The Lady Bulldog volleyball team won 3 sets to 1 against the Lady Bucs of Christian Brothers University on Tuesday, November 7 to finish out their home game schedule for the season.
What was a cold, dreary night outside still could not diminish the vibrancy and heart that dominated the entire atmosphere of Fred DeLay Gymnasium as the Lady Bulldogs fought hard and fundamentally executed to finish their home schedule with a sweet win.
The first set got off to a slow start, with sporadic kills and aces but still a lot of back and forth. However, as the set progressed, the Lady Bulldogs settled in offensively, played with sound defense and kept the score close. The end of the first set was a battle between the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Bucs, but Union managed to come out on top, 29-27.
The Lady Bulldogs dropped the second set, 16-25.
After the second set, the Lady Bulldogs made the right adjustments and regained the momentum to win the third set 25-22. Union’s serves as well as serve receive were especially strong, allowing them to push points and run a spread offense along the front row.
The Lady Bulldogs entered the fourth set with the game’s momentum as well as a team cohesiveness that propelled them towards a 25-17 win to finish out the match.
Tears filled the eyes of middle blocker and senior photography and graphic design major Cece Blanchard as she reflected upon her feelings at the end of this final home game for her Lady Bulldogs volleyball career.
“Obviously I’m sad, but I am really proud of us because we played so hard and got that last home win,” Blanchard said. “I guess it really is time to move on to the next chapter, but I’m still not ready for it to be over.”
Sophomore Abbie Rahn led the team in kills with 16, followed by sophomore Katie O’Malley with 14 and junior Christa Karns with 12. Freshman Bre Carlton led the team in assists, finishing out with 52 for the night, while sophomore Taylor Chiaro led defensively with 20 digs, followed by sophomore Kristen Goggins with 13.
“I’m looking forward to our youth becoming experienced as well as to our incoming recruits,” said head coach Darrin McClure. “We’ve got some really good players coming in the next couple of years, and the best days for Union volleyball are certainly ahead.”
Blanchard is the only senior that the program will graduate. According to head coach McClure, her intensity and athletic ability are her best assets. She jumps higher than most people in the conference, making her versatile defensively and offensively.
“Cece loves the game of volleyball, and when players love the game, they are the most coachable type of kid,” McClure said. “She smiles a lot and rarely gets down. It’s been great to coach her, and I wish I had her for four more years.”
McClure may not have another year to coach Blanchard, but this will not be her last year with the program, as she will be transitioning into a coach and managerial role next year while she finishes her undergraduate degree. She will be an invaluable contribution of insight on the coaching side as this young team heads into next season.
The Lady Bulldogs are set to play their final game of the season on Thursday, November 9 against the Lady Choctaws of Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi.
