After dropping the first game of pool play in the playoffs, the Kent State Tuscarawas women’s volleyball team bounced back and won the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Division-II National Championship 3-0 against Penn State Hazelton.
“Winning the national championship made the girls feel accomplished,” coach Courtney Goodwin said. “We set that goal on day one of practice, and to be able to fulfill it felt so rewarding.”
The team was 20-9 overall this season, and the team had a rocky 3-4 start to the season.
The six losses in September accounted for the majority of the team’s losses this season. The Flashes only lost two games for the rest of the season.
“We were playing our best at the end of the season primarily due to gaining playing experience throughout the season,” Goodwin said.
The team went 14-4 the rest of the way going into the playoffs.
In the playoffs, KSU Tuscarawas dropped a 3-1 match against Penn State Hazleton to start play. The team dominated from there.
“After we lost the first pool match, we basically evaluated our performance on our side of the court, and we didn’t play to our potential – the players knew that,” Goodwin said. “So, when we played them for the second time, they knew we beat ourselves, so if we cleaned up the errors on our side we had a shot to win.”
After a 3-0 domination against Paul Smith’s college, the team moved past pool play and into the USCAA semifinals where the team matched up against Cincinnati Clermont.
The slight edge went to KSU Tuscarawas in a 3-2 victory, which sent the team onto the finals.
The team would go on to play the team that beat it in pool play – Penn State Hazleton. This time, revenge was sweet for the team.
After a close, two-point 28-26 edge in set one, KSU Tuscarawas thoroughly destroyed its opponent in the final two sets.
“The easy part about shaping the program into a National Championship team was the work ethic the entire program had due to driven players willing to learn,” Goodwin said.
25-13 and 25-17 set wins solidified the win and ensured KSU Tuscarawas’ first National Championship win in program history.
Even for championship-winning teams, there are obstacles to overcome throughout the season.
“The unexpected part about shaping the program into a national championship team was the versatility of the players willing to adapt to new positions when called upon to do so,” Goodwin said.
One player that especially helped the team to win the championship was freshman Jaliegh Price. Price started the season as a middle blocker, but by the end, she progressed into a dominant middle hitter.
“The most improved standout at the end of the season was Jaliegh Price,” Goodwin said. “We are looking forward to building from her end-of-the-year success, and rolling into the 2025 season starting where she finished.”
Originally from Navarre, Ohio, Price played in 27 matches this season. Overall, she had 2.06 kills per set, and her hitting percentage was .256.
The team is majority freshman, and it only had three returning players from last year’s national runner-up team.
“The hardest thing about shaping the program into a National Championship team was experience,” Goodwin said. “There was a huge amount of teaching that had to happen the first half of the season.”
With the young identity of the team, it had to adjust to new players on the team with less experience playing at the collegiate level.
Of the 13 players on this year’s roster, two of them are juniors, one of them is a sophomore and the other 10 players are freshmen.
“On the court, most of the time we relied heavily on our freshman to carry the team, so the first half of the season a lot of learning was taking place,” Goodwin said. “The second half, they became comfortable in their roles and that’s when we started playing really well.”
One returning player that was crucial to the success of the team this year was junior Elizabeth Keller.
“Lizzy was the heart of the team,” Goodwin said. “She led by example and always gave 100%. Being only 5’4” and playing six rotations hitting against a 6-ft. block many times, she found a way to score. This shows you her determination and never allowing any type of excuse to get in her way.”
Keller played in 28 matches overall this season and had 1.85 kills per set.
In the finals, Keller produced nine kills on .100 hitting percent. She also went for 17 digs and three sets.
Her sister, Allie, is also on the team, and the two made a good pair this season, leading the team to success.
“Allie, Lizzy’s little sister, was also a huge asset to the program,” Goodwin said. “Both girls are driven to always give their best, and that rubbed off on the whole team in practice seeing how hard they pushed each other to get better. Sometimes when you have sisters, it can go the other way and allow them to slack off. This definitely wasn’t the case with the Keller sisters.”
Allie was one of the freshmen on the team this year, but her newcomer status did not stop her from making her mark on the team.
She played in 28 games this season and had 1.89 kills per set this season.
She played alongside her sister in the finals game, and Allie contributed three kills and three digs on .077 hitting percentage.
“I’m looking forward to having both ladies next season and keeping the team focused in practice to keep pushing to get better,” Goodwin said.
With the National Championship win, awards came rolling in for KSU Tuscarawas.
First, Goodwin and assistant coach Steve Colpus were honored with the USCAA Division-II Coaching Staff of the Year award.
Two players were named to the USCAA First-Team All-American team: freshmen Rylee Sensabaugh and Mackenzie Neininger.
“The biggest highlight of the season was watching the players grow,” Goodwin said. “The transformation from day one to the end of the season was remarkable, and I contribute that to their positive attitude, work ethic and willingness to be coached to get better and not settle.”
This season, Sensabaugh averaged 2.72 kills per set, eight attacks per set, a .198 hitting percentage, 1.30 assists per set and 1.62 digs per set.
Neininger made a big impact on the attacking side of things for KSU Tuscarawas, averaging 3.10 kills per set and 9.12 attacks per set. She also averaged a .177 hitting percentage with 0.15 assists per set and 0.70 digs per set.
In addition to First-Team All-American Honors, Neininger was named the Championship MVP following the win.
In the finals win, she accounted for 12 kills, 40 total attacks, a 0.75 hitting percentage and four digs.
Lizzy Keller was named with All-American Honorable Mention as well as All-Academic Team honors.
Neininger, Price and sophomore Cayla Shrimplin were all named to the All-Tournament Team to round out the postseason awards for KSU Tuscarawas.
“Our success was due to understanding that winning is going to be hard,” Goodwin said. “Winning a National Championship was not going to happen overnight, and there were going to be bumps along the way. As long as we continued to learn from our mistakes and keep a positive attitude, no one would step in the way of our goal.”
KSU Tuscarawas will enter the 2025 season with great momentum after the National Championship. The team will play again next season around the beginning of September.
“Our team has driven hard working players, and I feel that led to the success of the program,” Goodwin said. “Coach Steve and I expect in every practice and match that we need to get better, and we don’t accept anything but their very best. This team understood and accepted that type of expectation every day.”
Emily Lowen is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
