Volleyball finishes third in NWAACC

December 5, 2013Sports0

Blue Mountain claimed their third volleyball championship in four years, and the Saints finished third in the NWAACC tournament.

MHCC, the 2013 hosts, were eliminated from the tournament after suffering losses to Blue Mountain and Olympic in successive matches.

The Saints defeated Olympic on Nov. 23 to advance to the semi-final match against Blue Mountain. The Timberwolves then defeated MHCC in four sets (25-16, 25-20, 18-25, 25-19).

MHCC was placed in the final match of the loser’s bracket against Olympic College for their third match-up this season. The Saints have defeated Olympic in both previous matches 3-1.

Olympic overcame one of their greatest struggles against any team this season and defeated MHCC in two sets (25-21, 25-23).

The Olympic Rangers advanced to a match against Blue Mountain but needed to win two consecutive matches to earn the title.

The Rangers battled but eventually lost in the first match (25-22, 21-25, 27-25, 25-21), granting the Blue Mountain Timberwolves the championship.

MHCC has placed 4th or better in the last three championship tournaments, claiming the title in 2011 and finishing 4th and 3rd in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

Shawna Smith, sophomore outside hitter, earned the All-Tournament first team while the South Region MVP, Lihau Perreira, earned second team honors.

The Saints along with their head coach, Chelsie Speer, were awarded for their regular season efforts the night before the tournament, including the South Region Coach of the Year award.