Office 212 in Summers Gym sits empty with the title “Women’s Volleyball” on the door.  This fall it will be filled by a veteran volleyball coach with almost 20 years of experience.

David Shumaker spent the last 10 years as the head coach at Baptist Bible College (Clarks Summit, Pa.) where he also taught several Bible courses.

“[Volleyball] kind of grew on me,” said Shumaker.  “I loved to play when I was younger and I started coaching so that I could play more.”

Shumaker has already run several practices with the women’s volleyball team and has set some clear goals for next season.

“My [goal] this year is to get to know this team, develop the individuals on the team and then develop the team as a competitive unit,” said Shumaker.

Although he has high expectations for the team, Shumaker looks at winning as a by-product of having a life that puts Christ “front and center.”

Currently, senior Alison Young is working with the volleyball team on strength and conditioning.

“He is clearly a man who loves God and wants to elevate Christ through his team,” said Young.  “His coaching style is very energetic and competitive.  It keeps the team excited throughout the few practices he has been able to run with them.”

The women’s volleyball team is extremely well trained, according to Shumaker.

“It’s not like we are trying to climb up to the base camp for the final ascent to Everest.  We’re already at the base camp. Now it’s making that final ascent to the championship, and the potential is there to do it.  So I’m looking forward to giving it our best effort,” said Shumaker.

Shumaker and his wife, Joanna, and their two children (Drew, 16, Danielle, 13) will be moving to the Dayton area by the end of June.

Fun Facts:

-       Shumaker was born in Japan

-       Was a missionary kid for 12 years

-       Coached football for a year

-       Met his wife through volleyball

-       Favorite Quote: “Replacing Coach Sayles felt like replacing a rock star.”

The women's volleyball team says goodbye to Head Coach Leo Sayles who leaves Bryan for Gardner-Webb University / Photo courtesy of junior Chelsie Blackburn

Erika Simpson
Assistant Editor

Head Volleyball Coach Leo Sayles, after seven years at Bryan College, cleaned out his office and left for Gardner-Webb University (Boiling Springs, NC) where he has accepted their head volleyball coach offer. Sayles said he interviewed for the job on Jan. 31 and received their offer on Feb. 4.

Gardner-Webb University is a NCAA division I school and a Christian college, according to Sayles.

Sayles said that he heard about the job through a trainer on staff at Gardner-Webb, who had been his trainer at Bryan in 2006. He knew a lot about the school from her and she spoke to the athletic director, which “opened the door” for him.

Before this offer, Sayles said that in the last few years, he has had some other schools interested in him applying for a coaching job, but that there are few schools he would leave Bryan for. He said he knew that if the job at Gardner-Webb was offered to him, then it was because God wanted him to go there.

“I love Bryan College, my friends here, the athletic department and my players especially, and I’ve appreciated the student support throughout our run here the past seven years, and this feels like home,” he said “But I also have to be concerned about my family and their needs, and I have to be sensitive to what God is doing in my life.”

He called a meeting with his team on Feb. 7 and announced to them that he would be leaving on Friday to take the Gardner-Webb job. He said he told them early that morning because he did not want the news “trickling out to them.”

“I’m sure that some feel that I’m deserting them, but I hope they don’t,” Sayles said.

Junior Jessica Jones said that the announcement came as a shock to her because Sayles had not mentioned that he was thinking about leaving.

“I was really surprised and sad because I was looking forward to next year and building up the team,” she said.

The upcoming seniors are showing a lot of leadership, according to Sayles, and so is senior Alison Young who is helping lead them in off-season training. The sense of pride and ownership the team has in itself will help them next year, according to Sayles, as they adjust to a new coach. He said he desires for them to make it to the NAIA championships.

“They will always be my team,” he said. “And I want them to complete that task.”

Having a new coach will be a change, according to Jones, but she said she thinks it will be a good change.

“We can’t replace Coach Sayles, but it’ll be good having a new perspective,” Jones said. “I’m excited to see what the new coach brings to the team.”

Sayles said that Bryan is in the process of looking for a new volleyball coach. As for the classes that he taught, Women’s Soccer Coach Mark Sauve is taking over the bowling class, and Adjunct Professor Josh Bogle is taking over the volleyball class with the help of some of the volleyball players, according to Sayles.

Sayles left Bryan on Friday, Feb. 11 to move to N.C. over the weekend, and said that his family will follow him when their house sells in Dayton, or they finish the school year.

He said that he will miss the tight-knit circle of friends in the athletic department along with his relationships with his players and the beauty of Bryan’s campus.

“I truly am grateful for the chance that Dr. Zensen gave me here. Dr. Zensen and Dr. Livesay took a risk with someone who didn’t have head college coaching experience when they brought me in,” Sayles said. “And I am truly grateful for everyone who supported this team and this program, and my prayer is that they will support them even more as they go through this transition.”

The Bryan volleyball team played against both Montreat College (Black Mountain, N.C.) and Milligan College (Elizabethton, Tenn.) last weekend emerging with both a loss and a win, making its conference record 9-4.

Because of recent health problems Head Coach Leo Sayles was unable to attend either match. Instead, the Lions were led by Assistant Coach JoAnna McGill and senior Student Assistant Julie Barnett.

The girls celebrate at their home game against Milligan. The Lions won 5-2./ Photo courtesy of Daniel Impson

“We don’t have Coach here, but he has prepared us all season long so we know what to do; it’s just a matter of getting the job done,” said senior outside hitter Lauren Pratt.

The Lady Lions’ first match was against the Montreat Cavaliers on Friday with neck-and-neck sets of 25-23, 25-17 and 25-21, but the Lions dropped all three.

“I feel like we have been able to take our losses and what we need to learn from them and apply it to the next game pretty well,” said freshman setter Rebecca Adams.

And that is what the Lady Lions did on Saturday against Milligan’s Lady Buffs.

The Lions began with a rough start, but they found a hole in the Buffs’ defense and continued to tip the ball right into that spot. The Lions took the first win 25-23.

The second set was hard for both teams, but the Buffs finished with a 25-19 win.

It was tied up, but in the next set the Lions’ energy was flowing. From the start of the set the Lions took the lead and sustained it for a 25-18 victory.

The Lions were ahead 2-1. Both teams knew this could be the final set. The crowd was tense. The teams fought hard, but the Buffs would not let the Lions take the set and finished with a 28-26 win.

“We have really had to fight for everything,” said Pratt.

The women returned to the court for their final set. It was time for the Lions to prove they were ready. It was time, as Pratt said, “to get the job done.”

Though at first the Buffs held strong, the Lions overcame with a 15-9 win and claimed the victory.

“Our girls showed a lot of heart tonight, and it was hard with Coach Sayles gone. They did a great job today coming back and redeeming themselves, and it was fun for both teams. It was an evenly matched game, so I am not surprised it went to five. I am very proud of them. Coach will be too,” said McGill.

The Lions next match will be at home against Tennessee Wesleyan College (Athens) on Tuesday Nov. 2.

Senior Kaylan Dilts/Triangle photo by Catherine Rogers

The volleyball team faced the University of Mobile, Ala., Friday night in a close four-set match and emerged victorious.

“Our game plan was basic—make sure we control our side of the net,” said Head Coach Leo Sayles.

Going into the match, the Lions knew that Mobile was a good serving team, however, they felt stronger defensively and it showed, according to Sayles.

“Our blocking and defense were very effective against Mobile,” said Sayles. “I believe [they were] caught off-guard with how well we absorbed their attacks and answered back.”

The Lions held the lead during the first set, which ended in a Bryan win of 25-23. For the majority of the remaining three sets, the Lions trailed Mobile by one to three points, losing the second set, 25-22, winning the third, 25-23, and pulling ahead in the final rally of the fourth set for the 25-23 win.

“Each point was highly contested,” said Sayles. “There were long, furious rallies, but also moments where we ran our plays to perfection.”

The closely fought match was the best so far this season, according to Sayles, and one of the better home matches in his years at Bryan.

“I feel like we really used the game plan and took advantage of what coach told us,” said junior libero Courtney Cotter. “We struggled in the second game because we were too anxious to win…but in the end we got back into stopping their [outside players] with our digs and blocks.”

Bryan’s front line turned back 11 blocks during the match and five defenders totaled double-digit digs.

“There were some strong individual performances,” said Sayles. “Most notably [freshman middle blocker] Carolyn Evans, who I jokingly called ‘Super Girl’ afterwards, [senior middle blocker] Ashley Sours in the middle, Courtney Cotter defensively, and [junior setter] Sarah Thacker.

“The combination of teamwork, competitive spirit, individual drive and sticking to the plan led to a great victory,” said Sayles. “Hopefully, we can bottle what we did and repeat the effort each time we step on the floor.”

Bryan volleyball hosts their next conference game against Virginia Intermont College (Bristol, Va.). The match is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m.

[Gallery photos by Catherine Rogers]

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Lions prepare to spike the ball onto Union's side of the court/Photo courtesy of Daniel Impson

by Daniel Jackson
Staff Writer

Bryan’s varsity volleyball team won its first two home matches last week facing Reinhardt College (Waleska, Ga.) on Tuesday and Union University (Jackson, Tenn.) on Friday.

With the victory over Union, Bryan is now tied for first place in the AAC with Milligan College (Milligan, Tenn.).

“It is our desire to win the championship,” said Head Coach Leo Sayles.

In the match against Reinhardt, Bryan won the first and second games.  With the Lady Lions trailing Reinhardt 18-19 in the third game, Sayles called a timeout.

The team walked back on the court and evened the score at 19. Finally, the Lions managed to get two points ahead of Reinhardt. Needing one more point for the win, Lion fans stood in the bleachers, index fingers pointed to the sky.

“If I wasn’t a volleyball fan before coming to Bryan, the Lady Lions would have made me one,” said Kim Tuttle, resident director of Robinson hall.

Bryan won the last set 25-22, but Coach Sayles was not happy with the game.

“We were nervous at first,” said Sayles, “but we seemed to settle down as we played.”

According to Sayles, the team didn’t pass well, and they were missing their key passer, junior Courtney Cotter, due to an injury.

“It’s nerve wracking the first home game,” said freshman Chelsea Breaden. “You want to do really well.”

But it was the support from the fans that energized the team and propelled them to victory.

Lions played defensively in the game against Union/Photo courtesy of Daniel Impson

“It was a cool feeling to be supported by your friends, to know that Bryan has your back,” said freshman Rebecca Adams.

It was the match on Friday against Union which caused the varsity team concern. With one of its key players injured, the team worried about Union’s star setter, the best setter in the conference, according to Sayles.

Sayles has coached the volleyball team to anticipate  out-of-system play, a play when the ball doesn’t go where expected.

According to Sayles, about 40 percent of a game is played out-of-system. Instead of scrambling for the ball, the team can improvise a play. This aided them in Friday’s game.

Union arrived without their star player. Having planned their strategy around this athlete, Bryan’s team quickly changed its game plan.

Throughout the match, the Lions controlled their side of the net,  responding to most offenses from Union. Union, however, struggled to control the ball on its side. When they did manage to set up the ball, Union delivered a powerful spike.

The Lady Lions won two games. When the score was 21-14 in favor of Bryan in the third game, Sayles again called for a timeout. He told the team to “settle down, control your side of the court, and everything will be fine.”

Bryan won the final game 18-25, but Sayles is not enamored by the early success.

“It’s tougher to remain successful than to emerge as a successful team,” he said.

Bryan is scheduled to play Milligan College on Saturday, Sept. 25.

Bryan College’s volleyball team traveled to Bluefield (Va.) College on Sept. 11 and dominated the Eagles on their own court, winning 3-1.

Coach Leo Sayles said that, going into the game the team was focusing on playing together and getting its lineup settled. Before this weekend, they had struggled to finish matches and sustain their effort throughout the matches.

Up quickly 2-0, the team dropped the third match because Sayles subbed in other players to give them experience on the court.

“Losing on someone else’s floor gives them confidence and makes the fourth match harder,” Sayles said. “But it just looked like we kicked into a different gear and pulled away–we just ran away with the match.”

Key players in the game were senior Alison Young, who had a better hitting match, freshman middleback Carolyn Evans, who had 10 kills, and junior defensive specialist Jessica Jones, who filled in for junior libero Courtney Cotter when she hurt her wrist.

Sayles said that Jones really “stepped up” and played the best game he has ever seen her play at Bryan.

“We’re finally starting to find our identity and click on the court,” Jones said. “Coach has been telling us that we need to find a fire, and we are starting to find that spark, which has elevated our level of play.”

The Lions will be hosting Union College (Barbourville, Ky.) on Friday.

Jones said that she is excited to finally be playing at home.

“We miss our fans,” she said. “They might be where our extra spark comes from.”

Dear editor,

Olivia Pool’s letter to the editor published February 4 is a well-intentioned commentary, but I must respectfully disagree with her regarding some of her comments about racial equality. I would like to take a few moments to address these issues, and perhaps shed some light on undercurrents I believe are overlooked in her letter. Olivia’s remarks are uninformed at best and could be deemed as racially insensitive at worst. I encourage readers read her letter before reading my response for perspective.

Before I proceed further, I want to make it clear, I was not an Obama supporter – I voted against Obama because his views do not represent my own, and because I deemed he did not have the qualifications to hold the office of the President. However, there is significance in that I, as an African-American, had the freedom to choose for whom I would vote, and the freedom to vote against Obama regardless of his skin color.

Olivia, you asked the question, “True or false: The world is a better place for African American children because a black man has been elected to the presidency.”

Literally speaking, the answer is false, as you assert. However, figuratively speaking, the answer is true. The phrase “a better place,” Olivia, is a figurative statement, a statement about hope. Hope is not always based on fact – it is defined as expectation, faith, and optimism. For the first time, Olivia, I can look into my own boys’ eyes and say, ‘you could grow up to be president,’ and the proof is before them. Do you realize that before Jan. 20, 2009, it was nothing more than a vain hope, a dream without evidence? That is a reality that has changed with the election of this president.

Olivia, I respectfully submit that you have asked the wrong question. A better question would be, “Do the many African American children in this country now have an undeniable example that they really can achieve whatever they want? “ My answer is YES, absolutely!

Surely, you cannot deny that the election of President Barack Obama – regardless of the percentage of victory – confirms that things have indeed changed in the 50+ years since the Civil Rights movement officially began– that regardless of political motivation, this country took an unprecedented step forward in its long journey from yesteryear, where a 14 year old black boy could be beaten to death for whistling at a woman.? Is it an important step? YES! It is every bit as important as the 72 year struggle to give women the right to vote. August 26, 1920 is deemed as an important date in American History because women were given that right. Similarly, I guarantee you that January 20, 2009 will forever be tied as a stamp of confirmation on the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Olivia, you are not old enough to fully grasp the history of the Civil Rights struggle in our country. You are literally a generation removed from the culmination of years of strife that resulted in the Civil Rights Act. Although there appears to be an academic knowledge in your letter regarding racial equality, your letter displays a lack of understanding regarding the depth of emotion, violence, and hatred sweeping the country during the battle for civil rights.

Let me work point by point through your letter, and offer some insight from a different perspective.

You stated, “Many people… might label it (the election of Obama) an accomplishment for the minorities of our nation. They might join McGonigal’s friend in assuming that a minority in the oval office means a brighter future for children of minority background. But in assuming this, I would assert, these individuals would be mistaken.

You criticize Mr. McConigal’s friend for his statement, “The world is now a better place for my two boys,” and you cannot begin walk in his shoes. You make a broad stroke assertion that these individuals would be mistaken. Had you stated that you did not understand the statements of McConigal’s friend or the sentiments of such individuals, I would not be writing this response. It is perfectly fine to admit we do not understand issues relating to a person from different background and life experience. However, you overstep your place by deeming as mistaken the sentiments of a population that has endured suffering for generation after generation.

Olivia, how dare you call them mistaken? How dare you pass judgment on what you do not understand? How dare you assume you have any understanding into the lives of those who have made a statement like Mr. McConigal’s friend?

• Have you ever walked a day in the shoes of an African-American or any other ethnic minority?

• Have you ever had to live through the unlawful killing of an aging relative by the predominantly white police force charged with caring for him?

• Have you or your sibling ever been wrongfully harassed by a policeman because you were admittedly profiled?

• Have you ever had to question whether you were given a job interview simply to “meet a quota” in a hiring policy because of the color of your skin…or even worse, perhaps were refused an opportunity because of the color of your skin or your ethnic heritage?

• Do you have to live with the factual knowledge that you father, as an enlisted naval career man, was refused the right to go to officer school for more than a decade because he was black, even though he was one of the highest-ranking enlisted men in the fleet at the time?

• Have you ever had to wrestle with the question of whether or not your grades were low perhaps because of your color, when you compare your answers to a friend’s and realize they are exactly the same – but your friend received a higher grade?

The above questions are just a tiny glimpse into the experiences surrounding my own life as an African-American, and yet I was raised in a good family in middle-class suburban, predominantly white communities. Because of my background, I can fully understand the sentiment shared by McConigal’s friend and many others. I grew up hearing African-Americans repeat a phrase time and again in debates about the state of racial equality since the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964; “I’ll believe it when I see a black man in office,”- translated, ”I’ll believe it when a black man is elected president.” I can specifically remember a good friend of my father’s saying the above in conversations I overheard over 30 years ago as a child. I was not at all surprised to hear that my father met his friend in Washington last January to attend the inauguration, to prove that the day had come. When I talked to my father after the inauguration, he told me they both cried during the event because they did not know if this day would ever come.

Perhaps you should do an in-depth study of the Civil Rights movement of the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s to retrace what many citizens like my own parents and grandparents had to endure, instead of disparaging their sentiments? Perhaps you should take a trip to Birmingham, Alabama and stand on the grounds of the 16th Street Baptist Church, where on September 15, 1963, Bobby Cherry, Robert Chambliss, and members of a splinter KKK group blew up the building, killing 4 young African American girls in retaliation for the work of SCLC leaders campaigning to register African Americans to vote. Perhaps you should visit the Civil Rights museum in Atlanta, look at the pictures, and read the testimonies of those who lived through the times. Perhaps you should take a trip to Memphis to the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was killed on April 15, 1968 – the hotel where my family was forced to stay only 6 weeks before that date BECAUSE WE WERE BLACK.

Now I do agree with you in one issue – Obama did nothing to earn the acclaim as “the man who changed history “– he is simply the person who happened to be in the right place at the right time when our nation chose to place a black man in the presidential office for the first time in history.

You state:

• Racial equality once demanded that everyone, regardless of their skin color, would be permitted to stand on equal footing. Legislation such as affirmative action sought to institute these principles as laws and correct the social climate of our nation, but through such action and in our fervor to bring about the justice that minorities deserve, we erroneously attempted to destroy inequality by placing minority accomplishment on a separate scale.

Now I do agree with you that ideally, there should not be a separate scale in hiring practices, enrollment, and other areas. Perhaps in reading history books, it appears the laws passed made this a foregone conclusion, but the reality was far different. I do not understand your assertion that ‘racial equality once demanded…equal footing.” If that was the case, there would have been no need for the Civil Rights movement, nor the watchdog groups who monitored political legislation in the years after the Civil Rights act. I believe your lack of historical perspective is simply because you grew up in a different world than that found in 1964. You grew up in a world that had already wrestled with issues of racial equality – the post Civil Rights era,

• where a TV show about an upper middle class black family was the top show on the air

• where a prominent African-American had already run for the president

• where African-Americans hold terminal positions as head coaches of professional teams

• Where African-Americans are a part of every portion of politics, sports, and entertainment.

That was NOT the reality of the world when I was a child, let alone in my parents’ and your grandparents’ generation.

The principles the government felt compelled to implement over 46 years ago were a necessity in many cases because the American society in general – businesses, schools, churches, organizations – refused to grant equal rights to African-Americans, and set up bogus Jim Crow laws as excuses to keep those rights from African Americans. There is no way to fully grasp this unless you have lived it! Did the government make mistakes? Of course – When has government EVER been the ANSWER for human failings? Only CHRIST can truly eliminate the consequences of human failings. However, political leaders and civil rights leaders did the best they could to try to provide equal opportunity.

You state:

• On the day of our president’s inauguration, we unquestioningly joined with those who would proclaim our nation better than it was the day before, simply because he is in office. No Caucasian president has ever been credited with improving the world simply by taking an oath. Our nation’s previous forty-three presidents have been required to do something positive with their presidencies to merit such a complement.

I question this assertion as well. Many people understand that Obama himself does not deserve to be credited with improving the world – though the nominating committee for a certain peace prize may have seen differently. But we do note the significance of his election. Many, like me, also see the greater implications. I realize this president is probably trying to fulfill his over-ambitious agenda because -in the issue of racial equality – he knows he has to be better than any other presidents to validate his presidency. If he is only a mediocre president, it will simply give fuel to those who would say, “See, I knew a black man could not effectively run the presidency of the United States.” As an African-American, there is a part of me screaming, “Don’t blow it, President Obama, for my sake and for the sake of the millions of us who are doing all that we can to dispel stereotypes, break prejudice, and earn our way by the merits of our achievements!” That is a heavy burden to place on any one man, and yet that is the burden this president carries – a burden that NO OTHER president has ever had to carry – let alone the burden of being the chief executive and commander-in-chief of one of the most powerful nations in the world. However, the fact that you and others have to raise the questions you raise makes it very clear that the question of race is still VERY MUCH an issue.

You then state, “If we really want to create equality, we must fight the temptation to think differently about the accomplishments of a black man and a white man. A job well done is a job well done, regardless of who is completing the task to tip the scales of judgment in their favor.”

You speak eloquently, Olivia, of a great ideal – and I want you to know, I wholeheartedly agree with you. However, an ideal on paper is much harder to instill in a society with a history such as ours – and in a world where sin is rampant. The phrase, ‘a job well done is a job well done’ is a wonderful phrase that I want to see lived out as well. Yet, many minorities will tell you it is not that simple.

I encourage you to spend a good portion of your adult life pouring yourself into impoverished communities in a city like Chattanooga. Immerse yourself for a few years in their family-life and school-life. Hear the stories of elderly African-Americans; listen to the experiences of those in my generation, and investigate the trials of their school aged children. Dig deeply into the history of the civil rights movement. Take the time to watch the series, Eyes On the Prize, and read some of the great historical books about the movement. Read through the writings and speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King. Read his words from his “I have a Dream,” speech, which he declared almost 50 years ago on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial:

• And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

• I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

• I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

• I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

• I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

• I have a dream today!

Olivia, I seek to live that dream every day…and the election of a black man as president IS a step closer to the full realizaton of that dream. Don’t belittle what you cannot understand. Don’t marginalize what it means to minorities of many colors and ethnic backgrounds.

There is so much more I would love to write, but I will close by answering your final point. You say, “true equality demands that we look long and hard at the way we’re accomplishing racial equality, ensuring that we are not simply condemning minorities to fail by creating softer definitions of success.”

Olivia, when an African American child looks at the presidency of Barack Obama, one more excuse for failure HAS been taken away. I normally do not admit this, but it is through the results of legislations which you deride that I – a black man – am able to coach alongside my Caucasian friends and associates at a predominantly white private liberal arts institution in the South – something that would not have been possible in the climate before the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I assert that race IS still part of the question. If you still do not understand the sentiments of so many who have been given a new sense of optimism, perhaps you should sit with an African-American and ask questions to gain a little understanding. I encourage you to come to my office, and let me share with you some experiences that perhaps will help you in comprehending the significance of a black man being elected president.

Respectfully submitted,

Leo R. Sayles

Editor’s Note: Leo R. Sayles is responding to Olivia Pool’s letter to the editor, which can be accessed here.

Lady Lions Volleyball

Despite last Thursday’s disappointing 3-1 loss by the women’s volleyball team to the Lady Bulldogs of Union College in the AAC tournament, the team says they still want to “do something remarkable” this season, starting with the National Christian College Athletic Association’s playoffs this weekend.

“We still have an opportunity to top our 2007 season, which was the best in Bryan history,” Leo Sayles, the head coach, said.  “I would love to see us advance to NCCAA nationals again and use our 2007 experience to go and get into the Final Four, which is a real possibility if we can survive the regional playoffs.”

The 3-1 loss in the AAC championship match was difficult for the ladies, who had their first AAC regular-season championship.  Senior middle-blocker, Amber Smith, also received the honor of the AAC Player of the Year.  She, along with senior setter Amanda Manke and junior outside hitter Alison Young were named to the All-Tournament Team, while nine other players were named AAC Scholar Athletes.

The match started well, with Bryan winning the first game 25-19.  However, the Bulldogs quickly took control of the match, anticipating weaknesses and making tough serves to win the next three games 25-17, 25-13, 25-15.

According to Sayles, the season has been difficult due to many personal situations affecting the team, but many of the players have been able to draw closer together because of them.

“These crucibles of life have given the opportunity to show their love for each other in new ways.  As close as our teams have been in the past, I do believe this is the closest unit I have had at Bryan,” he said.

Fans have also noticed the tight-knit friendships among the Lady Lions.

“The games are upbeat and fun,” sophomore fan Bethany Diamond said.  “It’s an enjoyable event and nice to see such good teamwork.  We know they’ll do their best.”

The NCCAA seven-team playoffs begin this weekend at Covenant College (Lookout Mountain, Ga.).  Asbury College (Wilmore, Ky.) and Bluefield (Va.) College–both teams Bryan has beaten this year–will be attending the tournament, as well as King College (Bristol, Tenn.) and Campbellsville University of Kentucky, which are both currently ranked ahead of Bryan in the NCCAA.