Friday, November 3rd, 2006

Volleyball Team Earns Right To Play For GSAC Championship And Berth In NCAA National Tournament

Entering the 2006 Great South Athletic Conference Volleyball Championships as the third-seed, the Piedmont College Lady Lions defeated Spelman College 30-20, 30-8 and 30-16 and then won a thrilling five-set match against second-seeded Huntingdon College 30-28, 24-30, 30-27, 27-30 and 15-8. Piedmont will face top-seeded Maryville College tomorrow with the winner earning the conference's first-ever automatic berth into the NCAA Division-III National Championship Tournament.

Against Spelman senior Jacque DeMarrais led the Lady Lions with 13 kills while Nikki Cole chipped in with nine kills. Tyler Baldonado and Mandi Harmon combined for 11 service aces while Jill Sparger notched eight digs on the defensive side.

In the nightcap it took five sets to determine the winner as Piedmont defeated Huntingdon for the first time this season in three tries. DeMarrais led four Lady Lions in double-figures with a team-high 16 kills while Sparger and Harmon combined for 20 digs. After splitting the first four games, Piedmont was able to use the loud crowd and homecourt advantage to race out to an early lead in the final game and hold on to advance with the victory.

The championship will be a rematch from last year's tournament while this season the two teams met twice with each team recording a victory on their respective home courts. The championship match will begin at 1:00 tomorrowin the Johnny Mize Athletic Center.