DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The LadyCats of Bethune-Cookman Volleyball came away with a big conference win tonight, making it six straight seasons that B-CU has come up big on senior night. On Friday night, B-CU took on the Lady Spartans of Norfolk State, while closing out their season at home and celebrating the careers of three LadyCat seniors; Shakhea Moore-Hagins, Daryl Faye Rodriguez, and Chelle Ticeson. The LadyCats came up with a big win, 3-0, but hardly without a fight, as NSU kept the match tight almost the whole way.
Although the final scores may be deceiving, B-CU found itself in a true battle, starting from the first match. Although the energy was high in Moore Gymnasium and the LadyCats had the crowd support on their side, the Lady Spartans kept their composure and gave B-CU a fight. The score was tied in the first set 12 times, with the lead changing hands four times. The LadyCats pulled in front several times, but couldn't move beyond a two point lead until late in the set, gaining a little breathing room, and holding on to win 25-21.
The momentum from closing the first set carried over for the LadyCats into the second set, as they got off to a great start, doubling up NSU's score in the early going. B-CU started to pull away on the heels of a mid-set 5-1 scoring run. The LadyCats executed well, making kills, and taking advantage of NSU errors, pushing out to a six-point lead, which they held onto and expanded to win 25-18.
In the third set, the Lady Spartans gave the LadyCats more of the same from the first set; with 11 tied scores and 3 lead changes. After keeping it tight early on, NSU claimed a brief lead, to 13-11, before B-CU made a timely response with four scores to get back on top. After breaking the deadlock at 18-18, the LadyCats took off on a 6-1 scoring run, fueled by two huge kills by senior Chelle Ticeson that were set up by fellow senior Daryl Rodriguez. B-CU put NSU away in the third and final match, winning 25-20.
"The players really put it together tonight," said Head Coach Vanessa Cogswell following the match. "The energy was amazing. In the lock room right before the game, we talked about playing for our seniors. We knew it was our last game here in Moore Gymnasium and we really wanted to just go out with a bang for them, and that was the high energy that you saw on the floor tonight."
After defeating B-CU in Norfolk just two weeks ago, in an equally tight match that went 3-1 in NSU's favor, the Lady Spartans put up a solid fight in tonight's match, led by Tracy Copley with 7 kills, while five total NSU players notched significant counts of the Lady Spartans' 33 kills. Copley also led NSU on defense, collecting 11 digs.
The LadyCats got solid performances from their seniors, led by Chelle Ticeson with 14 kills and a .520 hitting percentage. Daryl Rodriguez led on the setting, tallying 23 assists in her final performance at Moore Gym. Continuing her recent move to starting Libero, freshman Jacqueline Woodyear collected 14 digs to lead B-CU on defense.
"I loved the seniors that I had this year," said Cogswell, rolling with the high emotion of the night, "They are great examples of what a student-athlete is supposed to be. They just led this team and they helped to really put this program on the map."
This match wraps up the 2009 regular season for the LadyCats, finishing with a record of 12-14 overall, and 5-3 in MEAC play. This win was crucial in jockeying for position in the upcoming MEAC Volleyball Championships, beginning next weekend, Nov. 20, in Baltimore, Md.
"This was a huge win for us today. This enabled us to claim our number two seeding in the Southern Division and puts us in a great position as we go on into the championship tournament," said Cogswell, looking forward, "it's a great opportunity, no matter who we play, that we just step up to the plate and get the job done."
