Just two years ago, Ohio Valley forged its way to the G-MAC Championship final and threw an early scare into Cedarville while traveling an impressive contingent of followers to create an unforgettable playoff atmosphere.
But last season due to tiebreak criteria, the Fighting Scots were on the outside looking in when the six-team tournament field assembled in Mason and ultimately left wondering what might have been.
The hunger and desire to get back for the chance at postseason glory is stronger than ever for the 2014 G-MAC runner-ups. And a talented, accomplished senior class gives the Fighting Scots as good of a chance as anyone.
Head coach Paul Jacoby is a veteran leader with 40-plus years of collegiate experience (20-plus at OVU) and will undoubtedly have his program ready to compete at the highest level.
The Fighting Scots were undersized along the front and battled through a considerable mismatch with their opponents last year. Despite boasting arguably the best 1-2 combo on the outside with dynamo Alyx Henry and Amanda Weatherwax, the Fighting Scots’ lack of height was tough to overcome.
Weatherwax finished her three-year G-MAC career just five kills shy of 1,000 while Henry, a former G-MAC Player of the Year, enters her fourth year in the league in a head-to-head battle with Trevecca Nazarene’s Katelyn Atkinson for career supremacy in several categories.
Henry is the type of player that causes nightmares for coaches and forces them to strategize. Her athleticism and vertical leap up front and in the service game are game changing. Last year’s numbers (3.62 kills per set) align with her 2014 player of the year stats but her hitting percentage was down slightly .255 to .222.
An underrated senior libero Megan Morrison anchors the back row with the ability to control the service game while her career numbers are quietly creeping towards the top with the G-MAC’s best.
Senior Emily Ohrn can play multiple positions on the floor and is listed as a defensive specialist, setter and outside hitter. She was primarily an outside hitter before transitioning and averaging almost eight assists per set. Cayla Palmer (1.83 digs per set) and Haley Bonar (1.15 kills per set) are also members of the skilled OVU senior class.
Head Coach: Paul Jacoby (23rd season)
2015 Record (Overall): 10-22
2015 Record (Conference): 3-7
2015 All-Conference Performers: Alyx Henry (First Team), Ashton Chancellor (Second Team, All-Freshman Team), Megan Morrison (Second Team)
Quotable: “I would love for us to win a (conference) championship. We got there our sophomore year and obviously didn’t pull it out, but I know with us being ranked last (in the preseason coaches poll), that’s really fueling us to get there again.”
- Ohio Valley senior libero Megan Morrison
Records Watch: Alyx Henry currently ranks second all-time in conference history in points (1,455), kills (1,254) and service aces (152)…It’s going to be an entertaining battle to the wire with 2015 G-MAC co-Player of the Year Katelyn Atkinson in two of those categories…Megan Morrison ranks second in career digs (1,638) to only Cedarville’s Angela Becker (1,689)…Both are seniors this season…Morrison additionally ranks sixth in career service aces (103); her 5.34 digs per set average in 2015 are second best in single-season conference history.