Courtney Hunter rising up for an attack Saint Xavier University Athletics
On Thursday Nov.7, the Saint Xavier University Cougars easily defeated conference rival, Olivet Nazarene University Tigers. This was the Cougars final regular season game and this win helped cement their spot as the #2 seed in the CCAC.
The Cougars also celebrated their senior/family night before the match where they honored six seniors: Delaney Davis, Brittany Samars, Kaleigh Ritter, Connie Lebel, Katie Dehaan, and Abby Gentile.
The Cougars are currently red hot after winning eleven after their last twelve games. They currently have the second best record in the CCAC and will either be facing the Tigers again in the first round or the Indiana Northwest University Redhawks.
With the Cougars coming off this recent win against the Tigers, they should be very confident if they have to face them again in the first round. The Cougars should also feel confident if they have to face off against the Redhawks. Earlier on in the season the Cougars defeated them in a 3-1 victory.
The Tigers came into Tuesday night on a three game win streak and were looking to improve that streak to four before playoffs. Unfortunately for them, the Cougars were the better team that night while the Tigers went home empty handed.
The first set started off competitive with neither side being able to pull away from the other. Once both teams reached double digits, the Cougars started to pull away. Thanks to the Cougars’ two stand out attackers Connie Lebel and Courtney Hunter, the Cougars were able to go on a quick five point run.
After this run, the Tigers were never able to make this set competitive due to their poor hitting performance. The Tigers had 8 kills with 8 errors on 32 attempts and hit a depressing .0%. The Cougars on the other hand hit an impressive .419%.
Despite the Cougars dominant first set victory, the Cougars did not perform very well behind the service line as they had 5 total service errors compared to the Tigers single service error. The Cougars made up for this with their impressive defense and unwavering offense.
The second set did not start off in the Tigers favor. The Cougars were able to jump out to a fast 10-5 lead over the Tigers. This was mostly thanks to the Tigers’ countless attacking errors. In the first 15 points between the two teams the Tigers committed five attacking errors and a single service error.
The second set never remained close between the two teams, the Cougars would lead by as many as eight points. The Cougars were able to wrap up the second set thanks to an ace by defensive specialist Taylor Vann. The Tigers somehow managed to hit even worse than during the first set, as they had seven kills on -.033%.
As the third set rolled around, desperation started to set in for the Tigers. They were down 0-2 in sets and needed a miracle to happen if they wanted to turn things around. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the Cougars started off with a strong service performance.
Setter Samantha Hovey started the game strong with a six point service run and managed to get three aces. This forced the Tigers’ coach Jake Ostema to call a timeout. Hovey missed her serve coming out of the timeout, giving the Tigers their first point of the set.
The Tigers were not able to go on a run of their own and the Cougars quickly extended their lead by nine points, leading the Tigers 13-4. The Tigers were not doing themselves any favors during the first half of this set committing five attacking errors.
The Cougars would end up taking the third set with a final score of 25-19, finishing their regular season off with an impressive record of 17-10.
Right Side hitter Courtney Hunter seemed almost unstoppable with 10 kills while hitting at an impressive .421%. Hunter has made a flawless transition from middle to right side.
“It wasn’t easy, but I do appreciate the opportunity to learn and craft skills in different positions. What helped me is having a clear vision of the role I need to fill on the right side, and knowing that we have two other strong middles that can get things done,” stated Hunter, expressing her transitional process.
Hovey also had an impressive outing with 29 assists and three aces. With this win, the Cougars have secured their position as the second seed in the CCAC tournament.