Saint Mary’s finished the postseason with a MIAA Tournament semifinal loss to Kalamazoo. Led by seniors Monica Davy and Elizabeth Preister, the Belles finished in 3rd place in the MIAA conference.
“It was one of our best seasons, all things considered,” head coach Dale Campbell said.
The Belles (14-10, 6-2 MIAA) won six of their eight MIAA regular season matchups, losing only to conference champion Hope College and runner-up Kalamazoo.
“Being 6-2 in conference play is a great year with the strength of some of our top teams,” Campbell said.
They lost again to Kalamazoo in the conference tournament semifinals, ending their tournament run in the first round. The final matchup was a three-plus-hour battle, a hard-fought competition that ended in a 5-2 defeat.
Campbell said the leadership of captains Davy and Preister was integral to the Belles’ success this season.
“[They] were great role models in the classroom and also always had the team prepared to practice,” he said. “They were passionate about the competition and kept all of the individuals focused to give 100%.”
Davy, winner of the Sue Little Sportsmanship Award this year, and her sister, sophomore Megan Davy, were named Second Team All-MIAA for the season. Moreover, the team MVP for the season was awarded to freshman Alyssa Gulli, who led the team in points with 41 for the season. The Belles will miss their departing seniors, Davy and Priester, but Campbell pointed to the returning talent for next year.
“We will have senior Lily Brandt returning, along with juniors next year Megan Davy, Lilly Chamberlin and Nicole Becker, who all contributed to our success,” he said.
Despite having suffered several injuries throughout the season, Campbell reinforced the team’s resilience throughout this season.
“We recovered well and finished the season strong,” he said.
