Saints continue Cinderella season

By Matthew Osterhouse | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Photo by Mike Slade

PHOTO CAPTION: Flagler College’s Meg Weathersby blocks against Armstrong Atlantic’s Kathrin Standhardinger en route to the regional championship game. The Saints won the regional championship against Wingate and are headed to the national tournament.

The No. 2 Flagler College Saints won the Division II Southeast Regionals with a convincing 3-1 win over No. 1 Wingate University.

Head Coach Taylor Mott was thrilled.

“It’s just amazing,” she said “We set goals every year. It’s amazing to see that hard work pays off. I think we have met our goals.”

The Saints are into the “Elite Eight” and are three wins from a national championship in the NCAA Division II Volleyball Tournament.

“It is so exciting,” said senior captain Katie Beale. “You never know how far you are going to go during a season. We had high expectations.”

Another senior captain, Becky Hendrian, talked about the victory over Wingate and realized it was a complete team effort.

“We all played for each other,” Hendrian said. “The team aspect was the most important part.

The Saints were almost out in the first round of the southeast regional tournament. After being down 2-0 in the first match, Flagler rallied to beat No. 7 Lees-McRae College 3-2.

Mott never had any doubt they would advance to the second round.

“I have faith in my team,” Mott said. “I knew we could win.”

In the second round, the Saints beat No. 3-ranked Peach Belt Conference rivals Armstrong Atlantic State 3-1.
Next was the win over Wingate. The Saints extended their win streak to 28 matches and were crowned champions of the southeast region. They are looking forward to the possibility of a national championship.

Flagler will face Dowling College (New York) in St. Paul, Minn. on Dec. 3 at noon CST.

“I think my team can win it all,” Mott said. “They have done amazing up to this point, and I hope it continues.”