Aggie volleyball continues perfect run
- by Ian Mitchell: Newswriting Student

Cameron’s Aggies volleyball team defeated Midwestern State University 3-1 in their last regular season home game Oct. 31.

Cameron dominated game one with a .400 hitting percentage while limiting MSU to .000 in that category. In game two, the Lady Indians evened the score with Kate Pence recording seven of her match-high 20 kills.

Cameron took game three posting a match high .412 hitting percentage. Game four proved to be a battle. Cameron took a late lead of 27-21. However, MSU fought back, winning four straight points and adding two late blocks to bring their score to 28. In the end, Taran Turner put an end to their effort with a tipped kill to an open spot on the floor.

This win, by scores of 30-14, 29-31, 30-22, 30-28, improved Cameron’s record to 18-10 overall and extended their winning streak to 10 games and a perfect 9-0 in Lone Star Conference North Division play. As a result, the Aggies have earned their fifth LSC North title and their first outright league crown in four years.

According to Coach Kim Vinson, the team has grown in maturity and confidence over the last month, winning some big games.

“I think our team has matured tremendously in the last month,” Vinson said. “We had a stretch there where we really stepped up our training, and as the girls got stronger, they got more confident because we won some big matches in that stretch.”

Cameron’s win was the result of a team effort. Sophomore Taran Turner tied a career high with 18 kills while senior Morgan Meyer posted 17 kills and 11 digs for her 16th double-double of the season. Sophomore Taylor Turner contributed 22 digs and 10 kills and sophomore setter Vicki Ibarra matched her season high with 55 assists. Senior Jenny Head posted an impressive 19 digs.

Midwestern State got 20 kills and 20 digs from Kate Pence, while setter Whitney Johansen added 49 assists. MSU out-blocked the Aggies 6-4 and had 85 total digs to Cameron’s 78. Coach Kim Vinson, who earlier in the fall announced her retirement, coached her final regular season home game as Aggies head coach, offering praise and constructive criticism to her players and effectively using time-outs. The team members remained calm even during periods when they were down. Again Vinson attributes this to their increased confidence.

“They just seem to have a calmness about them even when we are not executing as well as we want,” Vinson said.

In addition to the loss of Vinson, the Aggies will be losing three valuable senior players: Jenny Head, Morgan Meyer and Nicole Reinhart. Vinson recognizes the significant contribution these players make to the team.

“We will definitely miss the leadership and the athletic ability of our three seniors,” Vinson said. “They have really stepped it up and are playing well right now.”

However, Vinson feels this impending loss will not inhibit the focus the girls are displaying right now.

“I think they know the challenges ahead and if they want to keep playing to the NCAA championships they will have to stay on course,” she said. “We talk a lot as a team about keeping focused on one match at a time, and I think that has been a big factor in our success.”

As the top seed from the North Division, Cameron will receive a first-round bye in this year’s conference tournament, which will be hosted at the Aggie Gym. Quarterfinal matches will be played Thursday, with the semifinal matches scheduled for the following evening. The 2004 Lone Star Conference championship will be decided at 7 p.m. Saturday. On Nov. 18 the NCAA Division II Southwest Regional Championships will be played at a location still to be determined.