The University of Mary Washington volleyball team, led by a strong senior class as well as an infusion of young talent, turned in another in a series of successful seasons in 2008. The Eagles, under head coach Dee Conway, finished with a 19-11 overall record, advanced to the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals, and handed Coach Conway her 400th career victory. Along the way, seniors Kelley Hueber, Kat Carter, and Sarah Tighe provided the school with the highest win total for a graduating class in eight years.
The Eagles started the year with a flourish, topping Guilford College in three sets in the opener at the Eastern Mennonite University Tournament before falling to eventual NCAA Tournament team Frostburg State University. In day two of the event, the Eagles swept Mary Baldwin College and Lynchburg College to move to 3-1. Freshman Katie Shiflett was named the CAC’s Volleyball Player of the Week for her play in the kickoff event.
UMW advanced its win streak to three with a quality 3-2 win at Randolph-Macon College before dropping a five set match at North Carolina Wesleyan and a loss to Salisbury University in the home opener. After dropping a pair to Randolph-Macon and N.C. Wesleyan, the Eagles won three straight, including a key road CAC contest at York College in three sets. Junior Anne Lutkenhaus had 13 kills and five aces in the victory.
UMW won six of seven matches, with 3-0 wins over Gallaudet University, Washington College and Albright College. UMW opened October with road losses at Stevenson University and Washington & Lee University, and Coach Conway inserted freshman Tola Adebanjo into the starting lineup. From that point, the Eagles would close the season by winning seven of its final nine matches, including a key CAC win over Marymount University, and non-league wins over Virginia Wesleyan College, Catholic University, and Lynchburg College.
The Eagles opened play in the CAC Tournament with a 3-0 win over Gallaudet University. Kelley Hueber and Anne Lutkenhaus each scored seven kills and eight digs, while Kat Carter had seven kills and two solo blocks, while Sarah Tighe added seven kills in the balanced attack. UMW saw its season come to a close in the CAC semifinals at Salisbury, but not before taking the first set of the playoff match, 25-15.
Hueber capped her outstanding career by moving into second place in school history in career kills (1,322) and was named to the All-Capital Athletic Conference team for the fourth straight year. Lutkenhaus gained first team All-CAC honors after leading the team with 270 kills and 242 digs, and Shiflett was named CAC Rookie after gaining 854 assists in her freshman campaign. Carter finishes her career fourth on the school’s all-time list for career service aces, with 200, and Tighe stands fourth in school annals with 411 total blocks.