Heartbreaking Defeat on Senior Day

-By Brian Morlock

It was senior day in the campus center at Holy Family University. The women's volleyball team was set to play their last home game of the season. The ceremony before the game was touching. Coach Pennell talked about her three dedicated seniors, Teresa Devine, Melissa Zebley, and Kim Williams. Each of these players were special to Joanna and they all contributed to the team in different ways. Each of these players were honored and gave a member of their family a rose for their support throughout college.

The first set started out disastrous for Holy Family. They trailed 13-3in the early going and things were looking dim. After coach Joanna Pennell called a timeout to calm her team down, Holy Family put on a huge rally. Amazingly, the Lady Tigers took the lead 27-26, but could not hold on as Georgian Court pulled out the first set 30-27.

The second set started off at a back and forth pace. At one point, the score was tied at 14, but Georgian Court took over and outscored the Lady Tigers 16-5 the rest of the match to win the set 30-19. After two sets, Holy Family was trailing 2-0.

The Lady Tigers started the third set on fire. Leading most of the way, it was looking like the Tigers may take Georgian Court to a fourth set. Senior Teresa Devine made several outstanding plays throughout the match to lead her team. She made several nice spikes throughout the match to do all she could to keep her team in the match. Georgian Court rallied in the third set and took a 28-27 lead. They held the Lady Tigers off and defeated them 30-28 to win the match three sets to none.

Throughout the season, Holy Family has made several strides to improve their team. Being it was only their first year in the program, Coach Pennell has done a great job keeping the team together. Not only do they play with a lot of heart and desire, but their coach brings the intensity she used while playing the game. Talking about the tough loss to Georgian Court and her coach, senior Teresa Devine said, "Coach Pennell was disappointed we lost out last home game, but she was proud of the way we played. We have learned a lot from Joanna throughout the season and I look forward to Joanna turning this program into a huge success in years to come." Certainly, the Lady Tigers have a lot to look forward to in their next volleyball season.