Olivet Women's Volleyball Made it to the MIAA Tournament

The University of Olivet women's volleyball team coming together in a huddle.

OLIVET, Mich. — The University of Olivet Women’s Volleyball team has finished its season on November 11 after a loss to Albion in the first round of the MIAA Tournament. This season, the Comets finished the regular season with an 8-18 record, 4-11 in the region, 3-5 in the conference, 4-3 at home, and 4-9 on the road.

The Comets had several key players return this season, such as Jules Hall, Jaydn Cary, and Jordyn Smith.

“This season was a little different, so I purposely started the season off playing harder competition than we have played over the last three seasons, because I knew that the MIAA was so difficult. And so, I really wanted our girls to be prepared for the hard competition coming into it,” said head coach Jenessa Neal.

The team played in several close games this season, including a 3-2 set loss to Saint Mary’s and another to Albion. They also played tough games against conference opponents such as Hope and Calvin.

“Although it’s not technically a win, we pushed Hope harder than any previous Olivet team, which was a personal victory for us,” said freshman Payton Smith.

Despite their losing record, the Comets were still able to qualify for the MIAA Tournament, but lost to Albion in the first round.

“I think the team performed really well this season. We worked with what we had, stayed committed, and made the most out of every situation. We grew a lot as a group and pushed ourselves to compete at a high level,” said junior Jules Hall.

Payton Smith was third in the conference with 309 kills and was named Second Team All-MIAA. Jules Hall was top 10 in the MIAA this season in both blocks at 0.77 per game and

hitting percentage at .249. Jordyn Smith was third in the conference in assists with 677. Ashlynn Giannunzio and Jaydn Cary were both in the top 10 in the conference in digs (min. 1.00/game).

The Comets are losing Cary, Ryley Chamberlain, Isabella Wagasy, and Violet Porter, who are all set to graduate this spring.

“The best word I can describe our senior group this season is determined. The group had an array of personalities from outgoing to introverted, but they all truly had that one word in common,” said Jordyn Smith.

The Comets will have Hall, P Smith, J. Smith, and Giannunzio returning next year.