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Asbury saw two teams in action this past week, with mens and womens basketball seasons just around the corner.

Volleyball

Three Eagles had double-digit kills for Asbury volleyball (10-15) on Thursday, Nov. 2, in Frankfort, as AU slipped after five sets in their second meeting of the season against Kentucky State. Sidney Haysley had a team-leading 13 kills, her fourth most this season to be third on the team in her freshman year with 190 kills. She also had three aces and five digs on the night. Emma Grace Gray had 12 kills, five digs, and two aces. Gray now has 15 double-digit kill matches in 2023. Freshman McKenna Rumage was the other Eagle with double-digit kills, taking 10 in only 18 attempts for a strong .333 hitting percentage. Rumage also served two aces and had three digs. Riley McChord led Asbury defensively with 13 digs. Lucy Kate Gray had 27 assists to lead both teams, taking her to 658 on the season. Both teams scored 92 overall points on the night.

Asbury volleyball celebrated Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 4, with their 10th win of the season, beating UC-Clermont (13-13), 3-1. The Eagles honored senior Brynna Reynolds, a five-foot-three defensive specialist from Indianapolis, In., graduating with a degree in biochemistry.

AU had one of their strongest offensive matches of the season in their final match, tying a season-high in kills (60) and assists (58). Four Eagles had double-digit kills, including Emma Grace Gray (16), Sidney Haysley (15), Macie Pack (13), and McKenna Rumage (10). Lucy Kate Gray 2023 1K Assists

Lucy Kate Gray was honored before the match for reaching 1,000 career assists as an Asbury Eagle. She reached the mark on Sept. 27 against Hanover College in a match where she recorded 38 assists. Gray backed up the recognition with her third-most assists ever in a match for AU, dishing 51 on the day.

Swimming

Asbury University mens and womens swimming traveled to Hanover, In. on Saturday, Nov.4, for their first road meet of the season. The men’s and women’s both showed impressive efforts and swept Hanover. The men outscored the Panthers 118-71, and the women took the win 194-30.In the overall score count, Asbury secured their victory with a total score of 312-101 over the Panthers.

Saturday’s meet marks the first win for AU men’s. Saturday’s meet was full of accomplishments, with the Eagles grabbing 23 first-place finishes and 14 second-place finishes.

The women took first in the 200 medley relay with help from Emme Johnson, Joy Killingsworth, Amber Schulte, and Hannah Maria Jones. Amber Schulte took two first-place finishes in the 1000 and 500 free. Schulte recorded a time of 11:34.62 in the 1000 and 5:43.36 in the 500. Sarah Finlayson claimed second place in the 1000 free with a time of 11:45.01. Sophomore Braden Vincent claimed two more first-place finishes for AU in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly. Vincent recorded 1:53.78 in the 200 and 55.43 in the 100 fly. Ian Wang continued to perform for AU, claiming two more first-place finishes for the Eagles. Wang took first in the 50 breast and 100 IM, with Zach Montiel coming in right behind Wang in the 100 IM.

Mens basketball geared up for 2023-24 season

Asbury men’s basketball gears up for the 2023-24 season with hopes for another great year. AU comes off a very successful 2022-23 campaign in which they finished with a record of 21-7, captured the NCCAA Mideast Region title, and appeared in the NCCAA National Tournament for a second consecutive season.

The team’s schedule features 28 games, with nine hosted in the Luce Center. Some featured home games this season include the season opener vs. Centre College (Nov. 8), Alice Lloyd (Nov.18), and Ray Shouse Night vs. Simmons (Jan. 13).

The Eagles will also travel to four classics this season, competing against multiple opponents.

Coach Will Shouse is heading into his 16th season as head coach of the Eagles. This past season, Shouse won his 300th game at Asbury, and in 2021 became the winningest coach in Asbury men’s basketball history.

The team graduated key players John Shoulders, Bryce Beavers, and two-time NCCAA Mideast Region Player of the Year and All-American Nick Fort. AU retains many integral players from last year’s squad such as Dakota Walden, Caleb Wallis, Ben McNew, Clayton Winter, and Ashton Owens. Walden and Wallis both made Mideast All-Region teams last year.

Womens basketball ready for 2023-24 season

The women’s basketball team looks to have another successful season in 2023-24. The team is coming off a 19-11 season in which they claimed an NCCAA MidEast Region Title and an NCCAA National Tournament appearance for the second consecutive season.

Featured home games this season include the season opener vs. Berea (Nov. 21), Georgetown College (Dec. 30), Ray Shouse Night vs. Welch (Jan. 13), Alice Lloyd (Jan. 30), and Senior Night vs. CU-Harrodsburg (Feb. 16). The team will also travel to five classics/tournaments, where they will compete against several different teams. AU will open its season at the Winking-Lizard Tournament on Nov. 10 against John-Carroll University.

Head coach Chad Mayes is entering his 6th season as leader of the program.

Mayes currently sits at 86 wins in just five seasons at AU, making him the 2nd winningest coach in program history, and needs 22 wins to take the most.

AU returns its two leading scorers from last year, Haleigh Releford (13.9) and Trinity Shearer (13.3). Releford was selected to the NCCAA Mideast All-Region Second Team in her sophomore season. Shearer gained MidEast All-Region first-team honors and was named as an NCCAA All-American last season. The team also returns key players Spencer Harvey, Camryn Preston, and Celia Pelfrey, who missed the 2022-23 season due to injury.