Junior volleyball players Ford, Dobson set for United States Volleyball Team tryouts

Junior volleyball players Lauren Ford and Jewell Dobson will represent Lipscomb University in the tryouts for the United States Volleyball Team, an honor given to only two other athletes in school history. The others, Jake Pease and Alex Kelly, played together from the 2007-08 season to the 2010-11 season. “I grew up looking up to Alex Kelly and Jake Pease, who have been in this position before,” outside hitter Lauren Ford said. “I would look up to [Pease and Kelly], hoping to be as good as them.” “They’re the type of players who have left a legacy at Lipscomb, and to be in the same position they have been in says a lot,” middle blocker Jewell Dobson said. “It just says a lot about our success and the success that the program has had.” The tryouts begin Feb. 21 and go until Feb. 23 at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Volleyball head coach Brandon Rosenthal said that the difference between Pease and Kelly and Dobson and Ford is that the girls this year are going together. In the past, Pease and Kelly traveled separately to the tryouts. This time around, Dobson and Ford will travel together, although Rosenthal doesn’t know if they’ll room together. “I just want them to go and have a great time and just do their best,” Rosenthal said. Rosenthal also said that the only difference the girls will see at the tryouts is the increase in altitude. He mentioned that the ball flies through the air a bit differently, but it will not make a huge difference. The coach, who just finished his...

Volleyball team knows importance of support by other students, takes night off to view ‘Les Misérables’

Lipscomb’s Lady Bisons volleyball players know how important it is to have other students supporting their efforts, so they didn’t even hesitate when their coach asked them if they wanted to go to the Lipscomb production of Les Misérables this autumn. Coach Brandon Rosenthal took a vote a couple weeks in advance and asked his team who wanted to plan on attending the show. Every hand in the huddle shot up without hesitation. “As athletes, we don’t always realize the hard work that theatre requires. It is foreign to us,” said junior Megan Stout. “The show was really eye-opening to how much dedication it requires to put on a show like that.” The team took advantage of a rare evening off to attend the show as a team on Nov. 6. “This was my first time seeing a Lipscomb show,” said sophomore Molly Spitznagle. “I was mesmerized the whole time.” The team’s busy fall semester does not allow for much time to attend events like these. They were leaving the next day for a match against ETSU in Johnson City. “We know how important it is to have supporters at our games,” said senior captain Caitlin Dotson. “The fact that we can support our classmates in the same way is awesome.” Casey Edwards, a junior theatre major who played Éponine in the production, knows from experience how important it is for both groups of students to be supported. Her freshman year, she played golf for Lipscomb and was in multiple performances. Golf and acting, however, are both full-time jobs, and she decided to pursue theatre. “We practiced over 20 hours a...