Knights edge Scots in MWC final

Release Date: November 10, 2005

In a fall full of first-time or best-ever performances for MC sports teams, the volleyball team nearly followed suit. No Fighting Scots volleyball squad has ever reached the NCAA tournament, but coach Kari Shimmin’s squad was in position to do so.

Monmouth reached its first Midwest Conference championship match since 1986, and the Scots had St. Norbert on the ropes in the final, taking a 2-1 lead and possessing momentum in the fourth set. But the Green Knights, who hosted the MWC tournament, saved the fourth set to even the match and then won the deciding set 15-10.

“It was great volleyball from both teams, let me tell you,” said Shimmin of the match, which included scores of 28-30, 30-28, 27-30, 30-27, 15-10. “We feel like it shouldn’t have went to game five.”

With the fourth set in progress, Shimmin recalls both she and her husband/assistant coach, Hank Shimmin, saying “We’re going to win this.”

She explained, “We were both so relaxed at that point. The girls were just playing so well.”

The Scots had taken the home crowd out of the match and had posted a three- or four-point lead. But a couple calls went against the Scots, and then the team’s serve receive, which had been a strength to that point, began to falter.

The heartbreaking loss ended a 22-13 campaign for the Scots and completed the career of senior standout Karissa Murray (Hometown, Ill./Oak Lawn). In her final match, Murray was everywhere, delivering 25 kills, and she finished the year with 346 kills, 413 digs and a team-high 76 aces.

“She’s such a complete player, and she couldn’t have played any better than she did against St. Norbert,” said Shimmin.

The rest of the Scots were mostly freshmen and sophomores and included classmates and former Fulton (Ill.) High School teammates Kendra James and Colleen Wilkin. James posted team-highs of 412 kills and 95 blocks, while Wilkin set 1,331 assists, tying the school record. Another sophomore, Jessica Travis (Washington, Ill./Washington), had 283 kills and 311 digs, while freshman defensive specialist Crystal Myers (Byron, Ill./Byron) had a team-best 494 digs, including 27 vs. St. Norbert.

Monmouth reached the final with yet another victory over a tough Lake Forest program. The Scots have now topped the Foresters five times in the past four years. After dropping the first set 30-28, MC stormed back to win 32-30, 30-16, 30-27.

Wilkin added six kills to her outstanding 49-assist effort, and James slammed 19 kills. Travis had three of the team’s nine aces.

“We served the ball very aggressively and really took them out of their offense,” said Shimmin. “That gave us a lot of confidence going into the final, because we knew we were a much better team than we played St. Norbert the first time (also losing 15-10 in the fifth set).”

Shimmin, who completed her eighth year as head coach, has guided Monmouth to 20-win seasons in three of the past four years.

“It was a great season, and we didn’t want it to end,” said Shimmin. “It ended too soon.”

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