Monmouth, IL. -- Beginning their season at the Monmouth College tournament, Principia volleyball went 2-0 for the day with wins over Lincoln Christian University and Monmouth College. The Panthers proved their grit and endurance with two long back to back matches, that demanded they come from behind and outlast their opponents.
The Panthers started the morning competing against Lincoln Christian University (LCU), and this match was up for grabs from the get-go. Both teams were tough on D, making it very hard for the other team to score, but PC came up with game one 25-23. Game two showed LCU was up for the battle with a 25-23 win to tie it up. Game three was all Principia as they out hit LCU .296 to .000, winning 25-18. Game four was another knock-down-drag-out with many lead changes. The Panthers looked each other in the eye at a 21-22 timeout and made the decision to play big and bold and fearless, and they did – winning game four 26-24 and gaining the "w".
The second match was against host Monmouth College, and they got out of the gate pronto! All of a sudden the Panthers were down 1-7, but then it happened again. They looked in each other's eyes and made a decision. They patiently persisted with the offensive game plan and went on a 9-1 scoring spree to take the lead 10-8, and ultimately to win game one 25-21. Game two was a heart-breaker as the Panthers lost a 17-11 lead to a gutsy MC squad who showed they were there to fight. MC took game two 25-22. The Panthers were a mess in game three, with missteps and miscommunication. They put together several comeback attempts, and sharpened up throughout, but it was too little, too late losing 16-25. Game four had quite a few lead changes showing that neither team would back down. PC knew their offensive game plan, and executed it beautifully taking game four 26-24. The Panthers stepped on the court for game five with fire in their eyes. PC out hit MC .400 to .136 winning the deciding game and match!
Inside the Box Score
· Principia out hit LCU.192 to .106, and MC .224 to .202.
· Principia had four players digging in the double digits vs LCU, and six players vs MC.
· Sophia Hathaway led the offense with 39 kills, hitting .279 and .375.
· Mia Gill and Cha Cha Fisher led the defense with 51 and 43 digs respectively.
News and Notes
· Sophia Hathaway was named to the All-Tournament Team for the Monmouth Invitational after leading Principia's offense and helping the Panthers start their season off with two solid wins.
They Said It
-"Today showed the love of the game, the love of each other, and the willingness to dig deep for the win."
          -Head Coach Mary Ann Sprague
- "Today was a great start to the season! The team meshed really well, channeling our season's theme of 'the vibe'. We worked hard for our wins, and the level of trust out on the court helped us be bold and bounce back from mistakes."
          -Senior captain Cha Cha Fisher
Up Next
· Volleyball opens at home this Friday September 8th against Spalding University in the first conference match at 6pm in Hay Fieldhouse.
· The team then travels to Webster University on Saturday September 9th to take on Blackburn College at 11am and Webster at 1pm.
· We'd love to see you there!
