Cf) u ~ ll.J _J I f- <( BISONS SPIKE BACK VOLLEYBALL TEAM CELEBRATES BEST SEASON YET WORDS Katherine West I I PHOTOS Jeff Montgomery H ead volleyball coach Meredith Fear had been coaching for over 10 years, but she said the 2017 volleyball season would forever hold a special place in her heart. In 2017, the women's volleyball team finished their season at 27-6. They were runners-up in both the regular season and tournament, but played at a higher level than previous seasons, according to Fear. "They worked so hard all year and stayed motivated and united the entire way through," Fear said. Junior Emily Clayton first started playing volleyball when she was nine years old. She said the bar for this season was set high and her expectations were right up there with it. "The girls on -this team are my family," Clayton said. "It really doesn't get any better than this team. We even exceeded my expectations by making it to the championships at the conference tournament." Senior Taylor Mounts fell in love with volleyball when she was 10 and had been playing ever since. Because of her life-long love for the game, Mounts was thankful for her senior season. "Record-wise, it's hard to beat 27-6," Mounts said. "I have been playing with this junior class for three years now and over that time we have developed a team chemistry that made us a tough competition. We fought harder, played tougher and used our experience to make smarter decisions on the court, and you can see the difference it made." Through her time playing Harding volleyball, Mounts had made lasting friendships. "If you ask me 10 years from now, I probably won't be able to tell you our record, but I'll still be able to tell you about every memory, laugh or inside joke," Mounts said. _"My teammates are more than just friends; they are my family, and you don't ever forget family." Fear said this team was a great group of women, and she was extremely proud of how they handled themselves both in big wins and in hard-fought losses. "They represented [Harding] with incredible heart, work ethic and class," Fear said. "I will miss this combination of players but am looking forward to the future as well." Junior middle blocker Zoe Hardin serves the ball in the match against Lyon College on Aug. 21, 2017, at the RhodesReaves Field House. This was an exhibition game, Harding's first game of the season.// Photo by Jeff Montgomery On Sept. 26, 2017, senior defensive specialist Taylor Lake sets the ball for senior outside hitter Selena Foster against Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) at the Rhodes-Reaves Field House. Harding won all three matches they played against OBU. // Photo by Jeff Montgomery Head Coach Meredith Fear and Assistant Coach Robert Fear gather with the team for a timeout during the exhibition game against Lyon College on Aug. 21, 2017, at the Rhodes-Reaves Field House. Meredith was in her fifth year as the head coach at Harding, and it was the first year for Robert to take the role of assistant coach. // Photo by Jeff Montgomery SCOREBOARD: LeMoyne-Owen College// 3-0, W Tuskegee University// 3-0, W University of Alabama at Huntsville // 3-1 , W Trevecca Nazarene University// 3-1, W Auburn University at Montgomery // 3-0, W Western New Mexico University// 3-0, W Malone University// 3-0, W University of West Alabama // 3-1, W Westminster College// 3-0, W Henderson State University// 3-0, W Washburn University // 3-2, W University of Central Missouri// 0-3, L St. Edwards University// 3-0, W Arkansas Tech University// 0-3, L University of Arkansas at Monticello// 3-0, W Ouachita Baptist University// 3-0, W Southern Arkansas University // 3-1 , W Southeastern Oklahoma State University// 3-1, W East Central University // 3- 1, W University of Arkansas at Fort Smith// 1-3, L Northwestern Oklahoma State University// 3-0, W Southwestern Oklahoma State University// 3-0, W Lyon College// 3-0, W Oklahoma Baptist University// 3-2, W Southern Nazarene University// 3-0, W Ouachita Baptist University// 3-2, W Southern Arkansas University// 3-0, W Henderson State University // 1-3, L Arkansas Tech University// 2-3, L University of Arkansas at Monticello // 3-0, W Southwestern Oklahoma State University // 3-1, W Oklahoma Baptist University // 3-0, W Arkansas Tech University // 2-3, L
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==