By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
For two of the previous three years, Union Grove Union High School graduate Jo Wilks has had that painful “left out” feeling – her Furman University Paladins women’s volleyball team losing in the championship match of the Southern Conference tournament.
So, when Furman, which is in Greenville, S.C., swept Tennessee Chattanooga Nov. 23 to finally make the NCAA tournament in Wilks’ senior season, Wilks was understandably thrilled.
“It was really great to be able to come out my senior year and finally get the win,” said Wilks, who will get to end her volleyball career on the NCAA tournament stage. “We definitely all felt we peaked at the tournament.
“That’s probably the best team play we’ve had all season,” she added.
Wilks is one of a handful of area players who will participate in the NCAA Division 1 tournament this year – though this will be Wilks’ first time.
Furman finished the regular season 21-8, and was scheduled to face No. 9 national seed Kansas in Kansas Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
The newspaper went to press before the match.
Wilks said the feeling this week – the squad went right from the end of the tournament into Thanksgiving break – has been “incredible.”
“Our whole team has worked so hard, and especially the seniors,” she said. “To end on a win makes all of those past championships we didn’t get even sweeter.”
Wilks also earned two SoCon honors – first-team All-Conference honors and MVP of the SoCon tournament.
Wilks’ teammate, junior outside hitter Annie Bierman, earned Player of the Year honors as well, which Wilks was quick to mention as a part of her winning tournament MVP.
“I was just lucky enough,” she said. “I couldn’t have done it without everybody else.”
“Everyone else” also included more than her teammates this year. Between her family and her boyfriend, Wilks had someone close to her at each of her home matches this season.
“That was really, really special,” she said.
Also in the tourney
Burlington High School is also going to be well represented in the NCAA tournament.
The 2013 Super Senior class that included NCAA Division 1 signees Ciara Capezio, Morganne Longoria and Kaysie Shebeneck came very close to having all three juniors make the tournament.
Shebeneck, the backup setter for Texas A&M, saw her Aggies earn the No. 10 overall seed and the right to host the first two rounds of the tournament. Texas A&M opens against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Capezio and Iowa State, meanwhile, open Thursday against Miami (Florida) at 6 p.m. The winner of that match could potentially face No. 6 national seed Wisconsin in the second round.
Longoria battled through a back injury this season to top 1,000 digs in her career at Valparaiso. Her squad, however, wasn’t fully healthy for the postseason, and fell in the Horizon League championship match to Cleveland State.
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