After finishing 13-18 in Lainey Jackson’s first season as the Laker Volleyball coach in 2023, the team improved rapidly, finishing with a 26-7 in 2024. They won their first ten matches of the season before losing 3 of 4 sets at home to Vincennes University on Tuesday, Sept. 17. They also had an 11-game winning streak during the season.
In addition to a 26-7 mark the entire season, the Laker Volleyball record at home was 12-2; on the road, 10-2; and at the neutral sites, 4-3. They finished with a sensational conference record of 17-1, with their lone conference loss against Vincennes University.
The Laker Volleyball team for the first three months of the season (August-October) had a Cinderella type season with a phenomenal 26-4 record. However, once the season turned to November, the clock struck midnight for the team as they dropped their last three matches of the season.
In the first round of the Region 24 conference tournament held at the John A Logan College in Carterville, IL., the Lakers on Sat. Nov. 2 were swept in three matches to the Southwestern Illinois College Blue Storm. The next day in the third-place game, the Lakers were once again swept in three matches to the host school, the Volunteers.
The Lakers season ended on Sat. Nov. 9 at the Midwest B District Quarterfinal in Belleville, IL. on the campus of Southwestern Illinois College, when they were swept again in three matches, this time to the Mineral Area College Cardinals.
Jackson mentioned the team, “…won the conference this year for the first time since 2016 with a conference record of 17-1.”
She stated regarding the similarities of last year’s team and this year’s team, “We had five returning players from last year who did a great job leading our team and setting clear goals and expectations for the newcomers.”
Regarding the differences between the team from last year and this year, “The entire team worked extremely hard at being consistent and disciplined the entire season. Players were coming in the gym outside of practice for extra reps, & the team chemistry was extraordinarily strong.”
She revealed, “To prepare for upcoming opponents, we do watch film. But our main focus as a team is trusting our training and making sure we are working harder than the team across the net.”
She clarified, “When recruiting, we obviously want kids who are talented volleyball players, but more importantly, will fit into our culture and are hungry to get better. Goal driven, disciplined, kind, and competitive athletes are what we look for here.”
The Laker Volleyball team had a successful season but came up short. Let’s hope the team will build on the momentum of this season and advance deep in both the conference, regional and national tournament for future seasons.
