The final game of the Baker University volleyball team’s season was determined by the regional loss against Lindenwood University Tuesday, and for the seniors, the loss made it the last game of their college careers.
Senior Jenifer Koelzer, who was named Heart of America Athletic Conference setter of the year and also an All-American candidate, said the game did not quite go as hoped.
“We kind of struggled as a team,” Koelzer said.
Sophomore Alexis Pryor said Tuesday’s game was not the ‘Cats’ best performance, but the season was successful as a whole.
“Honestly, we didn’t end it the way we wanted to, but overall, we did really well,” she said.
Head coach Kathy Allen said her team just was not “on.”
“Some of the girls seemed a little less aggressive, a little tentative,” Allen said. “We just couldn’t find six players that could do it all at the same time. Lindenwood is a beatable team.”
Koelzer also received conference team honors, making first team all-conference, along with senior hitter Vanessa Wardy.
“Vanessa Wardy hit very well and was one of our strongest hitters all night,” Koelzer said. Sophomore Jayde Allen was named second team all-conference, while sophomore Alexis Pryor and senior Kendra Cody received honorable mention.
Allen was happy with the ‘Cats’ entire season, as they made it farther in the most important games.
“We had a pretty successful season,” Allen said. “We advanced farther in conference and regionals than we did last year.”
She said a major factor in the loss is how young the team is, although it has come a long way this season.
“We have a young team, so they’re still working out the kinks,” Allen said.
The Baker Wildcat volleyball team will lose five seniors who played major roles on this year’s team, but assistant coach Emily Grabner said she is confident the team will succeed next year after the freshmen and young players gain more experience during the off-season.