Flagler's Dream Run at NCAA National Championships Comes to an End

Boxscore

ST. PAUL, Minn. – AVCA first-team All-America Laura Prinsen recorded 19 kills, 18 digs and three blocks to help lead No. 5 West Texas A&M University to a 3-1 (25-17, 22-25, 25-18, 27-25) win over Flagler College in the first semifinal of the 2009 NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball Tournament Friday night at the Gangelhoff Center.

West Texas A&M (39-3) advances to the national championship match tomorrow (Dec. 5) at 7:30 p.m. Central and will face the winner of the Cal State-an Bernardino-Concordia-St. Paul Match.

Flagler (36-9) closed its season with a school record win total and had its school record win streak halted at 29 matches.

Prinsen hit .432 for the match with just three errors on 37 swings. Second-team All-America Melissa Harper also recorded 19 kills and hit .500 with just three errors on 32 swings. The Lady Buffaloes other second-team All-America selection, Katie Rickwartz, recorded a double-double with 48 assists and 14 digs. She also tallied two aces and had a pair of blocks. Lauren Beville added 16 digs.

Rachel Stacy (Orlando, Fla./Timber Creek HS) recorded a match-high 21 kills and hit .410 with five errors on 39 swings for Flagler. She also added two blocks. Meg Weathersby (Miatland, Fla./Orangewood Christian School) recorded her 14th double-double with 16 kills and 14 digs while senior outside hitter Justine Burkhardt (St. Augustine, Fla./Winthrop U.) notched her 17th double-double in the final match of her illustrious career with 12 kills and 11 digs. Senior outside hitter Katie Beale (Stuart, Fla./Martin County HS), an honorable mention All-America selection, recorded a match-high 21 digs to close out a great career for the Saints. Senior right side Becky Hendrian (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton HS) collected three digs, one assist, one ace and had one block as she wrapped up her career.

The Flagler senior trio finished their careers with a 102-55 (.650) and have put the volleyball program on the map in NCAA Division II - forever.

Olivia Snipes (Easley, S.C./Easley HS) tallied 26 assists and nine digs while Rebecca Royal (Green Cove Springs, Fla./Fleming Island HS) finished with 23 assists, three digs and one block.

West Texas took control of the first set by going on a 5-0 run to take an 11-6 lead. Natalie Johnson and Rickwartz both recorded kills and Beville served an ace in the run. The Saints would narrow the margin to 14-10, but the Lady Buffs went on a 4-0 run and took an 18-10 lead en route to a 25-17 win. West Texas A&M hit .244 (15 kills and five errors on 41 swings) for the set while Flagler hit .128 (12-7-39).

Flagler jumped out to an early 9-5 lead in the second set, but West Texas A&M rallied. The scored was tied ten times in the set. The Saints broke it open with a 5-1 run on the strength of a Weathersby and Burkhardt kill and three attack errors by the Lady Buffs. WTAMU broke set point twice until Stacy put home the winner, 25-22.

The third set West Texas A&M took control early with a 6-1 lead which then grew to a 16-7 spread. The Lady Buffaloes went on to a 25-18 win and hit .297 (12-1-37) and held the Saints to a .087 mark (13-9-46).

In the fourth and final set, there were 16 ties and eight lead changes. Flagler had set point after an attack error by Prinsen, but West Texas A&M staved off the first set point with a kill from Erika Dupree and then Harper and Dupree blocked a Stacy attack to tie the set at 24. The Saints re-took the lead when Burkhardt spiked the ball, but the Lady Buffs came right back with Harper providing the point. An attack error by Beale and then a double-block by Rickwartz and Harper wrapped up the match for West Texas A&M, 27-25.