MORRISTOWN, TN – No. 11 Walters State sent their eight sophomores off the right way on Sophomore Night Thursday night, sweeping Cleveland State 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-21) to complete a perfect 12-0 conference record and a 15-1 regular season record.

The eight sophomores, Amanda Singleton, Aubrey Cobb, Jania Hill, Gracie Smith, Taylor Tigue, Olivia Oxendine, Alaysia McGhee and Hannah Daniel, played the entirety of the first set and the majority of the second set as they set the tone for the match and showed everyone why they have been so good the past two seasons.

"They deserved that," Walters State coach Megan Blaylock said. "They deserve to get recognition on their sophomore night. They have contributed so much to this program. They deserve all of this."

It has been a historic season for the Walters State volleyball team, completing an undefeated conference record and losing just one match, that match being against a DI ranked volleyball team. The Lady Senators also didn't lose a first set all season and never dropped a set in their seven home matches.

For Blaylock, while she knew how talented this team could be, she had no idea they would accomplish what they have so far.

"I didn't think this would happen at all," Blaylock said. "Do you know how hard it is to beat the same team four times in a season. That is the most difficult thing I have ever been through in a program. That's just a testament to the girls right there. It is crazy and so impressive."

While beating a team four times might seem hard, the Lady Senators will now have to do it a fifth time when they take on Cleveland State on Tuesday in the Region 7 Tournament Semi-Finals. And this time, if they were to lose, it would mean the end of their season.

"We're going to study the heck out of some film," Blaylock said. "It's do or die now. The real work starts now. We don't want our season to end yet and that is what we are focusing on. We're just going to go at it head on."

On Thursday, the Lady Senators started off strong in the first set, taking an early 10-5 lead that forced a Cleveland State timeout. Walters State continued to keep it going and led 15-5 before the Lady Cougars finally stopped the bleeding. However, from there, the Lady Senators kept their foot on the gas and took the first set 25-14 while only using their sophomores.

The second set proved to be a lot closer as Cleveland State led for the majority of the set but could never get their lead above a point as Walters State answered every time. The score was tied at 17 before the Lady Senators began to pull away, scoring two quick and then going up 24-19. Cleveland State scored two in-a-row, but the Lady Senators closed it out.

In set three, Walters State led for the entirety of the set, but Cleveland State kept it close. The Lady Senators led 21-20 before scoring four of the final five points of the set to win the match.

UP NEXT:

Walters State will be back in action on Tuesday for their Region 7 Tournament semi-finals matchup. The match is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.

Rob Harvey

Walters State Community College

Sports Information Director

Cell: (423) 779-8880

Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu

Website: www.ws.edu/athletics