season wrapup, notes

The Cowley College volleyball team arrived home Sunday after winning fifth place Saturday at the National Junior College championships.
Fifth place is nothing to scoff at when you realize that this is fifth in the entire nation. There were hundreds of teams that did not even go to the tournament.
Even so, we must admit that they lost a game they should have won.
There were many factors.
They had the other team down and let up just a bit. Just enough to let them get some confidence, and then it snowballed on the team.
They played two games the same day.
They also spent the entire day at the gym.

But also, games are not played on paper, and you never know what will happen.
I have never seen a game in any sport turn so quickly and so dramatically.
In the first game it was vintage Cowley at its best. They were a machine and won easily. The second game seemed to be going that way as well, when suddenly Cowley started making mistakes. Also the other team started blocking shots that they had not been blocking earlier.

Next thing you know the tables are turned and Southwestern Illinois looked like the better team.

There was parity at this year's tournament. Cowley was the third seed and lost to the sixth seed, which is not that big of an upset.

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Four sophomores finished their Cowley careers Saturday. It was a bit sad, but they did have a great career here. Courtney Shanklin, Valerie Cox, Andea Mitchell and Brazillian Lillian Rezende all finished their career Saturday.
Rezende is the last of four Brazilians that catapulted Cowley to the elite teams in volleyball. Thats not to say that she will be the "last" Brazilian, but she is the last of the four that change volleyball at Cowley.

Freshman Lucie Cizmarova is the lone returning foreign student. She is from Europe, and assuming she comes back, she could anchor the team.

The freshman on the team are very good and create a great nucleus for next year.
Victoria Green and Crystal Garmon will be offensive forces next year, as will be defenders Jacey Sechrest and Jessica Fiscus.
Kendra Miller also established herself as a setter.
Arkansas City residents Kasha Kelley and Keshia Clark will also be back. Kelley had her moments during the season. Clark was injured before the season began and did not play.

It will be interesting to see what players coach Joanna Pryor adds to next year's team.
Another Brazillian perhaps?
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This is the final year for the tournament to be held in Arizona. The tournament is held for three years by schools that win contracts. The next three years the tournament will be held at Kishwaukee College in Illinois. This could spell trouble as Kishwaukee has won two consecutive national titles.
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During the touranment Kishwaukee players cheered for Cowley players during their game for fifth place, and some of them were wearing Cowley t-shirts. During the title game Cowley players returned the favor and cheered for Kishwaukee.
They played Kishwaukee at a tournament during the season and made friends.
Of course, that Kishwaukee was playing Johnson County was even more incentive.

Cowley players were irked that Johnson County had been able to watch them lose earlier.
That rivalry keeps growing.


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Coach Joanna Pryor had a baby just before the season began. Her parents have been involved with her volleyball for a long time and have made trips to Arizona with the team. This trip the coaches mother has double duty. She sits with the baby at side court during the matches, usually oblivious to his surroundings. During the first match he was taking a nap while his grandmother tried to watch both the baby and the game.
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Several parents made the trip to see the team play. Kendra Miller’s parents drove and made some side trips. Just about everyone else flew down.
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Ironically, the dry land of Arizona was not so dry on Thursday. Most of the day was cloudy and there were showers now and then. Temperatures were in the low 70’s.
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From the interesting hobbies department. Jessica Fiscus, a freshman libero. Likes to hunt raccoons with her brothers. Both of her brothers are either playing, or have played, college football at small colleges in Kansas.
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One thing missing this year was Cowley’s dance before its matches. Last year when the team had four Brazilians, they had the dance. The Brazilians taught the dance and little song to the team and they used it as part of their pregame ritual. It was always entertaining. This year the team has only one Brazilian, and she did not continue the tradition.