Elsah, ILL. -- Principia moved to 19-4 with a 4 game win over Westminster for the season sweep. Senior day in Hay Fieldhouse brought a special energy. All three seniors have given so much to this program, and it was fun to see faculty, staff and students there to give special tribute to our seniors. At the end of this writeup, please enjoy the senior celebration script.
The Panthers were fast out of the gate with a 25-10 game one. There was an urgency and intentionality to their play, and Westminster struggled to find any rhythm. Principia gave up a 11-4 lead to a hard working Bluejay squad in game two, and even though WC kept digging in to get very close 20-21, Principia was one step ahead pulling out game two 25-23. Game three the tables turned. Westminster was controlling the ball better and mixing up their offense more – and that stuttered Principia enough that their offense lacked the kills to score, and Westminster took game three 25-19. The Panthers may have been tired in game three, but that loss woke them up and they found their true source of strength and played with utter love of each other, the game, and their wonderful family and fans. Game four Principia killed 33% of the balls and was also diligent on defense making life difficult for Westminster winning the match with a 25-19 game four.
Sophia Hathaway led the match with 19 kills, and
Jessica Bayne (14),
Nikki Matters (10), and
Noelle Shoemake (9) were banging the ball to the floor as well.
Mia Gill bested her own record for a new All Time #1 Digs in a 4 set match with 43.
Noelle Shoemake was stellar on defense as well picking up 26 digs and stopping the Westminster momentum by reading their offense and NOT letting the ball drop – tips and pounds!
Devon Marunde was masterful as the setter – her quickness and athleticism to run our tempo from everywhere were inspiring. She added 19 digs, 4 aces and 2 blocks to 47 assists against the Bluejays! So double-doubles for
Sophia Hathaway,
Nikki Matters, and
Devon Marunde!
They said it:
"I am so grateful for everything this team constantly gives. Today we played with so much heart and the love on the court was so tangible. We played for each other and left it all out on the court. Words cannot describe how proud I am of each of my teammates and love how much we love each other."
~Senior captain
Sophia Hathaway
Up Next:
Principia goes into the SLIAC post season tournament ranked #3 and will play in the semi-finals Saturday Nov 3
rd at 3pm at Webster University in St.Louis – come on out and help support our team!!
SENIOR DAY SCRIPT
Welcome to Senior Day 2018!
How blessed we are to be able to celebrate
Mia Gill,
Sophia Hathaway, and
Noelle Shoemake today. These three have given so much to Principia College Volleyball over the last four years. They are the heart and soul of our team, and we want to share a few tidbits about each of them with you.
First – a little about this senior class, and these accolades include the efforts of all five seniors (two of which are studying Abroad this semester and missed their final Indoor season) and their teammates during this 4 year period.
For Principia All time Top 10 Single Match Records: these teams appear 136 times
For Principia all Time top 10 Single Season Records: these teams appear 17 times (and of course they are still going!)
For Principia All Time top 10 Career Records: these teams appear 28 times (and they are still going!)
In 2017 – Principia Volleyball was the NCAA D3 Champion for DIGS. As of today, the 2018 team is #3 in the Nation.
Ok – that's the overall picture of Principia Volleyball while this wonderful group of women have been here!! Now a little about each one.
Mia Gill is joined today by her mom Dana and her dad Jeff.
Mia might be a small package, but she plays big and bold. In every picture of her that we put on her Award posters that line the hallway outside of the gym, you can see and even feel her determination and focus. Mia's backrow skill have always been on point, but it has been beautiful to watch her leadership develop and see how broad of an impact she makes. Mia has been a stellar Libero. Her tough serves, consistent passing, and super hero defense have changed Principia history, and Mia's calm determination has gotten us back on track in several nail-biter matches this season.
This season Mia took over the #1 All Time spot in Digs, as she displaced current professional player Tess Rountree. She is the only Panther ever to surpass 2000 Digs. As of right now she has tallied 2021, with more to come! Mia finished her junior year #2 in the nation for NCAA Division 3 in Digs, and as of today she is #3 in the nation for Digs.
Mia, thank you for the many thousands of times you have hit the ground, how you have raised the bar for your teammates, created calm out of chaos, and for the thoughtful way you have blessed us. We will miss you, but can't wait to see what wonderful things are in store for your future!
Sophia Hathaway has her mom Beate and her dad Mark will be enjoying the streaming of this event
Sophia
has been magical since the day we met her. Her IQ of the game and feel for the court sets the stage for her ability to score in oh-so-many ways – crazy ways! From the extreme corner of the court to the "how did you do that" sharp angles to her latest "tennis tool", Sophia finds a way to make the ball hit the floor. Obviously there's a lot of skill involved, but really it is her winning mindset. She has shared that gift with us for four years, and we are all richer for it. If Sophia ever gets down, it is only for a nano-second….that winning mindset moves her on and takes her to new levels, and this is how she is etched into Principia history.
Sophia is 4
th All time in the history of Principia Volleyball in Kills with 1246 (and she is only 5 away from moving into 3
rd place)! Sophia is also #3 All time in Kills per set, and #4 for Points scored, 6
th for Digs with 1444, 7
th for Serve %, and 9
th for Aces. That is the definition of an all-around player.
Soph – thanks for caring for us. Your deep appreciation for all AND most importantly your commitment to tell them is a beautiful model to follow and one that makes life just that much sweeter. We can't wait to see where your winning mindset takes you next. We love you.
Noelle Shoemake is joined by her sister Joceyln and her brother Kendall. Noelle's mom and dad are enjoying the streaming of senior day.
Noelle is a radiant source of hard work, laughter, hit the floor determination and love. Gosh we laugh a lot with Noelle by our side. Everything is more fun with Noelle in our lives and on the court. Noelle shows her love of her teammates by looking them in the eye and letting them know she's got their back, by doing something silly and making them laugh, and by reminding them that they CAN drop the past and move forward right now! That's an important teammate.
Noelle's athleticism, strength, speed and vision are inspiring. When she's playing defense and in the zone – there is nothing she can't pick up. Right when a ball looks like it's going to hit the floor, Noelle dives under it from the other side of the court to save the play and give us another chance. Noelle has pretty much played every position possible for us over four years. Outside hitter, middle, right side, defensive specialist, and yes….she has even set for us when needed. No matter what we ask of her, she smiles and says yes.
Noelle has grown as a volleyball player each year. Her first year she tallied 78 kills….this year she is at 175 and still going- totaling 561 kills! Her freshman year she had 52 digs and this year she has 261 so far for a total of 802.
Noelle loves to play. She loves to compete. And she loves her team. That huge heart filled with love has blessed us all. Noelle thank you for making the repetitious fun, the mundane exciting, and the physically demanding a source of pride!
