HELENA, Mont. – A 25-18 win in the third set of the University of Providence volleyball team's conference semifinal match against (15) Montana Tech had the team on a comeback track but the set ended with an injury to senior
Korie Milan who was the heart of the comeback. Milan had 7 kills, 5 digs, and 2 block assists in the third set but her absence was felt in the third set as the Lady Argos fell to the top-seeded Orediggers 3-1 (25-23, 25-15, 18-25, 25-11).
Coming off of a strong first round win over Lewis-Clark State College, UP had a surprisingly sluggish start to the match. The Orediggers got out to a 12-5 lead before the Lady Argos started to regather themselves.
A few strong serves from junior libero
Tymerie Vincelli gave Tech problems and helped UP make up some ground with a 4-0 run. That was the only significant run of the set for the Lady Argos, but the team consistently traded 2 points for 1 point and slowly worked the score to 21-21 off a block from freshman
Sydney Andersen and senior
Josee Pendleton.
Tech rallied off 3 straight points from there to take set point at 24-21. UP held them off for two more points, including another block from Andersen and Pendleton, but the Diggers finished it at 25-23.
Not only did Vincelli's serving early on make a big difference, but her defensive play was also crucial. The junior finished the set with 8 of the team's 22 total digs.
The momentum from that late rally carried over into the second set but didn't last long. UP got out to a 6-3 lead but a 4-0 Tech rally soon after gave the Orediggers a lead that lasted the rest of the set.
Milan was the bright spot in the 10-point loss, and her efforts earned her more time on the court. All year the outside hitter was designated to the front row, getting subbed out when she rotated to the backline. For the first time in her collegiate career she played all six spots in the third set of what was threatening to be the last match for the senior class.
"She's one of those kids that is just tough as nails. She was hitting really well in the first two sets. All season long and all career long she's been a front row player but we just felt like 'gosh we just can't take this kid off the court because she's playing so well,'" Head Coach
Arunas Duda said. "She was the heart and soul of what we were doing."
The move payed off as Milan played arguably the best set of her career and was joined by Pendleton and Andersen to give the team a stunning 12-4 lead in the set. Tech made a few runs afterward eventually closed the gap to 4 points. Late in the set, the Diggers scored two straight to bring the score to 23-18 and were threatening to build some momentum when the team turned to Milan.
The senior got her sixth kill of the set to give the Lady Argos set point, and then the team fed her again on the next point to finish it. She was set to the left pin and let loose a rocket shot for her second straight kill. As the team started to celebrate, however, Milan landed and fell to the ground in pain. It was immediately obvious that she wouldn't be returning to the match and mood in the gym changed dramatically.
"I felt like we were really close to taking control and then it all came to a screeching halt," Duda said. "I think that situation can go one of two ways. It can really motivate a team and really inspire them or it can take the wind out of their sails and unfortunately that's what happened to us."
UP simply didn't have the energy or the firepower to hang with tournament's top seed after that. The team's hitting percentage dipped from .325 to -.154 and gave up multiple long runs in the 25-11 loss.
Despite missing a quarter of the match, Milan still led the team with 11 kills on just 19 attempts. Her hitter percentage of .421 was the highest any Lady Argo with more than 1 attempt and her highest percentage of the season in a full three sets or more. She also had 5 digs and 2 block assists.
Pendleton also seemed to share Milan's steadfast desire to extend their careers just a little longer. The middle blocker led the team with 9 block assists and added 6 kills. Of those 9 blocks and 6 kills, three of each came in the third set.
While it wasn't her senior year, Andersen also put in a determined effort, finishing behind only Milan with 9 kills and added 4 block assists, her second highest total of the season.
Vincelli led the team with 14 digs, giving her 10 or more digs in six of the last seven matches.
The team finished the year with a record of 20-13 (6-6) and two wins over ranked teams. A 20 win season is nothing to be ashamed of for a team that often relied on its talented freshman class.
"I think the season was great. We didn't reach our goal, which was to reach the conference championship, but I think the future is bright," Duda said. "We've got a lot of kids that are ready to go and some of those kids were some of the ones that played the best all tournament. I feel really optimistic about the future and feel like we're on the right track."
