On Saturday, November 5, the Covenant Scots women’s volleyball won the inaugural Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) Conference Tournament, defeating Huntingdon in a mere three sets, after rolling through Berea the night before, in the conference semi-finals.
The Scots’ three set wins to the Hawks’ none might lead one to believe that the win was easy, when that would be a mistake. The two teams battled the first set, although the Hawks held the lead for a majority of the set. At one point the Scots trailed 11-6; however, they battled back to eventually equalize at 20 a piece. A 24-23 lead put the Hawks on the brink of victory in the first set; however, a Huntingdon misfire, out of bounds, allowed the Scots to hang around. The rest of the set was a battle, deuce after deuce, both teams having the advantage, until another Huntingdon attempted-kill landed out of bounds, allowing the Scots to take the set 29-27.
The second set was nowhere near as close as the first. The Scots took an early lead and held on for the rest of the set, rolling to a 25-21 set win, putting them on the precipice of their third ever conference victory, the first in five years, and their first ever victory in the CCS.
The third set for the Scots did not look much different from the second. The Scots jumped out to an early lead that the Hawks would never retake. They battled their way to a 24-20 lead, and when a Huntingdon player attempted an illegal set, the ref blew the whistle and the celebration began. Students ran onto the court, celebrating this monumental victory with the team. Even loyal Scots fans on the road to watch the men’s soccer game at LaGrange celebrated in their cars as the Scots volleyball team claimed their rightful title, not only as Regular Season Conference Champions, but Tournament Champions as well. The team effectively established Covenant as a force to be reckoned with in the CCS.
The CCS named Rachel Bartlett ‘24 the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, while Kyla Bailey ‘24 and Emma Kalbfleisch ‘24 were named to the All Tournament Team.
Kalbflesich ‘24 said, “Winning the tournament is something that we were preparing for this whole season, and to see it finally happen in the end was so rewarding as a team because all of the hard work had paid off! A core memory for sure, having all of the girls together in that moment was something I will remember forever!” Kalbfleisch, however, was not only a conference champion and All Tournament Team member but the CCS also named her Conference Player of the Year for the regular season. When asked about receiving such a prestigious award, Kalbfleissch said, “I am so blessed and honored to receive the Player of the Year award because there are so many talented women competing in our conference. It is just such an honor. I couldn’t have done it without my whole team and coaches helping push each other to get one percent better every game and every practice. I am just grateful for the opportunities we have been given this season and proud of all of the girls working as a team to finish out the season strong! Go Scots!”
Due to their impressive record (21-12), the Scots were selected by the NCAA to continue their play in the NCAA National Tournament, where they sadly fell to a very talented Berry Vikings team in three sets.
All that to say, the Scots had an incredible and impressive season, displaying how success at Covenant goes beyond the classroom. All of campus is so proud of the team and their success and can’t wait to see them continue their dominance back in Barnes next fall. Go Scots!