MILWAUKEE – As the fall semester comes to a close, it is time to take a look back at the progress the Mount Mary University volleyball team had in 2015, where the Blue Angels finished at 3-19. After a 0-28 season in 2014, the success and growth of this season's team shows both in record and statistics.
At the end of last season, the Blue Angels graduated one of the all-time leaders in kills at Mount Mary, Sarah Wishau. Of the 493 team kills for MMU in 2014, 159 belonged to Wishau. A consistent hitter for the Blue Angels year after year, it appeared MMU might struggle to fill that mass amount of kills from the former Blue Angel.
Head Volleyball Coach Kelsey Peterson brought in an assortment of height and skill to the Blue Angels roster for the 2015 season. That, paired with a more spread out offensive approach, led the Blue Angels to a much more successful season.
Although MMU played six less matches, the Blue Angels cohesive team play led to the team delivering 83 more team kills, a lift of over 2 kills per set from 2014.
Most noticeably, the Blue Angels put an end to a 33 match losing streak with three victories in 2015. The match that put an end to the streak was against Emmaus Bible College. A 3-1 win over the Eagles saw returner Payton Hintz (So./Almond, Wis.) come away with one of her best matches of the years with 11 kills, eight assists and 20 digs.
As the season progressed, it was noticeable how big of an impact the newcomers really were to the Blue Angels. Lauren Harris (Fr./Sheridan, Ill.) went on to lead the team with 144 kills this season, 1.78 kills per set, and also led the team with a .093 hitting percentage and 30 service aces.
Teammate and transfer Julia Terasa (Jr./Waukesha, Wis.) joined the Blue Angels this season and went on to lead the team with 268 assists. Also representing an instant threat, Terasa was responsible for 26 service aces on the year.
Defensively, Rachel Barker (So./Milwaukee, Wis.) and Sarah Amoroso (So./Wauwatosa, Wis.) led the way with 24 and 22 total blocks respectively.
Those additions plus the consistency of the returners meant two more key victories. A win over Silver Lake at home was the first victory over the Lakers since the Blue Angels joined the NCAA. The 3-2 win was a big come from behind win where MMU found themselves down 2-0 to begin the match. The Blue Angels then gutted out the last three frames including a 16-14 fifth set that gave them their second win of the year.
Following a nine game stretch, the Blue Angels got their third win of the year against Emmaus once again. Head Volleyball Coach Kelsey Peterson, "The most memorable moment on the court came with our five set win at Emmaus. That was the first time I saw this young team strive under the pressure of that fifth set, plus being on the road and in front of a large crowd. They played so aggressively and without fear of failure, it was amazing!"
The classic back-and-forth match against Emmaus ended with a strong 15-6 win in the fifth set. Harris finished the game with a season high 16 kills to help lead her team to the victory.
The season was capped off with the Blue Angels going to their first ever postseason tournament. MMU lost in the first round 3-1 to Salem. Following that, the Blue Angels battled, but came up short 3-1 to Mills in the GSAC consolation game.
In their first season in the GSAC, the Blue Angels were able to make a good impression. A number of awards for the Blue Angels student-athletes included a GSAC All-Freshman award (Lauren Harris), five GSAC All-Academic awards (Sarah Amoroso, Rachel Barker, Payton Hintz, Julia Terasa and Nicole Weggen) and one GSAC All-Sportsmanship award (Sarah Amoroso).
Not to mention the midseason announcement that Rachel Barker would become the first recipient of the Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation 4 for 4 Scholarship. A recent partnership of MMU and the Arron Foundation recognizes students in financial need that want to pursue their dreams of a college degree.
The outstanding achievements of the Blue Angels volleyball team this year have many expecting another big step next year. It appears with the tremendous performances the team is doing inside the classroom that they are looking to recapture the Mount Mary University Athletics Team GPA award. An award the volleyball team won in 2014, but narrowly missed the trophy in 2015 when Blue Angels tennis finished the year with a team 3.65 GPA. With five GSAC All-Academic awards, MMU volleyball might just be ahead of the pack.
Now that the 2015 season is at its end, a rush of thoughts and memories come to mind.
"I'll miss a lot about this season and team." Coach Peterson went on,"…I learned a lot about them when we travelled to and from games – they really aren't shy about anything after an hour or so in a van. Those really were some of the best moments. I've honestly never laughed so hard! Our bonding off the court is what made coaching this team on the court so enjoyable."
Now MMU will look to the future, the 2016 season is just nine months away.
Fans can keep updated on all MMU athletics at mtmaryathletics.com. Where every home basketball and volleyball events can be seen via live streaming for 2015 and beyond.
