On a special day at Wetherby Gym, the Morehead State volleyball team put together a special performance as they swept Austin Peay on Senior Day, 3-0. They downed the Governors 25-23, 25-20, 25-22.
Despite their success on the court, the real story of this game was their lone senior Hannah Sigala, who lost her mother early in the morning after a courageous battle with cancer.
"For a lot of reasons, this was an emotional match for everybody. Anytime you honor a senior, there's a bunch of different emotions, especially with the circumstances surrounding Hannah," said head coach Jaime Gordon. "There were so many people that wanted to do so much for her, and her mom, and I couldn't be more proud of the way that the team stay focused and really took on the task at hand. Nobody exemplified that any more than Hannah."
Many in the crowd wore shirts that read #SigalaStrong, symbolizing the strength that both Hannah and her mother showed.
"You can see in the stands the type of impact that Hannah has had," said Gordon. "She had people come out from different teams and from different parts of the community. She's really impacted a lot of people and you saw the shirts that read #SigalaStrong, and it's just extra special to see the kind of support she has received."
Knowing everything that was going on behind the scenes makes the Eagles' performance on the court that much more impressive.
The Eagles controlled the match throughout, only trailing twice in the first two sets. They erased that deficit with a five-point run in the first and then never trailed in the second. In the third, they fell behind 10-5 and then picked at the AP lead the rest of the way, eventually taking the lead for good at 22-21.
They had 52 kills in three sets, while putting together a .408 hitting percentage.
Freshman Meredith Jewell, who had 10 kills in the first set, finished with a team-high 18, but once again the story was Sigala. She recorded a season-high 16 kills in just 22 attempts, good for a career-best .682 hitting percentage. She also recorded two block solos, coming on back-to-back plays as the Eagles extended their lead late in the second set.
"We talked in the locker room about doing our job and doing what we are capable of, and I think that's what we saw out there today," said Gordon. "For us to win today over a team like that (Austin Peay) in three sets says a lot about our performance."
But, today proved why sports are special and why sometimes sports can be so much bigger than the final score.
"This is life. This is about the challenges we face and how a family can come together and get through those tough times with each other," said Gordon. "I'm very proud to be a part of the Morehead State family."
The Eagles (5-13, 2-2) go on the road next week to face UT-Martin and Southeast Missouri. They take on UT-Martin on Friday at 7 p.m. and Southeast Missouri on Saturday at 3 p.m.
