The Asbury women’s volleyball season ended with a 5-16 record.
The Eagles had their share of challenges this season including injuries and players quarantined for COVID-19 exposure. Therefore, the remaining players found themselves playing in new rotations and positions they’d never played before. In Friday’s game, which was the last home match for the Eagles, they played with only one sub.
“I think we did well, and we did ourselves proudly,” said Junior Bekah Deich. “Obviously, it would have been better if our last home game could have been [with] everyone, but it was still a good time.”
On Tuesday, Oct. 26, the Eagles traveled to Midway, Kentucky. The Eagles lost all three sets, dropping the match with a 0-3 loss. The first set saw Midway prevail with momentum that ended in a blowout win by a score of 25-11. In the following two sets, however, Asbury started to match Midway’s rate and fought back. The Eagles lost those sets, the second 25-20 and the third 25-15.
Friday’s game saw the Eagles play against Oakland City in the Luce Center. The Eagles started strong but ultimately were unable to defend Eagles’ territory. Both teams were neck and neck for most of the first set. However, the Mighty Oaks sealed the win with a score of 25-22. The next two sets saw Oakland City taking charge offensively, racking up points for their team while the Eagles could not bounce back. The second and third set scores were 25-15 and 25-16, with Oakland City winning overall.
On Tuesday, Nov. 2, the last game of the regular season, the Eagles lost on the road to IU Southeast 3-0. The first set’s score was 18-25, the second set 15-25, and a tight third set ending with a score of 22-25.
As the season comes to a close and the volleyball players are getting ready for their NCCAA tournament, Deich looked back on the fond memories that were made and how much the girls have grown as a team.
“I think [my] overall takeaway was just how much the team grew in many different aspects,” said Deich. “We had younger starters like a few freshmen out there, and they grew so much in their maturity and their capability of leading, which was awesome.”
Because of some lifted COVID-19 protocols throughout the season, the team bonded closer through team dinners and did not have to distance themselves socially.
Looking forward, the team is ready to be in full swing by the NCCAA tournament at the end of November.
