When Trevecca Nazarene unseated Cedarville at the top of the G-MAC in last year’s conference tournament, it opened a few eyes around the league.
Not that it was the Trojans that emerged as champs, but the fashion in which they did it in. Trevecca Nazarene pulled off a three-set sweep to not only earn the G-MAC Championship trophy, it also cashed in on the conference’s first automatic bid to the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional.
It was an impressive three-day display by TNU in Mason Arena as the Trojans beat Kentucky Wesleyan in five sets, ousted one No. 1 seed in Alderson Broaddus in the semis and ended a three-year reign by Cedarville in the final.
And now that the Trojans have experienced and savored postseason glory, the desire remains to go back for more with head coach Dr. Jayme Crowley leading the way.
The magic might have ended against a tough Ferris State squad in the opening round of regional play, but a program on the rise has much more to look forward to in the immediate future.
The Trojans solved Cedarville’s depth up front, frustrating the Yellow Jackets with different matchups and depth of their own.
Alex Reuter, Clare Taylor and Janessa Hodge, really rose to the occasion at key moments on a big stage that should carry plenty of momentum into their sophomore seasons.
Arguably the G-MAC’s most prolific player so far in the league’s four-year history is back for one more year. Katelyn Atkinson does it all: attacks, digs, serves and excels in all categories proficiently. Last year, she was the league leader in kills (501), kills per set (4.36), points (571.5) and points per set (4.97). She was eighth in digs and second in hitting percentage.
The G-MAC’s career leader in assists will be missed as Loren Bennett wrapped up her tenure with a phenomenal senior season. She led the league in total assists (1,168) and assists per set (10.25) while directing an offense that only gained steam as the season went along.
Crowley has brought in six newcomers, including four freshmen. Among those are a pair of setters to see who will fill Bennett’s shoes; Junior Danielle Moll will also be in the mix as a returner. Delaney Hearne and Zakia Jackson were with the program since 2012 and have both moved on after combining to appear in 213 career matches.
The Trojans will also represent the G-MAC at the Mizuno Midwest Region Crossover in mid-October.
Head Coach: Dr. Jayme Crowley (9th season)
2015 Record (Overall): 20-12
2015 Record (Conference): 7-3
2015 All-Conference Performers: Katelyn Atkinson (co-Player of the Year, First Team), Alex Reuter (Second Team, All-Freshman Team), Loren Bennett (Second Team), Clare Taylor (All-Freshman Team)
Quotable: “We were dubbed the ‘Dream Team’ because I felt like we had some special returning players and some new players that could help us achieve more success than we’ve ever had.”
It was a journey because we started out not exactly the way we wanted to, but then we got progressively better throughout the year. I think some of the factors we were we had great team chemistry, very little drama on the team, the kids really cared about each other and bought into what the coaching staff and our goal was to finish strong, and we did.
- Trevecca Nazarene Head Coach Dr. Jayme Crowley
Records Watch: Katelyn Atkinson set four different single-season conference records last season (points, points per set, kills, kills per set)…She is currently all-time leader in career points and kills and sixth in digs; she’s also top 10 in service aces…Atkinson will be battling Ohio Valley’s Alyx Henry for bragging rights in points and kills with both heading into their senior seasons this fall…Loren Bennett graduated by leading the G-MAC in matches played, sets played and assists.