Fort Smith, Ark. – The Lady Jet volleyball team fell short this afternoon (Nov. 21) losing in three sets to Arkansas Fort Smith in the Championship match of the Heartland Conference Tournament. This loss moves Newman to 26-9 on the season.
As of now, the season is not over and there is still hope. The Lady Jets rank seventh in the South Central Region and the NCAA takes the top eight out of each region to advance to the NCAA DII Tournament. The official news won't be released until this upcoming Monday (Nov. 23) about who advances, so sit tight Jet fans.
For today's game though the Lady Jets fell in 3 sets, losing the first set 17-25, the second 20-25 and the third 15-25.
It was a struggle on the offensive end for the Lady Jets today, for they had a total of 27 kills with a .059 hitting percentage in three sets. In other statistical categories, Newman had 3 aces, 4 blocks and 55 digs as a team for the day.
Newman was led in kills and hitting percentage by
Emily Harvey with 8 kills and a .172 hitting percentage.
Anna Burton was the leader in aces with 2 and digs with 15 for the afternoon.
Ashley Gonzalez was the team leader in blocks with 2 and
Alexus Litts was the team leader in assists with 20.
Ashley Gonzalez and
Emily Harvey were both named to the All-Tournament Team this afternoon (Nov. 21). Even though Newman didn't win it all, these two were still honored for their hard work during the weekend. Earlier this week Gonzalez and Harvey were both named to the All-Heartland Conference First Team. Gonzalez was named as the 2015 Heartland Conference Player of the Year as well.
Arkansas Fort Smith as a team had 48 kills with a .244 hitting percentage. In other statistical categories, Fort Smith had 1 ace, 7 blocks, 43 assists and 78 digs for the afternoon. Kennedi Coleman had a match high 14 kills and Whitney Mills had a match high in assists with 38.
On Monday (Nov. 23) there will be news on the Lady Jets future to see if they advance to the NCAA DII Tournament. Regardless of the news, we are very proud of this team (players and coaches) here at Newman, for their hard work, dedication and relentless effort to strive for the best. Stay tuned for updates on the website, Facebook and Twitter on Monday (Nov. 23). Go Jets!
