Another Historic Season Of Shorter Volleyball Comes To A Close

When a season ends, so too does the daily routine athletes and coaches have maintained for months.

There are no more reviews of previous games, no more game planning for the next outing, nor any team meetings or practice.

Those things crossed Shorter University head volleyball coach Jon Moseley’s mind when he arrived at the Winthrop-King Center the Monday after his Lady Hawks saw their 2010 season end.

“It was hard to come in and realize that we did not have a practice,” Moseley said as he looked back on a year that had plenty of high moments, but came to a sudden end in a heartbreaking loss in the semifinals of the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament.

“But I do know it was an enjoyable year,” Moseley added. “This team was easy to coach. They wanted to give their best effort every day and did just that. Regardless of how it ended, they can look back and see what a great season it was.”

Without a doubt, the year will be remembered as one that, in addition to building on to Shorter’s growing reputation as an NAIA power, produced some record-setting moments in what wound up being a rock-solid 26-6 campaign.

The Lady Hawks reeled off 20 wins in their first 22 matches, the lone two losses coming to SSAC rival and eventual tournament champion Lee, which enters the NAIA Volleyball National Championship unbeaten and as the nation’s No. 1-ranked team.

During that fast start, Shorter put together a record 13 straight victories and seemingly saw a different player step up each night, underlining a deep and talented roster that combined experience with youth.

Two Lady Hawks came away with two of the top postseason SSAC honors as sophomore Jordan Corder was named the conference’s Setter of the Year for the second straight year and senior Katie Van Hofwegen claimed the SSAC’s Libero of the Year award.

Corder, who had 325 digs for the Lady Hawks this season, already ranks second all-time in assists with 2,071, while Van Hofwegen, now a two-time All-SSAC selection, capped her career by leading Shorter with a career-best 436 digs. She departs the program ranking second all-time in digs with 1,536 and as Shorter’s all-time leader in service aces.

Both standouts were also selected to the All-SSAC roster along with sophomore teammate Loren Olive. Senior Ashlie Stewartson joined that trio on the conference’s All-East Division squad.

An All-SSAC pick for the second straight season, Olive ranked second on the team with 274 digs and led the team with 61 aces, the second-best single season total in school history behind Van Hofwegen’s 66 in 2008.

Stewartson’s 261 kills ranked third on the Shorter roster and her 76 blocks ranked second and put her in the No. 3 position in all-time blocks in Lady Hawk history.

For an added measure of success, the Lady Hawks proved that they were just as skilled in the classroom as 10 players earned SSAC All-Academic recognition: Corder, Olive, Stewartson, Van Hofwegen, Jessica Cooper, Christina Johnson, Maggie Parker, Leslie Welch, Meghan Weller and Jessica White.

Then there’s the legacy the five seniors on this year’s team produced – a group that was Moseley’s first full recruiting class: Van Hofwegen, Stewartson, Parker, Loni Beth Jones and Ashley Walton, who during their four years at Shorter compiled an incredible 94 wins.

“They became the core of the team,” Moseley said of the quintet that as freshmen played roles in Shorter’s run to its first-ever SSAC championship. “It’ll be strange not to see those players around next year. They’ll definitely be missed.

“[Losing in the SSAC semifinal to Spring Hill] hurt them pretty hard,” he added. “They were motivated to end their careers like they began it by winning the conference. But we knew it would be hard to get to the finals. Mobile was good and Spring Hill was playing real well coming into the tournament.”

As the No. 2 seed from the SSAC East Division behind Lee, the Lady Hawks opened the tourney blanking West Division foe Mobile in straight sets and were poised to reach their fourth straight appearance in the conference title game against Lee when they took a 2-1 lead over Spring Hill in the semifinals.

But Shorter was unable to seal the deal as Spring Hill rallied to claim the final two sets and the 3-2 win. It was the first time this season the Lady Hawks fell to defeat after holding a 2-1 or 2-0 lead.

“We were playing well and I felt real good about where we were going into that fourth set,” Moseley said. “We started slow but came back to win the first set and we had momentum. But we got off to a slow start in that fourth set and I think that is what cost us. You can’t do that when you play a team as good as Spring Hill.

“It certainly wasn’t because of a lack of desire or effort,” the coach said about the outcome. “We played well. We just got beat by a team that was also playing well.”

Moseley and his returning Lady Hawks plan on picking up right where the 2010 team left off.

“We know we have the people who will step into leadership roles,” said Moseley. “We have players who will have more increased roles on the court.

“It was a great year,” he said. “We accomplished a lot of things the program hasn’t done before and that is something they all can be proud of.”

When a season ends, so too does the daily routine athletes and coaches have maintained for months.

There are no more reviews of previous games, no more game planning for the next outing, nor any team meetings or practice.

Those things crossed Shorter University head volleyball coach Jon Moseley’s mind when he arrived at the Winthrop-King Center the Monday after his Lady Hawks saw their 2010 season end.

“It was hard to come in and realize that we did not have a practice,” Moseley said as he looked back on a year that had plenty of high moments, but came to a sudden end in a heartbreaking loss in the semifinals of the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament.

“But I do know it was an enjoyable year,” Moseley added. “This team was easy to coach. They wanted to give their best effort every day and did just that. Regardless of how it ended, they can look back and see what a great season it was.”

Without a doubt, the year will be remembered as one that, in addition to building on to Shorter’s growing reputation as an NAIA power, produced some record-setting moments in what wound up being a rock-solid 26-6 campaign.

The Lady Hawks reeled off 20 wins in their first 22 matches, the lone two losses coming to SSAC rival and eventual tournament champion Lee, which enters the NAIA Volleyball National Championship unbeaten and as the nation’s No. 1-ranked team.

During that fast start, Shorter put together a record 13 straight victories and seemingly saw a different player step up each night, underlining a deep and talented roster that combined experience with youth.

Two Lady Hawks came away with two of the top postseason SSAC honors as sophomore Jordan Corder was named the conference’s Setter of the Year for the second straight year and senior Katie Van Hofwegen claimed the SSAC’s Libero of the Year award.

Corder, who had 325 digs for the Lady Hawks this season, already ranks second all-time in assists with 2,071, while Van Hofwegen, now a two-time All-SSAC selection, capped her career by leading Shorter with a career-best 436 digs. She departs the program ranking second all-time in digs with 1,536 and as Shorter’s all-time leader in service aces.

Both standouts were also selected to the All-SSAC roster along with sophomore teammate Loren Olive. Senior Ashlie Stewartson joined that trio on the conference’s All-East Division squad.

An All-SSAC pick for the second straight season, Olive ranked second on the team with 274 digs and led the team with 61 aces, the second-best single season total in school history behind Van Hofwegen’s 66 in 2008.

Stewartson’s 261 kills ranked third on the Shorter roster and her 76 blocks ranked second and put her in the No. 3 position in all-time blocks in Lady Hawk history.

For an added measure of success, the Lady Hawks proved that they were just as skilled in the classroom as 10 players earned SSAC All-Academic recognition: Corder, Olive, Stewartson, Van Hofwegen, Jessica Cooper, Christina Johnson, Maggie Parker, Leslie Welch, Meghan Weller and Jessica White.

Then there’s the legacy the five seniors on this year’s team produced – a group that was Moseley’s first full recruiting class: Van Hofwegen, Stewartson, Parker, Loni Beth Jones and Ashley Walton, who during their four years at Shorter compiled an incredible 94 wins.

“They became the core of the team,” Moseley said of the quintet that as freshmen played roles in Shorter’s run to its first-ever SSAC championship. “It’ll be strange not to see those players around next year. They’ll definitely be missed.

“[Losing in the SSAC semifinal to Spring Hill] hurt them pretty hard,” he added. “They were motivated to end their careers like they began it by winning the conference. But we knew it would be hard to get to the finals. Mobile was good and Spring Hill was playing real well coming into the tournament.”

As the No. 2 seed from the SSAC East Division behind Lee, the Lady Hawks opened the tourney blanking West Division foe Mobile in straight sets and were poised to reach their fourth straight appearance in the conference title game against Lee when they took a 2-1 lead over Spring Hill in the semifinals.

But Shorter was unable to seal the deal as Spring Hill rallied to claim the final two sets and the 3-2 win. It was the first time this season the Lady Hawks fell to defeat after holding a 2-1 or 2-0 lead.

“We were playing well and I felt real good about where we were going into that fourth set,” Moseley said. “We started slow but came back to win the first set and we had momentum. But we got off to a slow start in that fourth set and I think that is what cost us. You can’t do that when you play a team as good as Spring Hill.

“It certainly wasn’t because of a lack of desire or effort,” the coach said about the outcome. “We played well. We just got beat by a team that was also playing well.”

Moseley and his returning Lady Hawks plan on picking up right where the 2010 team left off.

“We know we have the people who will step into leadership roles,” said Moseley. “We have players who will have more increased roles on the court.

“It was a great year,” he said. “We accomplished a lot of things the program hasn’t done before and that is something they all can be proud of.”