When looking at the strides made by the Mary Washington College volleyball team in the 1991 season, one need look no further than the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. In advancing to a first-ever NCAA tourney in 1990, the Eagles were blanked in three straight first-round games by a talented Cortland State team.
While the Eagles were pleased to make the big party in 1990, their goal this past fall was to celebrate a bit longer. Therefore, a strong determination to again make the NCAAs, and to advance in the tournament as well, were the main objectives. Those goals were attained, as in the first round of NCAA competition, MWC swept 14th-ranked Allegheny College, 3-0, to reach the round of 16 teams.
Although the Eagles lost in the second round to fifth-ranked St. Benedict, an NCAA Final Four team from the previous year, they had gained national respect as just the second team in South Region history to win an NCAA match. In all, MWC won 35 of 38 matches in this landmark campaign, including a perfect mark against Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) competition en route to the team title.
Sophomore setter Jennifer Wilson (Edwardsville, VA) was named CAC Player ofthe Year after averaging 10.3 assists/ game as the playmaker for the consistent MWC offense. Wilson and senior co-captain Cyndee Tector (Paul Smiths, NY) were named All-Region and first-team All-CAC. Tector paced the team with 3.4 kills/game while serving 51 aces to earn All-South honors for the second straight year.
Junior hitter Tamalyn Reed (Roanoke, VA) was named second-team All-CAC after averaging 3.0 kills per game and leading the team in aces with 52. Senior Chris McKenna (Northport, NY) returned from a year's absence and didn't miss a beat, leading the Eagles in digs (300) and games played (113) while averaging 2.6 kills/ game. Sophomore co-captain Maria Norford (Keswick, VA) was a versatile performer in the middle who averaged 1.6 kills/ game, with a team leading 35 solo blocks and 88 block assists.
The lone freshman to crack the starting lineup, Katie Eyster (Spring Grove, PA) registered 34 solo blocks and 87 block assists. Fauquier High School teammates Cannie Graham (Markham, VA) and Lanie Kellon (The Plains, VA) made a solid transition to collegiate volleyball in their first varsity seasons. Sophomore setters Brooke Vallaster (Sycamore, IL) and Jo Ondrush (Smithtown, NY) also contributed in key moments during the season.
"As a team, we sat down at the beginning of the season and made a list of goals we wanted to accomplish," said Conway, the 1991 CAC Coach of the Year. "These goals were mental as well as physical, and we were very determined to succeed. And we made a return to the NCM Championships, our ultimate goal. This team was small in numbers (10 players), but big in heart."
An extremely challenging 1992 schedule includes several competitive tournaments: the North-South Invitational at Western Maryland, the Allegheny and Gettysburg Invitationals and the annual MWC Invitational. MWC captured three in-season tournaments as well as the inaugural CAC Championship in 1991. Mary Washington looks to continue its home-court dominance ... the Eagles were 8-1 in Goolrick Hall in 1991, losing only to eventual champion Eastern Mennonite at the MWC Invitational. Mary Washington later downed the Royals, 3-0, to close out a recordsetting regular season.