nazvb: 1996 Recap Page 1 of 2

"The 1996 Recap"

LADY COUGARS FINISH ANOTHER OUTSTANDING SEASON

written by Dave Parsons, Assistant Sports Information Director

For the Mount Vernon Nazarene College women's volleyball team and head coach Paul Swanson, the victories keep piling up and the successful reputation continues to grow.

The Lady Cougars finished their 1996 season with a 36-14 overall record. It marked the tenth straight winning year for MVNC and the eleventh in Swanson's 13-year stint at the helm. Swanson now ranks seventh all-time among the NAIA's winningest coaches with 414 victories.

After finishing 51-10 in 1995 with a veteran squad that included four senior starters, the Lady Cougars' 1996 roster listed only one senior (Courtny Testa) and two juniors (Tammy Custer and Christa DeLorenzo). Most observers figured that MVNC would still be competitive, but would not be at the same level they were the year before.

However, the Lady Cougars proved everyone wrong by once again contending for the Mid-Ohio Conference title, extending their NAIA-record home winning streak, winning the National Christian College Athletic Association District I Tournament, and advancing to the NAIA Great Lakes Regional Tournament and the NCCAA National Tournament.

"Obviously, we lost some key players from last season," said Swanson. "Coming into the season, we did not have very many players with much experience at the collegiate level. However, the team worked hard and played well together, and this helped us to overachieve to some extent."

After winning back-to-back MOC titles in 1994 and 1995 with a 30-1 record, MVNC was right in the hunt for their third straight title. Following a five-game loss at Walsh University, the Lady Cougars ran off 15 straight conference wins (including the rematch with Walsh) to move into a tie for the top spot. However, in the final MOC match of the season, MVNC fell at Cedarville College to finish as the conference runner-up for the third time in five years.

"One of our main goals this season was to win another conference title," said Swanson. "I was pleased with the way that the team played in MOC matches, and we had a chance to tie for the title."

The Lady Cougars also made it five consecutive seasons without a home loss as they increased their NAIA-record home winning streak to 66 straight matches dating back to 1991. The streak is now tied for the second longest home winning streak in all of collegiate volleyball with Northern Michigan University's streak that ended this season.

"The home winning streak is one of those things that you do not focus on because it can put a lot of pressure on a team," said Swanson. "However, it has been going on for so long now that it is almost impossible to ignore. Every team we play at home makes it their goal to end the streak."

In order to keep the streak going, MVNC had to overcome several obstacles which included winning their own Wazie Invitational Tournament. In the opening match, the Lady Cougars swept Westminster (PA) College, ranked 24th in the NAIA, in three straight games. In the semi-finals, MVNC staged a dramatic comeback from a 2-0 deficit to defeat King (TN) College in five games. Then, in the finals, the Lady Cougars again rallied to knock off Huntington (IN) College in four games.

file:///D:/sports/nazvb/history/96/recaps.html 7/22/2014 nazvb: 1996 Recap Page 2 of 2

"The victory over King was one of sheer determination by our players," said Swanson. "We were down two games and they fought back to force a fifth and deciding game. Then, we were down 12-9 in the fifth game and came back to win 17-15. It was a great match."

MVNC also won its seventh straight NCCAA District I title by winning five straight matches at the District I Tournament at Geneva (PA) College. With the victory, the Lady Cougars received an automatic berth in the NCCAA National Tournament at Lee (TN) College.

Making their seventh straight appearance at the NCCAA National Tournament, MVNC was part of the toughest field in the tournament's 13-year history. At the start of the tournament, the combined record of the eight teams was 222-68 (a winning percentage of .766). The fifth-seeded Lady Cougars went 1-2 in pool play before falling to Grace (IN) College in the quarter-finals.

"It was nice to be a part of the NCCAA National Tournament again," said Swanson. "The competition was very tough, and it was a great atmosphere for the players to be in."

After losing in the championship match of the MOC Tournament to Walsh, the Lady Cougars received an at-large berth in the NAIA Great Lakes Regional Tournament. Making their third straight appearance in the tournament, MVNC was the eighth seed in the 12-team event. After falling to fifth-seeded Grace and second-seeded College of St. Francis (IL) in five-game matches, the team closed out its season with a three-game sweep of the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

"We were very competitive in the two losses," said Swanson. "In fact, we had opportunities to win each match, but it just did not happen. However, we represented our school and our team very well."

Several individual match records were set or tied during the season. Sophomore Tara Seiter set a new record with 16 total blocks against Malone College. Custer broke the single-match digs record when she finished with 38 digs against Walsh. Freshman Becky Jefferys tied a single-match mark with a 2.50 aces per game average against Geneva. Sophomore Mandy Metzger also tied a single-match mark with 34 serve attempts versus Grace.

Four single-season individual records were also shattered this year. Seiter recorded 705 kills and 873 serve attempts to eclipse the previous records. Custer finished with 823 digs and 1074 serve reception attempts to better the previous marks in those categories.

Several players received honors for their performances throughout the season. Seiter was named the NCCAA District I Player of the Year, while Testa and freshman Rachel Widener joined her on the All- District I Team. In the MOC, Seiter was tabbed the Player of the Year, while Testa joined her on the First Team. Widener was selected as the Freshman of the Year and made the Second Team. Custer received Honorable Mention.

Seiter was also named to the NAIA Great Lakes Region First Team and the NCCAA All-American Team. She was the MOC Player of the Week three times, the NCCAA National Player of the Week three times, and the NAIA Great Lakes Region Player of the Week once.

While Testa will graduate in May, the future looks very bright for MVNC as the other eleven players all have at least one year of eligibility remaining.

file:///D:/sports/nazvb/history/96/recaps.html 7/22/2014