Alumni Game Highlights Proud Tradition of Lady Flyer Volleyball
Saturday's alumni match at The Hangar provided the Sandhills Community College volleyball team an opportunity to prep for this week's season opener, competing against some of the best players to ever wear a Lady Flyers uniform.
"This is my favorite day," Coach Alicia Riggan, beginning her 13th season said. "Having our former players want to come back for this speaks volumes about the program and the school. You have two All-Americans, Region 10 players of the year and all-region players. They're all competitors and they want to win."
This season's squad, that includes five returnees and 12 freshmen, won the first three sets before splitting a pair of 15-point games against the alums. They are scheduled to open the regular season later this week.
"I thought the alumni did a great job," Riggan said. "I'm so proud of them. I told our girls, 'be proud of your program. You are playing against some of the best talent ever to come through Sandhills'."
Six of the 12 alumni were members of the 2017 squad that won a program record 27 matches (27-6). They lost a tie-breaker set to Northampton CC in Bethlehem, PA in the district championship match that would have qualified them for the national tournament.
"That is a bad memory," middle hitter Paige Garner, a first-team All-American that year, said, "but we had it when we went to New York.
One of the highlight's that year for Garner and fellow-alums Tee' Ashia Lilly, Morgan McCarthy, Leah Salzwedel, Abby Wallace and Erica Groff was an early season trip to New York City where the Lady Flyers won all four matches. That team did not lose a set while compiling a record of 12-0 in conference matches.
Wallace was named an honorable mention All-American the next year, and Groff, a libero, is the program's single-season and career leader in digs. The alumni squad also included Region 10 Player of the Year and SCC Hall of Fame inductee Tiffany Hicks, Chandler Adams, Ashleigh McKenzie, Kaylee Lopez-Rosario, Alexus McCrimmon and Khaile Jones.
Garner, a UNC grad, traveled from Knoxville, TN for the match. She is attending Lincoln Memorial University in the physical therapy program. Lilly, who was a member of the 2019 CIAA Championship team at Fayetteville State, is working toward a degree in health care administration.
Garner was asked what impressed her about the current edition of the Lady Flyers.
"I think they're really scrappy and they're going to be willing to work together," she said.
Freshman outside hitter Lexi Allen, a product of Pinecrest High School, was swinging from the start and helped set the tone for this year's team. She wound up with 12 kills, 23 digs and four service aces.
"I just knew I had to go on the floor and do what I do the best I can for my teammates," she said. "I'm super-excited to be a part of this program."
Also for the Flyer newcomers, middle hitter Keke Lawrence (Lumberton High School) was credited with nine kills while competing against taller opponents. Setter Kaitlyn Locklear (Purnell Swett) had 11 assists and libero Shelby Hull (Union Pines) added 10 digs.
Setter Camryn Lowe, who returns for a third season under the NJCAA COVID provision, was credited with 30 assists.
"It's amazing to have all the girls out here and seeing things starting to click together, especially coming back for my third year," she said. "This is just a start and we have a long way to go, but I think we can reach our milestones and get some good things done this season."
Riggan was glad for the opportunity to play the additional 15-point sets to get more repetitions because of the large roster and number of freshmen.
"I was telling them awhile ago that I think the energy of this team is different," she said. "They are all talkers and our passing is better than it's ever been.
"We tried a lot of different rotations and we played everybody. It was a great learning opportunity. When we play on Thursday we'll be in it to win."
C. Bergmann
