Volleyball Opens GCAC Play with Shut Out Win

The Spring Hill College Lady Badgers volleyball team opened Gulf Coast Athletic Conference play with a 3-0 shut out of visiting Loyola University on Monday night. “Our front row is coming together well for freshmen,” commented Spring Hill Head Coach Beth Ring, “We have three new front row players, but Lindsey (Schmidt) is communicating well and really bring them together.” Schmidt, a senior setter from Chicago, Ill., currently leads the team in assists. In the first game, Loyola and Spring Hill (3-0, 1-0) battled tooth and nail for each point as neither team could gain the momentum. The Lady Badgers broke through first and stretched a 13-12 lead into a 20-12 margin with the only run in the game totaling more than three points for either team. Spring Hill then went on to finish the first game 30-25. The second game was just as tightly contested as the Lady Badgers broke out to an early 8-2 lead but saw the Wolf Pack rally to tie the game at 17 and again at 19. The home team refused to panic, however, and maintained their composure to take a 30-23 victory. “Control was what we wanted to focus on tonight,” remarked Ring, “Control our emotions, control our attitudes, control our passing, and control the tempo of the game. I think we did a good job of doing that.” Loyola (1-4, 0-1) would continue to fight throughout the third and final game, but found themselves down 11-6 in the early stages. Spring Hill’s offense remained steady as the front row passing and blocking kept the pressure on the visitors. “It’s all determined by the passing,” Ring stated, “and we passed the ball well tonight.” A service ace on the back line by junior Rachel Williams of Church Point, La., would close out the match with a final game score of 30-22. Spring Hill now travels to Livingston, Ala., on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. match with the University of West Alabama (8-0).