Badgers.
The Choctaws did not make achieving the record easy for the Badgers in the day's first match, taking a 23-21 lead in the first set before SHC managed to rattle off the next four points for the win. MC would control the action for most of the second set maintaining a five- to six-point advantage throughout the stanza in route to a 25-21 victory.
SHC took a 5-0 lead to start the third set, but the Choctaws soon whittled their deficit down to 8-7. From there, the Badgers (9-4) shook off their early match blues to run out to a 25-12 win and claim a 2-1 lead.
The fourth set began with MC taking a 13-5 lead before SHC answered back, knotting it at 13-13. The Choctaws would right their ship to build out a late 19-15 advantage and earn a 25-18 win to send the match to a fifth set.
In the fifth and deciding set, the Choctaws stood one point from victory at 14-9, but the Badgers would somehow, some way roll off the final seven points of the match for an astounding 16-14 decision behind the serving of freshman outside hitter
Mikayla Boyer of Covington, La., to take home the match and the record for their head coach.
At day's end, Martin was still approaching the events with a coach's eye. "After a really hard fought contest where we did not play our best and down 9-14 in the fifth set, Boyer served out the match for us," she said. "Just an unbelievable way to win a special match."
SHC took the victory with a .144 (52-26-180) attack percentage along with 48 assists and seven service aces. The Badger defense made seven blocks and 80 digs as the Choctaws (3-7) built a .213 (58-21-174) attack percentage with nine aces, nine blocks and 90 digs.
Senior outside hitter
Payton Gidney of Grapevine, Texas, recorded a team-high 14 kills as senior setter
Emmarose Neibert of Arnold, Mo., passed around 34 assists and Boyer served up four aces. On defense, middle hitters
Kassandra Fairly of Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., and
Bentley Odom out of Mobile's Murphy High School each tallied three total blocks while senior libero
Cassidi Sterrett of Lee's Summit, Mo., roped in 23 digs.
Versus the Reddies (5-6), the Badgers again were forced to a fifth set, but pulled away late to take the win. SHC compiled a .190 (54-17-195) attack percentage with 52 assists and six aces on offense while the defense collected 10 blocks and 110 digs, holding HSU to a .142 (65-34-218) attack percentage.
Gidney again led the charge with 16 kills and Neibert earned 37 assists with Sterrett slapping two aces with 28 digs. Fairly made four blocks at the net.
Spring Hill will return home to the friendly confines of the Arthur R. Outlaw Recreation Center on Tuesday at 6 p.m. when they face non-conference foe the William Carey University Lady Crusaders (8-10).
