On Friday, Nov. 13, the No. 3 Colorado College volleyball team (34-4, No. 8 NCAA Div. III) suffered a heartbreaking three set loss to No. 6 California Lutheran (26-5) in the 2015 NCAA Division III Thousand Oaks Regional, ending the Tigers’ season.
“We had an awesome season,” said Head Coach Rick Swan. “Unfortunately, we had a tough match in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament playing California Lutheran on their home court, and we fell up short losing in three sets. It was a disappointing loss, but I was very proud of our players and what they accomplished this season.”
The matchup was an even fight from start to finish. California Lutheran used accurate hitting with an incredible team average of .303 on their home court to win the first set 25-17. During the second set, the Tigers fought hard, exchanging a lead with Cal Lutheran four times. Despite the Tigers’ efforts, the Regals carried their momentum to win the second set 25-21 in front a packed student section. In the third set, the Tigers pulled ahead 11-10 with a kill from freshman Aria Dudley. However, the Tigers had no answer for California Lutheran’s deadly offense and lost the final set 25-21.
Despite the loss, SCAC Player of the Year senior Courtney Birkett made Colorado College volleyball history Friday night as she became the first player to record more than 1,000 career kills, 1,000 career assists, and 1,000 career digs in her final match as a Tiger.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better final season,” said Birkett. “I feel incredibly honored to have earned it but I would not have won it without every single one of my teammates. They pushed me to work hard and without them doing their best on the court, I would not have been able to play well either.”
Birkett was not the only player to receive SCAC honors. Senior Sophie Merrifield who finished her career with a school record 2,498 digs was awarded SCAC Backrow Player of the Year.
“I truly could not have achieved the award without the help of my teammates,” said Merrifield. “By setting up the blocking at the net and terminating plays, my teammates allowed me to position myself around them defensively and get a significant number of digs. The cohesion and passion that the team presented this year was incredible and I feel lucky to have been part of such a memorable year.”
Freshman Myca Steffey-Bean, who led the team with nine kills Friday night, also received SCAC honors and was named SCAC freshman of the year. “It was a pretty disappointing end to the season, but I am super proud of what we did as a team this year,” said Steffey-Bean. “I couldn’t have done it without the team constantly pushing me to get better. I owe it all to them.”
Beyond SCAC honors, senior Birkett and junior Abbe Holtze were named DIII First-Team All-American and Merrifield was honored with All-American Honorable Mention. The Tigers ended the season 34-4 in their 18th consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament with a record setting winning percentage of .894.