Published: November 13, 2007 11:36 pm      

Cougars set for regionals

Mountain State University’s volleyball team continues to turn heads.

The Cougars mowed through the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament over the past weekend to earn a berth in the NAIA Region 12 tournament at King College in Bristol, Tenn.

Mountain State (30-14) will play Union at 6 p.m. Friday with the winner advancing to play Bryan College at noon Saturday.

On the other side of the bracket, Indiana University SE plays U.Va.-Wise at 4 p.m. Friday with the winner advancing to play King College at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The championship will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Union is no stranger to coach Tim Berry’s squad, and he expects a hard-fought match.

“We played Union back in October,” Berry said. “We lost to them, but it was in five (games). It went right down to the last serve.

“We know it’s going to be a tight tournament. Everybody there is good and capable of beating the other.”

The Cougars will need strong net play behind all-conference hitter Jennifer Baltrym and Jennifer Basher and April Warden, along with setter Jesica Green.

“We’re just going to have to play in their face,” Berry said. “We’re going to have to have a lot of power. I feel like our ball handling will be there and our passes will be there. We just need to intimidate them and control the net.”

Missing may be all-conference hitter Jennifer Lilly, who injured her shoulder last Saturday in the semifinals.

“She was a big reason we’ve made the progress this season that we have,” Berry said. “Jen injured her right shoulder and she couldn’t swing or anything. She was in a lot of pain. We’re in limo right now.

Lilly will be a game-time decision.

Jennifer Sloan will be another key contributor for the Cougars. The senior libero earned KIAC Player of the Year honors last week and currently hold national records with 1,550 digs and 40 matches with 20-plus digs this season. She is also averaging 9.5 digs per game.

MSU advanced to the regional by defeating Asbury College 3-1. The Cougars won the first two games, while Asbury stayed alive by winning game three.

Mountain State put the match away in game four. The Cougars jumped out to a 7-2 lead and never looked back.

This isn’t MSU’s first trip to the postseason. The Cougars advanced to the Region 9 tournament in 2003 and 2004. If the Cougars advance from the regional, they will join the final field of 20 teams in the NAIA national championship tournament Nov. 28-30.

— E-mail:

rjett@register-herald.com