Volleyball ends its season with a win
PHOENIX — “7th in the nation wasn’t our goal, but [we’re] glad we could be one of 4 teams to win the last game of their season” was the message that ICC volleyball player Reilly Dunne sent to her Twitter followers after her team finished its season with a seventh-place national finish.
The Sue Sinclair-led Cougars had received the #3 seed heading into the NJCAA National Division II Women’s Volleyball Tournament at Phoenix College in Phoenix, Arizona.
After winning their opening match, the Cougars would lose in four sets to defending national champion Cowley County Community College of Kansas. With the loss, the Cougars would move to the 5th place consolation bracket.
The Cougars would then match up with the #2 seed Central Community College-Columbus of Nebraska, for a chance to play in either the 5th or 7th place game. The ICC Cougars would fall in three sets to Central, setting up an afternoon match to potentially finish as the number 7 team in the nation.
On November 22 in the 7th place match, against #4 seed Pasco-Hernando State College of Florida, the Cougars would take the first set before falling in sets two and three. Down two sets and facing the end of their season, the Cougars would rally back to take sets four and five to win the match and finish off an exciting tournament and season as the #7 ranked team in the Nation.
Of note should also be the awarding of NJCAA Division II Volleyball National All-Tournament team honors to ICC’s Kattie Lee. Lee, who led the Cougars in kills and points this past season, would be one of twelve players nationally to receive the All-Tournament honors.
The 2014 season for the ICC Volleyball Cougars was filled with many memorable moments, including victories over all four of the teams that played for the top four spots at the national tournament in Arizona.
Most notable of the victories was the October 1 win at home against Parkland College, who was then #1 in the nation. A great fan and student turnout resulted in a celebratory storming-of-the-court atmosphere afterwards, filled with many smiles and group photos capturing the moment.
For many of the volleyball players, not only would this be their last time suiting up as a member of the ICC Cougars, it would also be their last time playing for Hall of Fame Coach Sinclair.
“Playing for Sue these past two years have been some of the most challenging, yet some of the most rewarding and memorable days of my life. Coach Sinclair has taught me so much about the game of volleyball and what it takes to succeed at this level. She truly cares about each of her players and strives to make them better people both on and off the court.” ICC Sophomore Emma Ross said.
ICC will lose eight of its fourteen players from this year’s seventh-place team to graduation, including both Lee and Dunne. While at ICC, the eight sophomores made it to the national tournament both years, and under the direction of Coach Sinclair, the Cougars stand a good chance of returning in 2015 to, once again, be one of the best teams in the nation.