By Allison Courville
The volleyball banner in the Assumption gym is empty no more since the members of this year’s Lady Knights volleyball team can now call themselves Mississippi Athletic Conference (MAC) champions.
With a 7-2 MAC record, the Knights tied Clinton, North Scott and Pleasant Valley to be the winners of the MAC. The Knights ended the season in November with a 20-6 record that includes MAC as well as tournament and post-season play.
Post-season play was unfamiliar territory for the Knights, and they advanced farther than any Assumption volleyball team had in the past.
Their first district game at Central Dewitt on Oct. 24 resulted in a three-game sweep against the 10th-ranked DeWitt Sabers. The following Thursday the Knights played a second-round district home game against Keokuk where they once again completed a three-game sweep.
The district final match Nov. 2 against Maquoketa proved to be a heartbreaker for the Knights. Losing 3-1, the team’s season ended, but not without making Assumption High School volleyball history.
The Knights also fared well in the naming of the All-MAC conference teams. Lexi Flynn was named All-MAC first team; Danielle Cabel and Katherine Huiskamp were chosen for the All-MAC second team, and Kate Fennelly, Libby Rolf and Hailey Schneden received honorable mentions.
This year’s team, along with head coach Mary Millman, changed the future of Assumption volleyball. Hopefully, next year a state appearance can be added to that gym banner!
(Allison Courville is a senior at Assumption High School.)
