Braves kick season off with a bang
Florence, SC – August 27, 2004 – Many teams begin a season with a lesser opponent. Not West Georgia head coach Amy Draper and her 2004 Braves, who opened against 2003 South Atlantic Conference champ and 2004 favorite Presbyterian. The Braves upended the powerful Blue Hose in five games Friday. In the nightcap against St. Andrews, UWG blew through the opposition in three straight games for a 2-0 start to the season.
Against the powerful Presbyterian squad, the Braves came out firing, but the Blue Hose were too much, outscoring UWG 30-24. But that loss only strengthened the West Georgia resolve, as the Braves stormed back in games two and three to win 30-18 and 30-29.
The final game of the match was a barnburner, with West Georgia coming out on top, 15-13 for a season opening win.
With momentum from a win earlier, the Braves faced off against St. Andrews, making quick work of SAU, 30-23, 30-27 and 30-25.
West Georgia finishes off the Francis Marion tournament Saturday against Lander at 1 p.m. and Wingate at 5 p.m.
West Georgia blasts through Francis Marion tourney
Carrollton, Ga. – August 28, 2004 – Sometimes, all it takes is a winning attitude. That’s what the West Georgia Braves came out with Saturday night, beating Lander 3-0 in the early match, followed by a come-from-behind 3-1 victory against Wingate to move to 4-0 on the season.
With stellar performances from Stephanie Singleton, Kathi Schoeneck, Morgan Kilpatrick, and Anna Gautreau, the Braves blew through the competition at the tournament in Florence, SC.
Facing Lander in the first match Saturday, the Braves came out firing on all cylinders, demolishing LU 20-19 in the first game. In games two and three, Lander kept things a little closer, but West Georgia prevailed by a count of 30-24 and 31-20, respectively.
But in the nightcap against Wingate, the Braves faced yet another strong opponent with a strong desire. Wingate came out hitting hard, beating UWG in a 30-17 right cross that had the Braves reeling.
But Singleton and the Braves came back in game two, dispatching WU 31-29 in a hard-fought victory. Game three brought another victory to the UWG corner, this time 30-25.
In the fourth and final game of the night, the Braves overpowered Wingate with a 30-20 victory. West Georgia’s next action comes next Friday in a trip to Winter Park, Florida for another early season tournament.
First Week Wrap-up
Carrollton, Ga. – August 30, 2004 – Opening weekend for any sport is a crazy time, but for the West Georgia volleyball team last weekend, things went much better than orginally expected a the Joseph B. DuRant Memorial Invitational Volleyball Tournament hosted by Francis Marion.
“I am elated, excited and just overall very pleased with the performance this weekend,” head coach Amy Draper said. “We really played better than I expected.”
The Braves were 4-0 against some pretty stiff competition, including reigning South Atlantic champion Presbyterian (34-5 in 2004, preseason pick to repeat), and a solid Wingate University squad. In both of those games, West Georgia had to come from a 1-0 defecit to win the match.
“What’s really impressive about this team is the focus and attitude that they have,” Draper said. “They all have a winner’s mentality to go along with their athleticism, which could take us a long way this season.”
The Braves were solid on both sides of the ball, lead by Sarah Jett and Anna Gautreau on defense. Jett had 11.5 blocks on the weekend, including 4.5 against Presbyterian. Gautreau had 80 total digs and was all over the court throughout the tournament. Her best performance was also against the Blue Hose, with 42 digs against a hard-hitting team.
“Anna is a monster on the digs, she gets to things that most people wouldn’t,” Draper said. “Sarah is tall and very athletic, which makes for a tough wall for opposing teams.”
On the other side, junior Stephanie Singleton finally has hitters to complement her. Kathi Schoeneck and Bonnie Schwartz both hit for over 30 percent on their kills on the weekend. Schwartz led the hitters with 62 kills on the weekend, stepping up in the tough matches with PC and Wingate. Against Presbyterian, Schwartz had 23 kills, followed by 19 against Wingate.
“Our hitters are smarter and bigger than they have been in the past,” Draper said. “Kathi especially is very, very intelligent and understands the game very well.”
Schoeneck had 50 kills for the tournament, committing just 12 errors. Against St. Andrews, the junior hit for a whopping 55 percent, committing no errors in 20 attempts. Schoeneck added nine service aces and five blocks to her total.
But no hitter could get the job done without a good setter, which freshman Morgan Kilpatrick is improving by leaps and bounds each time out. Kilpatrick had 188 assists on the weekend with three solo blocks and a pair of kills.
The Braves are in action this weekend for four games Friday and Saturday at the Rollins Fall Bash Invitational in Winter Park, Fl. In that invitational, West Georgia will face Florida Tech, Ashland University, Rollins and Christian Brothers.
Womens Athletic Spotlight:Morin Frick
Carrollton, Ga. – September 1, 2004 – Being a college athlete cannot be easy. Juggling practice, games, class, and a separate life off the playing field can be stressful. Try being the only senior on a young team.
The average person may not know quite how that feels, but senior outside hitter Morin Frick knows first hand. Frick is that lone senior on West Georgias volleyball team this year. Being a senior or veteran on any sport team is like being the big brother or sister. Every player looks to you for guidance in just about every situation on or off the court.
There is a lot of pressure, Frick said about being the only senior on the team. There are ten or eleven freshmen on this team and looking out for them on the court making sure they understand what to do in a certain situation is tough, and off the court making sure they are going to classes and keeping up with the class work is hard because I do not want to come off being their mom.
Morin has one goal she would love to come true in the 2004 season for West Georgia volleyball, Make it to the GSC tournament!
Coach Amy Draper agrees, I would love for nothing else than for us to make it to the conference tournament in Morins final year and for her to lead this team to that goal.
The entire West Georgia volleyball coaching staff could not say enough about how Fricks energy has such an impact on the team. That, along with her understanding of the game, her poise, and the way she seems to always get the teamed focused at the right times. But, Morin is also a leader beyond the court as well.
Being an honor student, winning the minority-student award here at West Georgia shows her maturity level, Draper said. I just hope a little of that maturity rubs off on the younger girls.
Frick drives herself on the court with the mindset that it is her last game; there is no going back and fixing it next year against that team. There is a lot more to this 5-9 Biology major. Morin loves to go shopping, hang out with the girls, and work out whenever she finds time off the court.
Frick has spent most of her life devoted to volleyball, but she, if given the chance, would not mind trying her hand at soccer, lacrosse, or hockey. Being her senior year and looking beyond this season and post-graduation Morin would love to be a student assistant on the team or try to do something with her biology degree.
Hurricane cancels Rollins Fall Bash
Carrollton, Ga. – September 1, 2004 – Hurricane Frances has yet to come close to the U.S. coast, but the impact is already being felt here in Carrollton. West Georgia’s volleyball schedule was set to continue Friday in Winter Park, Florida, in the Orlando area at the Rollins Fall Bash. But, with Frances set to hit land late Friday night, Rollins officials canceled the weekend tournament.
West Georgia was scheduled to play Florida Tech and Ashland on Friday, followed by Rollins and Christian Brothers on Saturday.
The Braves started the season 4-0, sweeping through the Durant Invitational last weekend, hurtling towards Winter Park on Friday.
Unless head coach Amy Draper and her staff can find a last minute game to play this weekend, the Braves next action will come Wednesday night against Albany State, in the home opener.
West Georgia serves up victory over Rams
Carrollton, Ga. – September 8, 2004 – It’s been nearly two weeks since the West Georgia Braves have taken the floor for a match, and the ladies in red came out hungry for volleyball action at the HPE Building Wednesday night. When the dust settled, the Braves had beaten the Albany State Golden Rams, 3-0.
The Braves outmatched the Golden Rams in every game, winning 30-21, 30-15 and 30-24 in a hard-fought final game.
Kathi Schoeneck led the offensive with 13 kills on the night, hitting for 40 percent. Stephanie Singleton was right on her heels with 10 kills for 31 percent. Freshman setter Morgan Kilpatrick continued to improve, setting the table for her hitters 37 times on the night.
In the first game, the two teams eased into things, with the match staying fairly even for the first 12 points of the match. But, then the Braves went on a 5-0 run, kindled by a pair of aces from Anna Gautreau. With an 18-13 lead, UWG took advantage of a zero hitting percentage from the Rams en route to a 30-21 win.
Game two was a different story, as the Braves came out firing and never looked back, blasting out to a 19-9 lead, then finishing off the Rams at 30-15. Schoeneck and freshman Bonnie Schwartz led the way in that game, with five and four kills, respectively.
In the final game, the Rams came out playing inspired volleyball, playing with West Georgia point-for-point over the course of the third stanza. With the score tied at 24, UWG head coach Amy Draper called a timeout. Directly out of the timeout, Singleton delivered a monster kill, followed by a service ace two points later to go up 28-24. The junior served out the game to secure the shutout for West Georgia.
The Braves’ win brings the season record to 5-0, ASU falls to 1-1. Next up for West Georgia is Arkansas Tech in the first game of the Alabama-Huntsville Invitational this weekend.
Weekly Wrap-Up 9/2-9/9/04
Carrollton, Ga. – September 9, 2004 – The past week has been a dormant one for West Georgia volleyball. Hurricane Frances hit Florida hard, forcing Rollins to cancel its annual Fall Bash. The Braves lost four games due to Frances’ wrath, and played but one game last week, a 3-0 home win Wednesday night against Albany State.
The Braves took out ASU with relative ease Wednesday, winning 30-21, 30-15, and 30-24. The turning point in the match came as the first serve sailed across the net in the second game. UWG turned on the afterburners in that game, taking a commanding 19-9 lead and cruising to a 30-15 win.
West Georgia dominated the stats, hitting for 29 percent on kills compared to six percent for the Golden Rams. Two Braves, Stephanie Singleton and Kathi Schoeneck had double-figure kill statistics, blasting for 10 and 12, respectively. Morgan Kilpatrick set the table nicely for her teammates, collecting 37 assists on the night.
Entering the third weekend of volleyball action, the Braves sit undefeated at 5-0 on the season, with a tough trip to Alabama-Huntsville’s Invitational tournament.
Upcoming games:
UWG vs. Arkansas Tech – September 10, 10 a.m. – Through eight games, the Golden Suns are 3-5, with wins over Colorado State-Pueblo, Colorado School of Mines, and Saginaw Valley State. As a team, ATU is hitting just 14 percent on the season. Kellu Allums leads the way for the Suns with 110 kills on the year. Jamie Engel could be trouble for West Georgia from the serving line, with 11 aces thus far on the season. At the net, two ATU players, Erin Essink and Lauren Saulsberry have 19 and 26 blocks, respectively.
UWG vs. Miles College – September 10, 1 p.m.
The Braves faced the best that the SIAC has to offer Wednesday night in Albany State. Miles College finished second in the SIAC West in 2003 and return several starters off of last year’s squad.
UWG vs. Christian Brothers – September 11, 10 a.m.
The Braves next big test will be when facing the Buccaneers on Saturday morning. CBU finished the 2003 season at 18-18 and are 1-2 thus far on the season. The Bucs are led by Nan Kimbrell and preseason All-Conference middle blocker Laura Washington, who have 49 and 46 kills, respectively. Washingon also leads the team with 15 blocks on the season. CBU has another preseason All-Conference player in Hattie Schnacke, who has 38 kills on the season.
UWG vs. Harding, September 11, 3 p.m.
The biggest test of the season to this point will come for the Braves in the last match of the UAH Invitational, facing off against the Harding Bisons, defending GSC champs and preseason No. 1 in the GSC West. The Bisons are 5-2 thus far on the season with losses to Alaska Anchorage and Montana State-Billings. The Bisons are an offensive machine, mashing opponents with 363 kills this season. Preseason All-GSC libero Amie Morrison leads the defensive effort with 157 dig, followed by four players averaging more than a block per game.
UWG vs. West Alabama, September 14, 8 p.m.
The Braves open conference play at West Alabama on Tuesday night, facing the team named seventh in the conference by coaches in the preseason polls. The Tigers have struggled thus far this season, entering the weekend with a 1-7 record. Libero Melanie Moffett was named GSC Defensive player of the week last week and looks to stop a West Georgia offensive attack that is hitting 26 percent on the season.
Noteworthy: Setter Morgan Kilpatrick has 225 assists and is on track for the single-season record of 1,423 . . . Stephanie Singleton is averaging 13.4 digs per game and could likely move into fourth place all-time in that category during this week . . . Kathi Schoeneck leads the team in hitting percentage with 35 percent. She is third on the team in kills with 62 . . . right behind Schoeneck is freshman Bonnie Schwartz, who is hitting 32 percent with 70 kills on the season . . . the Braves are spreading the wealth on the defensive side of the ball, with three players: Anna Gautreau (84), Singleton (67), and Schwartz (57) with more than 50 digs . . . another of the super freshmen, Sarah Jett, is showing signs of dominance at the net. Jett has 20 blocks on the season, averaging 1.18 per game.
Rough outing in Huntsville
Carrollton, Ga. – September 11, 2004 – The West Georgia Braves entered the weekend undefeated and riding high. But, playing some of the tougher competition out of the GSC West, the Braves fell in three-of-four games, with a single win coming against Miles College on Friday.
The Braves opened the UAH Invitational on Friday, losing to Arkansas Tech 30-26, 30-13, 17-30 and 30-24. In the second match of the day, the Braves took out their frustrations on an overmatched Miles College squad, winning 30-6, 30-18, and 30-13.
In Saturday’s action, the Braves kicked things off with a 3-1 loss to Christian Brothers. CBU won the first two games 30-25 and 30-24. West Georgia came back in the third game with a 30-25 win, but fell short in the final game 30-20.
In the finale, the Braves faced off against defending Gulf South Champ Harding, losing 3-0. After a 30-18 loss in Game 1, UWG gave the Bisons a battle in game two, losing 30-28, then fell in the final game 30-25.
Next up for West Georgia is the first Gulf South matchup of the season Tuesday night at West Alabama.
First Conference match; First conference win
Livingston, AL – September 14, 2004 – After a tough outing at the UAH Invitational over the weekend, the Braves were itching to get back on the court. It showed Tuesday night as West Georgia pounded West Alabama in three straight games, 30-23, 30-25 and 30-27.
UWG head coach Amy Draper got outstanding games from her middle blockers , Siha Collins and Sara Jett. The pair split time in leading the way for the Braves’ first conference win of the season.
West Georgia was scheduled to play at Montevallo Thursday night, but the threat of Hurricane Ivan has forced the teams to cancel that game. It will be rescheduled. This marks the fifth game that has been interrupted by a hurricane in this young season.
Womens Athletic Spotlight:Anna Gautreau
Carrollton, Ga. – September 16, 2004 – Changing positions happens quite frequently in sports. In baseball, one might go from right field to left field, a football player might switch to cornerback after many years as a receiver, or a volleyball player might go from being a setter to the libero. Well, changing positions can be rough and tough on any player at any level. Mistakes and bumps are expected and even tolerated along the way for a player in a new position.
Well, for the ten teams the West Georgia Lady Braves have faced so far this season, all ten will say that previous statement is not true when it comes to the Lady Braves sophomore libero, Anna Gautreau. Gautreau played setter in high school and at Limestone College before transferring to West Georgia last year.
“I came to West Georgia, because this is the type of team I want to be apart of, one that wins,” Gautreau said. “Plus this is my first time ever playing libero, so I was nervous about playing it for the first time, especially with talented freshmen fighting for the job.”
Gautreau an administration major would love to be a coach after all is said and done with her volleyball career. Gautreau wants to be a leader and that is exactly what a libero does, lead.
“My primary job is to get the first hit. I become the eyes for the team on the court. Telling the hitters where an open spot is, because a blocker is cheating in one direction or keeping the defense aware of where wholes are forming,” Gautreau explained.
It might be Gautreau’s first season at libero, but it did not take her long to make a name for herself in the Gulf South Conference. In the very first match of the season against a very tough Presbyterian team, Gautreau set the conference record for digs at 45 in a five set match.
“It was extremely exciting for me to do that. Actually, more of a relief than anything, because it put any doubts I had to rest,” Gautreau explained on her quick accomplishment. “Now that I have the record I want to beat it every game, my competitive nature, winning attitude, and I want to get to the conference tournament more than anything,” Gautreau said.
Off the court Gautreau enjoys being any other college student. “I just like hanging out with my friends, whenever I find the spare time and staying caught up on school work,” Gautreau said.
Since, setting the conference record in the first match of the season, Gautreau has added 100 more to her total. Gautreau’s change from setter to libero and the success she has had since the change, is a model example the younger girls can look to on the intensity level needed for the college level.
Braves overcome mistakes, take out Jaguars
Carrollton, Ga. – September 18, 2004 – No one ever said winning had to be pretty. West Georgia overcame a dismal second game to beat Augusta State 3-1 Saturday in Carrollton.
The Braves cruised to a 30-20 win in Game 1, behind five kills from middle blocker Sara Jett and outside hitter Stephanie Singleton
But in the second game, the Braves fell into a funk, committing 17 errors in the game as UWG lost 30-26.
In the third contest, freshmen Bonnie Schwartz and Sarah Feehan asserted themselves with eight kills combined. Singleton was again big with five kills in the 30-18 UWG win.
Augusta State continued to play scrappy volleyball in the final game, coming to within two points of the win, but Singleton put the game away with six kills in the game.
Next up for the Braves is a match with defending national champion North Alabama. West Georgia travels to Florence for that match Wednesday night.
Braves ground Falcons, stay undefeated in GSC East
Montevallo, AL – September 20, 2004 – If the West Georgia Braves are to get over the hump and into the Gulf South Conference tournament, they will need solid leadership from experienced players. The Braves got that Monday night and much more, beating the Montevallo Falcons 3-1(21-30, 30-24, 30-28, 30-21) on the road.
UWG used a offensive output with four players with double figure kills. Junior Stephanie Singleton led the way with 20 kills and 13 digs on the night, followed by freshman Bonnie Schwartz with 14 kills and 10 digs. Kathi Schoeneck brought 13 kills to the table and Siha Collins mashed 10 kills.
The Braves hit for 27 percent on the night, with Collins leading the way at 45 percent. Schwartz hit on 35 percent of her attacks and Singleton on 31 percent.
West Georgia’s next action comes Wednesday on the road at defending national champion North Alabama.
Jett earns GSC Player of the Week honor
Carrollton, Ga. – September 21, 2004 – For the second time in the 2004 season, the West Georgia Braves had a player named Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Week. First, it was junior Kathi Schoeneck in the first week of the season. Today, freshman middle blocker Sarah Jett was named offensive POW by the GSC for her play last week.
The freshman had 17 kills in seven games on the week, with an average of 2.43 kills per game. She made good on 39 percent of her attacks as well as collecting seven blocks.
The Braves were 2-0 last week, including a victory in the conference opener at West Alabama last Wednesday night.
Braves fall to defending national champs
Carrollton, Ga. – September 22, 2004 –This game was the benchmark. The match that would really tell head coach Amy Draper where her team stands. After a 3-1 to defending Division Ii national champ North Alabama on the road, the Braves are no longer undefeated, but things are looking up.
In 2003, the Lions were the only team to beat West Georgia 3-0 in both conference matches. Going to UNA and taking a game is a big step in the right direction for the Braves. Couple that with the fact that UWG fought the now 15th ranked Lions to end, losing games one and two 30-27 and 30-21. The third game was the Braves’ victory at 32-30 and then UNA closed out the match with a 30-26 victory.
“We aren’t satisfied, because we did want to win,” said assistant coach Matthew Snyder. “But we did take a step in the right direction tonight. We just have to keep improving every week.”
Kathi Schoeneck led the way with kills and a 36 in the hitting percentage category. Bonnie Schwartz followed that with 13 kills and Stephanie Singleton blasted her way for 10 kills on the night.
West Georgia’s record now stands at 9-4 on the season and 2-1 in the Gulf South Conference.
Unfortunately, the West Florida game scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. has been cancelled indefinitely. The Argos’ Pensacola campus was ravaged by Hurricane Ivan last week and students will not return until at least October 4. Both coaches are looking for a make-up date, but nothing has been settled as of right now.
Weekly Wrap up 9/16-9/23
Carrollton, Ga. September 23, 2004 – The past week has been one of steps forward for the West Georgia volleyball squad. The Braves went 2-1, including the first ever match won at Montevallo and the first ever game won at North Alabama.
Bonnie Schwartz, right, is leading the team in kill percentage on the season, with 32 percent. The week of September 16-23 saw the Braves postpone the Montevallo game scheduled for last Thursday in Alabama. The match was rescheduled for Monday night.
But on a sunny Saturday, West Georgia hosted an Augusta State squad which had one just one game on the year thus far. The Braves prevailed, but after a sloppy showing. Game two was the worst offender, with UWG committing 17 errors in a 30-26 loss.
Game three brought out the frustration, as the Braves pummeled the Jaguars 30-18, then closed the deal in game four with a 30-28 win.
The poor showing gave West Georgia legs going into Monday nights contest with Montevallo. The Falcons had beaten the Braves in both games in 2003 and head coach Amy Draper and her squad were looking for vengeance.
After losing the first game, the Braves came back and swept the final three games to beat Montevallo, 3-1.
But it was no time to celebrate, for a behemoth stood in front of West Georgia in the form of defending national champs and current 15th ranked North Alabama Lions, in Florence, Alabama.
The Braves did not win the match with UNA, but proved that the squad is for real, pushing the champs to the limit with a 3-1 loss. Game one was a win for the Lions, 30-27, followed by a 30-21 win for UNA. Down 2-0, the Braves showed poise in a 32-30 win before bowing out 30-26 in the fourth game.
Stephanie Singleton led the way on the week with 46 kills and a 30 percent kill ratio. Bonnie Schwartz was right on Singletons heels with 42 kills at 28 percent.Kathi Schoeneck was amazing from the serving line, collecting 11 service aces on the week.
But the biggest week belonged to freshman middle blocker Sarah Jett, who won the Gulf South Conference offensive player of the week award on Tuesday for her play last week. She had 19 kills on the week as well as coming up big on the defensive side with 12 blocks.
Season-wise, Singleton and Schwartz are in a virtual dead-heat to lead the Braves in kills. Schwartz has a slight edge with 170 over Singletons 169. Those kills have helped the Braves lead the Gulf South Conference in kill percentage with 26 percent. Morgan Kilpatricks 550 assists are good enough for second in the conference.
The Week Ahead:
Saturdays match with West Florida has been cancelled indefinitely until further notice. The Argos campus was ravaged by Hurricane Ivan last weekend and the campus has been closed until at least October 4. All Argonaut athletics have been cancelled until then.
Sunday, the Braves host Valdosta State in the HPE Building. The game is one that the Braves must win to get into the conference tournament in November. The Braves are 8-11 against the Blazers all-time, but beat VSU in both contests of 2003. Valdosta is 2-9 thus far this season.
Wednesday, the Lincoln-Memorial Railsplitters come to visit with their 12-2 record. The LadySplitters have been playing well this season, with just one of their wins going to four games. The Braves are 8-14 all-time with LMU, splitting 2003s matches.
Record book update:Stephanie Singletonnow has 830 digs in her career, eight away from third place all-time . . . Singleton has 133 career service aces, which ties her for fifth place and brings her to within seven of fourth place . . . Her 964 kills has her solidly in seventh place on the all-time list . . . With 2,701 total attacks in her career, Singleton has moved up five spots on the all-time list to sixth place and should move into fifth place in the coming week . . .Siha Collinshas 123 blocks on her career and is poised to move into the top-ten all-time . . .Morgan Kilpatrickfell off the pace for the single-season assists record, but is on track for 1,396 kills, 27 short of the record of 1423.
Braves bounce back against Blazers
Carrollton, Ga. – September 26, 2004 – After a 3-1 loss to North Alabama Wednesday, the West Georgia Braves were looking for a confidence booster. They got it here Sunday, dispatching the Valdosta State Blazers in short order, 3-0.
The Braves hit 31 percent in the match, a season high in conference play. Stephanie Singleton and Kathi Schoeneck led the way for that total with 54 and 50 percent, respectively.
The Braves opened up game one slowly, as Valdosta came out playing inspired volleyball. But, with the Blazer leading 18-13, UWG began to regroup. West Georgia came back on the powerful hitting of Schoeneck and freshman sensation Bonnie Schwartz to win the game 30-25. The pair combined for 12 of the Braves’ 19 kills in the game.
In game two, neither team was able to hit very well, but West Georgia made the most of 13 Valdosta State attack errors in the game. The Braves front line took control, collecting six blocks in a 30-21 win. Siha Collins was a monster at the net, with a solo block and three block assists in game two.
After committing eight errors with just nine kills in the second game, the Braves came out with a vengeance in the final game, blasting the Blazers for 21 kills at a 52 percent clip. Singleton, silent for most of the night, turned things on with 10 kills in 13 attempts with no errors to seal the match at 30-17.
Schwartz was the other of the three Braves’ hitters in double-figures on the afternoon. The Ohio native collected 12 kils in the match. Freshman setter Morgan Kilpatrick continued to set up her hitters with 42 assists on the afternoon.
The win brings West Georgia’s season record to 10-4 and 3-1 in Gulf South East play. The Blazers fall to 2-11 and 0-3 in the conference. Next up for the Braves is a Wednesday night match with the Lincoln Memorial Lady Railsplitters. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m.
Womens Athletic Spotlight: Kathi Schoeneck
Carrollton, Ga. September 29, 2004 – Every team needs leaders, and the West Georgia Lady Braves volleyball team has several. However, one has traveled a bit to get here. Berlin, Germany to Bevill State in Alabama to finally West Georgia is the route outside hitter Katharina Kathi Schoeneck took to be a leader on the Lady Braves team this season.
It is a lot tougher here at West Georgia than Bevill was, Schoeneck said, Coach (Amy) Draper expects a lot out of us, which makes us so good.
Schoeneck transferred to West Georgia, a D-II school, from Bevill State, a Junior College in Alabama, where she was named second team NJCAA All-American in 2003. She also set records in kills in a season (501) and service aces in a season (81). Service aces is not the biggest reason Draper brought Schoeneck to the Lady Braves; the kills are.
As an attacker, basically my job is to hit every ball into the floor on the other side of the net, Schoeneck explained. It is much easier this year on me, since I have players like Stephanie (Singleton) and Bonnie (Schwartz) on the net with me that are amazing.
That trio of hitters has just over 72 percent of the Braves kills through 14 games this season.
The three of us have a competition to see who can get the last kill of the match, Schoeneck said. Right now, I believe Steph is ahead.
Schoeneck brings a fearless attitude to a league where she has never seen any of her opponents before.
I believe in my team and I honestly believe we can beat anybody, and make it to the conference tournament, Schoeneck shared. We really should have beat North Alabama, and when they come here in a few weeks I think it will be a different story. Schoeneck does have a lighter side to her. In her spare time, she enjoys sleeping, eating, hanging out with friends, and talking to her family. Most importantly, she tries to relax on days off. Schoenecks parents still live in Berlin and she tries to talk to them daily, at least that is what her mother would like. Her younger sister has followed in her footsteps, and is playing at Bevill State this year.
Schoeneck continues to help lead this young team through the thick of the season; that appears to be quickly approaching that ever popular goal of the Gulf South Conference Tournament.
UWG picks up huge win over Splitters
Carrollton, Ga. – September 29, 2004 – Wednesday night was a huge match for the West Georgia Braves. Both the Braves and Lincoln Memorial had been on a roll. It was seemingly two immoveable forces converging in the HPE Building. But, when the dust cleared, West Georgia had swept the visiting Railsplitters 3-0 in a hard-fought defensive contest.
The teams combined for 70 digs and 16.5 team blocks on the night. Kathi Schoeneck led the defensive effort for the Braves with 13 digs. The junior from Berlin was all over the court, and added nine kills.
West Georgia came out fast, building a 5-1 lead early in the first game, forcing a quick time out from LMU coach Mike Smith. The ‘Splitters came back, tying the game at 10 before the Braves went on another run. The teams battled back and forth until UWG began to separate itself from Lincoln to win game one 30-23. Bonnie Schwartz was highly efficient in the win, collecting six kills in 11 attempts.
In game two, the Lady RailsplittersRailsplitters came out firing, building a quick 5-2 lead, forcing a time out from UWG head coach Amy Draper. The Braves came back and tied the game at five, but this would be a battle. The ‘Splitters never gave up, but West Georgia pulled away at 25-20 and cruised to a 30-26 victory. Through the first two games, Schoeneck was big, collecting 10 of her digs in those games.
In the deciding game, the Braves began to assert themselves, pounding the LMU front line into two block errors behind six kills from junior Stephanie Singleton. With the game tied at nine, the Braves pulled away and finished off Lincoln 30-20.
The Braves hit 21 percent on kills in the contest, including a whopping 44 percent in the final game. Morgan Kilpatrick collected 41 assists in the match, while Sarah Jett continued to impress with six blocks.
The win brings West Georgia’s record to 11-4 overall and 4-1 in GSC East action. Lincoln falls to 13-3 and 1-1 in conference. Next up for West Georgia is a tournament at Montevallo this weekend.