University of Evansville - LinC Yearbook (Evansville, IN)

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Lady Aces Ride Youth To State Semi-Finals by Craig Bohnert With only one senior on the team, many coaches would state publicly that they are expecting a rebuilding year, and they would privately believe what they say. Not wom|rfi ' s volleyball coach Linda Wambach. Although having to depend on a nucleus of five sophi mores, Wambach gazed into her crystal ball and predicted good season for her troops. Whether or not sh B|| ected a record-setting 30 wins against nine losses is B i ' of con Riding a 12-game winning streak t tjm their record from 14-5 to 26-5, the Lady Aces provecTMat last season ' s performance was no fluke and that the Evansville ball club is a legitimate powerhouse in Indiana volleyball. Of course, when you look at the statistics, it ' s not suprising that the Ladies did so well. One of the returning players was junior Mary Ellen Greaney. A local product of Evansville high power Mater Dei, Greaney led the gals in spiking both her freshmen and sophomore years. A high school ail-American, Greaney ' s fate was questionable at the beginning of the season, when an injured finger clouded her future. However, she returned to be a key player in the record-setting season. 26 VOLLEYBALL

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Lady Aces Netters Improve Record With New Coach by Craig Bonhert Sporting a new coach and the experienced core of last year ' s 3-9 team, the Lady Aces tennis team upped their record to 6-8 this fall against the same teams they played last year. Recovering from a scheduled opening five-match losing skein, the Lady netters won their last four matches to finish with a respectable record. However, the season ended in frustration for Chris Payne ' s charges at the lAIAW state tournament. No 1 singles player Judi Sorgius was the only UE competitor to pry a win out of the two-day contest. After a three-set decision over crosstown rival Pam Hobson of ISUE, Sorgius dropped a 6-2. 6-1 verdict over Sarah Fee of Butler, who eventually won the tournament. We choked, said Payne of the play at the state tourna- ment. We lost matches we could have won, going into three sets and tie-breakers like we did. With the improvement demonstrated this year, the gals have a bright future to look forward to, losing only one senior, Martha Finfrock. TENNIS 25

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Also playing a vital role in the continuing fortunes of Lady Aces volleyball was junior Robin Owen. At the state tourna- ment, where the Ladies overcame an opening-round loss against St. Joseph ' s to end the tourney in fourth place, Owen ' s play was outstanding to the point of earning her a spot on the six-member all-tournament team. Graduating only one senior, Kiwanis Award winner Joan Ernst, the Lady Aces are expected to continue their fine play next year, and with the recruits that Wambach already cor- ralled, the girls are planning to retain their hold on Indiana volleyball for years to come. VOLLEYBALL 27