Lady Flyers Embrace Challenges and Succeed in the Season of COVID
The Sandhills Community College volleyball team began the 2020 season of the pandemic, practicing in masks, dealt with the the start of the season being delayed until January, moved up a division, and transitioned to a new sport, beach volleyball, in April.
"It was a crazy year and I'm just glad we got the opportunity to play because so many teams dropped out and canceled their seasons," freshman Mya Mallard said. "It was really difficult at times, but I think starting in August and playing for that long, our team probably got as close as any team will ever be able to get. We had to work through so much together."
Coach Alicia Riggan, assistant coaches, players, family members and other guests gathered at the Dempsey Student Center two weeks ago for a banquet to celebrate a unique and successful season.
The NJCAA announced in January there would be no Division III national championship held because of the small percentage of colleges participating. According to Riggan, her players eagerly accepted the option to compete in Division II.
The Lady Flyers opened their season in late January with a sweep of Division II Guilford Tech. They went on to compile an overall record of 16-5, including a 7-3 mark in Region 10. The indoor season ended with a Region 10 tournament semi-final loss to Catawba Valley CC.
The team moved outdoors to the college's newly completed sand volleyball facility and compiled a 4-8 record during a season that included the two-day Flyers Invitational and a challenging schedule overall that included two matches each against NCAA Division II Catawba College and St. Andrews University.
"I still don't think I've wrapped my head around what this year was," Riggan said. "I think with us transitioning straight to beach volleyball there hasn't been time for a lot of reflection, but the biggest lesson I learned from this is not to take anything for granted.
"We're so used to a routine, but I think COVID taught us you don't know what tomorrow holds. We were lucky to get to practice and have a season even though it was a difficult season.
"I think the girls embraced it, they were resilient, they worked really hard. We were fortunate that when we had our last practice and our last indoor game, we transitioned out to beach and learned a new sport together."
Recognition of Sophomores and Post Season Awards
Middle hitter Carley Modlin earned NJCAA Division II second team All-American and All-Region 10 first team honors. The two-time All-American will play at UNC-Asheville in the fall.
Outside hitter Morrigan Denman also earned Region 10 first team honors. Setter Camryn Lowe, who has over 1,000 career assists, and middle hitter Alexus McCrimmon, were second team All-Region 10 selections. Lowe plans to play another year for the Flyers under a COVID-related eligibility extension.
The other sophomores presented with their Flyer jerseys were Christen Clontz, Khaile Jones and Mya Sencenbaugh.
Team awards announced by Riggan included: Most Improved – Jones, MVP Offense – Modlin, MVP-Defense - Mariah Daffron, Flyer Award – Sencenbaugh.
In addition to Mallard, other freshmen members of the team included Brooke Anne Fryar, Rachel Patton and Abby Quick.
In a year that community service opportunities for team members were limited, Modlin was recognized for her total of 77 hours contributed.
Large Support Group Recognized
Riggan describes assistant coaches Kristin Hylton, Lindsay McManamon, Jacob Marley, Jordan Ward and Wendy McCormick as her "rocks". McManamon also helped design the new beach volleyball complex.
Stefanie Mansfield was the team's athletic trainer. Associate Athletic Director Ryan Riggan led a weight-training program and helped live-stream home matches. Students Andrew Crawford and Austin Greene served as line officials at home matches and as scorekeepers for beach volleyball games.
Riggan also thanked the administration at Sandhills for allowing the team to continue playing during the pandemic and the parents and grandparents of team members for their support.
Tracking Former Lady Flyers
In addition to Modlin's and Lowe's commitments to continue playing college volleyball, McCrimmon is planning to continue her education at Winston Salem State, Clontz at East Carolina and Jones at UNC-Pembroke. Denman plans to join the Air Force. Sencenbaugh has accepted a position at LKC Engineering in Aberdeen.
Riggan, 232-102 in 12 seasons as the coach at Sandhills, said that she is always excited to hear from former players.
"You always have us here," she told them. "One of my favorite things is to hear from former players. It's the best thing you can give back to us."
Statistical Leaders: Kills – Modlin 213, Denman 156, McCrimmon 86, Jones 82; Assists – Lowe 508, Mallard 72; Digs – Daffron 261, Denman 184, Clontz 162, Mallard 112; Blocks Total – Modlin 85, McCrimmon 35; Service Aces – Denman 29, Daffron 27, Lowe 24.
C. Bergmann