Photo by: Ashley Alonzo
On Monday night the Ottawa University Lady Braves Volleyball team took on York College in an effort to maintain their undefeated record in conference play. In spite of a late-arriving crowd at Wilson Field House, the Lady Braves did not falter. After a bit of a ragged start in the first set, the Lady Braves got on track to win the set 25-20.
The Lady Braves team has an unmatched level of athleticism, and it was on full display on Monday night. OU dispatched York College in the next two sets with back-to-back scores of 25-15 to sweep the game 3-0. With a game high of 19 kills, senior Janaya Fox led an imposing frontline that battered York College with withering spikes. The victory moved the reigning conference champs to an overall record of 21-7 with an astounding 15-0 in conference.
It was crucial for the Lady Braves to take care of business at home against York College, a squad that is second-to-last in the KCAC, as they kick off Wednesday with a stretch of four straight road games before returning home against winless Bethel College on Halloween. The Lady Braves look to be KCAC champions again, but senior Jadelyn Rohach acknowledges there are some differences between this year’s and last year’s teams.
“In the beginning, we did not start off as strong as we did last year, but we have been playing against some pretty tough competition and have been doing really well against other ranked teams,” Rohach says.
A quick glance at the Lady Braves schedule will confirm that, as they have faced a gauntlet at times playing teams ranked fourth, seventh and thirteenth in the nation.
When asked about the personality of this team, Rohach says, “We are all a really fun, goofy group of girls. We get along very well, and I think we all connect with each other really well. It makes it more fun when you have a group like this. Winning helps make a fun season, but even off of the court it is fun to be around each other.”
With much uncertainty looming this season, one decision is unanimous: The Lady Braves volleyball team is the best show in town.