The Collegian Online

Scorpions advance to Region VI tourney,
receive conference honors
By Arath Lopez
Sports Editor

Luis F. Peña/Collegian photos

Outside hitter Jenny Ashley and middle blocker Lauren Bayer go for the block against a Texas Wesleyan University player.

WAXAHACHIE--Four UTB/TSC Women’s Volleyball Team players earned conference honors Saturday after the Scorpions placed second in the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament and advanced to the Region VI Tournament.

The Scorpions finished second in the conference, held at Southwestern Assemblies of God University, after falling in the championship game against Houston Baptist University, 23-30, 23-30 and 17-30.

Joanna Knight earned the Defense Specialist Player of the Year award for the RRAC as well as All-Conference 1^st Team and All-Tournament Team recognition. Middle blocker Greta Billerbeck received the Co-Newcomer of the Year award, All-Conference 1^st Team and All-Tournament Team honors. Outside hitter Katie Japp received All-Conference 1^st Team honors and setter Lindsay Madsen received All-Conference 2^nd Team honors.

“They are great,” Head Volleyball Coach Bruce Atkinson said. “For a first-year team to get that recognition, to be able to get three players on the 1^st Team All-Conference, it’s big. We’ve got one in the 2^nd [All-Conference team]. We’ve got two of the specialty awards. The other nice thing is that everyone that got some honors will be returning next year.”

UTB/TSC supporters, which include family members of the Scorpions, cheer after the team defeated Texas Wesleyan University.

In their first year as members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the Scorpions showed that they belong.

“It’s a really big honor [to be recognized] at this level,” Knight said. “I was recognized at the junior-college [level]; it crossed my mind that maybe I couldn’t be recognized in a four-year program, but I’m here. I’m very excited. I couldn’t have gotten [the awards] without my teammates.”

Scorpion Head Coach Bruce Atkinson explains defensive plays to use against the Lady Huskies of Houston Baptist University.

The team will compete at the six-team NAIA Region VI Tournament next Friday at Houston, Atkinson said. The winner of each of the two conferences advances directly to the tournament and the rest of the teams advance by regional ranking.

The Scorpions are ranked third in the region, but Atkinson expects to qualify in second when the official roster is published Monday morning.

“We just found out a few minutes ago that the No. 2 two seed in the region, [John Brown University,] just lost to the No. 4 [Southern Nazarene University]. So, if things play out as we are hoping, Houston Baptist will go in as the No. 1 seed and we will go as the No. 2.”

The team expects to face HBU again in the regional tournament, and in the upcoming week the team will work on improving defense.

“We’ve got a good shot,” Atkinson said. “Obviously, the team to beat is Houston Baptist. We’ve known that all along. We need to wait a little bit longer on the block; we went up to their hitters a little too early. We need to allow the hitters to go first and make some more effective blocks and we need to be a little more consistent with our serves.”

Earlier in the day, the Scorpions defeated Texas Wesleyan in the semifinals, 31-29, 30-23, 15-30 and 30-16. For the match, middle blocker Lauren Bayer led the team with 19 kills, four aces, four blocks and a .395 hitting percentage. Madsen had 48 assists, four blocks and four aces.