Written and Media by Danny Strohm.
The Greenville College Women’s Volleyball Team has been the SLIAC Conference Champions six years in a row. On Saturday, they began the journey to seven as the Panthers took on Principia College in the first match followed by Blackburn College.
In their first match of the day, the Lady Panthers came out with a 3-0 victory (25-18, 25-17, 25-16) over Principia College. Junior Allyson Mitchell, a two-time all-conference player and former Newcomer of the Year, led the Panthers. Mitchell tallied ten kills, four errors, and twenty-three attacks to go along with four service aces. Mitchell leads the team in kills with one-hundred and three and is tied for the team-high in digs with Senior Kirsten Laune. Laune, a Setter, added five service aces to the score book and senior Savannah Sells produced four block assists and seven kills.
In the second and final match of the day, the Greenville Panthers closed out the Blackburn Beavers, winning all three sets (25-11, 25-16, 25-13). Mitchell started right where she left off in match one manufacturing nine kills, five service aces, and seven digs. Laune assisted on twenty kills and had seven service aces herself. According to Mitchell, the reason the Lady Panthers are so successful is because of the bond within the team. “We are a sisterhood, we push each other and try to excel not just on the court but also off.”
However, the Lady Panthers (7-1, 2-0 SLIAC) are still trying to find their way. “We are constantly adjusting trying to find the best line-up and striving to reach our potential,” Mitchell said.
Even though Greenville has gotten off to a hot start, there is one team that will be a tough matchup when conference play begins: Westminster College. “Westminster looks to be our biggest competition as they bring back SLIAC conference play of year, Hannah Marshall, and looks to have brought in some freshman who have been contributing at the varsity level,” Mitchell claims. However, the Panthers look to be in great shape to try and make it to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments as they return four starters from last year’s squad, along with the addition of six newcomers who contribute to the team in many areas.
The Lady Panthers looked to continue to ride Mitchell’s success Monday night when they traveled to Eureka College (2-3,1-1 SLIAC) to take on the Red Devils at 7 P.M.
