Pioneers claim SAC Tournament title! (PHOTOS ADDED)

Box Score

The Wayland Baptist volleyball team is getting pretty good at goodbyes!
 
Two years ago the Pioneers, with one last sweet victory, bid a very satisfying adios to Lubbock Christian University upon that school's departure to the NCAA Division II ranks.
 
The 20^th-ranked Pioneers did it again on Saturday night, this time to Oklahoma Baptist in the championship match of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament as Wayland prevailed, 25-15, 19-25, 25-10, 25-16.
 
"That," WBU coach Jim Giacomazzi said, "was fun."
 
It was fun not only because the victory came over rival OBU in the Lady Bison's final match ever as an NAIA team, and not only because the Pioneers (23-9) won in front of an electric crowd at Hutcherson Center, but because the win secured Wayland a return trip to the NAIA National Championships.
 
A year after barely making the national tournament field as the final at-large team before advancing to the Final Four, Wayland locked up the SAC's automatic berth in the 36-team draw. Pairings for the national tourney will be announced via a live graphical selection show at noon Monday, after a new NAIA Top 25 is released at 5 p.m. Sunday, along with the national tournament qualifiers.
 
As it did last season, Wayland is hoping to host one of 12 opening-round matches, to be played on Saturday, Nov. 22, tentatively at 6 p.m. The winners of those 12 matches advance to the national tournament site in Sioux City, Iowa, where they will join the top 12 seeds who receive first-round byes.
 
"This is the culmination of a lot of hard work. We put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears," Giacomazzi said after Saturday night's victory.

While Wayland likely would have been on the border of receiving an at-large bid to nationals had the Pioneers not won on Saturday, OBU (24-12), ranked the equivalent of 27^th, definitely needed a victory to get back to nationals.

Wayland didn't let it happen.

"These ladies earned a right to put the work in to get the results they had," Giacomazzi said. "They are a bunch of talented young ladies and a bunch of intelligent young ladies, and when you have that it's a lot easier when opportunity comes knocking that you're going to have success."

Wayland has had lots of that lately.

The Pioneers have won 14 straight matches, with three of those coming against OBU. This after Wayland had dropped its last 12 outings to the Lady Bison.

 "They've been our big rival since LCU left, and it was frustrating to no end for me for many years," Giacomazzi said.

Although the coach was confident that the Pioneers could defeat the Lady Bison again on Saturday, he still was nervous.

"I was very nervous…the most nervous I've been in several years," he admitted.

Turns out he didn't have to be…at least not too much.

Wayland rolled in the first set, scoring the first four points and taking a 9-3 lead on an ace by Shahala Hawkins. It was 15-10 when Hawkins recorded three straight kills, then Wayland finished it off with a kill by Katie Inman and a kill by Chelsey Driskill, 25-15.

As much as WBU owned the first set, however, OBU owned the second. This time the Lady Bison went up 9-3, and although the Pioneers were able to stay within reach, closing to within three at 21-18, OBU closed it out by winning four of the next five points to take it, 25-19.

"We talked a lot about serve receive and transition passing after the second set," Giacomazzi said.

The talk paid off – big time – as Wayland dominated set No. 3, winning it 25-10.

"That made a huge difference," Giacomazzi said in looking at WBU's 90 percent (10-of-11) sideout percentage. "That means they got to serve twice in a row once. That's a butt kicking.

"That's what you want to strive for," he added. "We spend a lot of time on serve receive, and that's going to be a key to our continued success."

Wayland tallied eight unanswered points in the third set, going from an 11-7 lead to 19-7. OBU was hurt by five errors during that stretch, which also saw Morgan Seaton record an ace and Hawkins and Cindy Horn a kill apiece. Back-to-back kills by Inman followed by another OBU error ended it.

The final set was close for the first 14 points, which the teams split. Then Wayland began pulling away…slowly at first, then with increasing intensity. The Pioneers ran off two unanswered points, then four, then five to take a commanding 20-10 advantage.

Finally, an attack error against the Lady Bison ended it, 25-16.

"It was a lot of fun," Giacomazzi said. "We have some young ladies who are very talented athletically, and the mental side is what we've been working on a lot. It's all starting to come together for us."

Hawkins, who followed up her SAC Player and Hitter of the Year awards by being named SAC Tournament MVP, ended with 27 kills, her most in 21 matches. Hawkins also hit .440 as she committed just five errors in 50 swings.

Inman finished with nine kills while Seaton and Driskill got eight each.

The Pioneers totaled 83 digs, 20 more than OBU. Emily Welch led the way with 20, followed by All-SAC Tournament pick Ashlyn Westerman with 14 and Cat Wiechmann with 11. Seaton and Driskill had three block assists each, while Hawkins had one solo and two assists. Westerman registered 50 assists.

Giacomazzi said the environment in the Hutch was incredible, especially the turnout by Wayland's fans partially in response to OB's football team staying for the match after its game against WBU earlier in the day.

"It's always fun to play in front of a crowd," the coach said.

He reserved his highest praise, however, for his team, which after securing Wayland's first regular-season conference crown in 18 years won the program's first SAC Tournament title since Giacomazzi's second season here in 2008.

"The character of these young ladies is exemplified and evident by the success they've had and the hard work they've put in."

Here's hoping there's lots more of it.
 Texas Wesleyan: Shelby Stinnett
Oklahoma City: Kristen Macy
Oklahoma Baptist: Ezgi Guney, Cadyn Lang
Wayland Baptist: Ashlyn Westerman, Shahala Hawkins
MVP: Shahala Hawkins