Undisputed Champions
SAN ANTONIO – The Wiley College volleyball team entered the 2018 Red River Athletic Conference Championship as co-champions but they left the tournament as the undisputed conference champion defeating top seed Huston-Tillotson University in four sets (25-22, 25-27, 25-23, 25-23) on Saturday in Our Lady of the Lake University's Mabee Gymnasium.
The title is the Lady Wildcats' second conference tournament title and first since 2008. Wiley College also reached 20 wins for the first time since 2013. Wiley College will advance to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Opening Round which will be played next weekend. The Lady Wildcats opponent will be determined during a selection show on Monday.
"Anytime you can finish on top in a conference, it feels great," said head coach Mike MacNeill – who is the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament Coach of the Year. "The team played really well today. It was great experience this weekend. We clicked and connected."
Larissa Francisco (JR/Sao Paulo, Brazil) earned the Tournament MVP with 28 kills in the three matches. Tsvetelina Bozhanova (SR/Razlog, Bulgaria) and Alexia Souza (JR/Taubate, Sao Paulo, Brazil) were named to the All-Tournament Team. Souza recorded 111 assists during the tournament for an average of 10.1 per set. Bozhanova recorded 11 kills in the championship match and 25 during the tournament. She also contributed to three blocks and 29 digs.
The Lady Wildcats (20-3) out-hit Huston-Tillotson University .206 to .145. Wiley College recorded 49 kills in 136 attempts. Khrystyna Frank (FR/Kiev, Ukraine) led the team with 12 kills. Francisco recorded 10 kills. Souza recorded 44 assists and led the team in digs with 14. Alia Scott (FR/Houston, Texas) and Frank also recorded double figures in digs with 12 and 11, respectively. Saadia Sahadeo (SO/Washington D.C.) contributed to seven blocks. Frank added four block assists while Fedorenko added three.
"Alexia did a great job spreading the ball around," MacNeill said. "We used her ability to get our hitters open. Our hitters have worked really hard all year. It was a fun battle. Dan Behnke has a good team at Huston-Tillotson. He has really built them up."
In a competitive first set, the Lady Wildcats trailed 20-19. Sahadeo and Frank combined on a block to tie the match. A service ace by Souza and two attack errors by Huston-Tillotson gave the lead to Wiley College for good.
Huston-Tillotson started the second set strong scoring the first five points of the set. Trailing 24-21, Frank and Sahadeo combined for two blocks. Bozhanova recorded a kill to tie the set at 24. The Lady Wildcats survived another set point with a kill by Bozhanova. Wiley College gave up a kill and attack error to give the set to Huston-TIllotson.
The Lady Wildcats rebounded in the third set and built a five-point lead. The Lady Rams rallied and tied the set at 14 which was one of nine ties in the set. With the set tied at 18, Sahadeo got a kill, Huston-Tillotson made an attack error, Sahadeo and Frank teamed up for a block, Souza recorded two service aces to put Wiley College ahead by five. The Lady Rams cut the lead to one but made a service error to give the Lady Wildcats' their second win.
Wiley College fell behind in the fourth set and trailed by as many as seven. The Lady Rams made two errors, Sahadeo got a kill and Fedorenko got a service ace to cut their lead to two. Frank got a kill and ace to tie the set at 20. Holding a 24-23 lead, Francisco clinched the championship with her 10th kill.
Now, the Lady Wildcats will turn their attention to the NAIA Opening Round and will look to advance to pool play for the first time in program history.