Flagler volleyball coach
Taylor Mott “had doubts” after her team started the year 5-7, including a 0-4 skid at the Comfort Inn-vitational. Thankfully for Mott, there were plenty of matches left to right the ship.
“Looking back, I think it was just nervous pressure. But I knew we had a great group of girls,” said Mott.
Following the slow start, the Saints went on a tear. After losing seven of their first 12 games, Flagler would lose only twice the rest of the season.
“We knew we had it. It just took some time and some reflecting on what the feelings were on the court,” said Mott.
The Saints would win 29-straight matches, a program record, capturing the Peach Belt Conference regular season title and conference championship title.
“It’s surprising how few problems you have when you’re winning. I can’t think of too many seasons where we accumulated that number of wins,” said Mott.
As each win came and went, Flagler’s team was focused with the help of three seniors. Justine Burkhardt, Katie Beale and Becky Hendrian all provided that senior leadership Mott needed.
“(I told them) if we take it one step at a time, we’ll improve. It’s just a credit to their maturity,” said Mott.
The Saints’ incredible run took them all the way to St. Paul, Minn., to the Final Four where they would finally fall to 5th-ranked West Texas A&M.
“Honestly, I’m still kind of shocked on how far we made it. I’m pleased, excited and thankful for doing what we did,” said Mott.
Heading into the offseason, in which Flagler will lose three outstanding players in Justine Burkhardt, Katie Beale and Becky Hendrian, Mott believes her team will train hard to remain competitive.
“I feel like those three will be difficult to replace, but that’s all part of the process. We’ve got some freshman, sophomores and redshirt players that we’re hoping can step in,” said Mott.
The Saints will spend much of their training playing sand volleyball, an activity Mott believes will help next year’s squad.
“We spend the majority of our spring in the sand. I think it has shown over the years that sand volleyball helps us,” said Mott.
Flagler’s recruiting efforts are bound to improve too after the run to the Final Four in NCAA Division II.
“During the spring, we can get out and watch them in person. Kelly (Holloway) goes out during the spring, watching tournaments and narrowing down our recruiting class,” said Mott.
Postseason Accolades
There was a litany of awards that came to the volleyball team this fall.
Three players were selected to the Peach Belt Conference All-Academic team.
Justine Burkhardt was selected to the second-team after posting a 3.33 grade point average majoring in business.
Becky Hendrian was also a second-team member after holding a 3.66 GPA in political science.
Rounding out the academic awards was
Olivia Snipes. Snipes was selected to the third-team after boasting a 3.60 GPA studying elementary education.
With their performance on the court, Burkhardt,
Katie Beale and
Meg Weathersby were selected to the NCAA Division II All-Southeast Region team.
Beale was a first-team selection after collecting 524 kills and 520 digs this season. She was also an All-Peach Belt Conference first-team selection and an American Volleyball Coaches’ Association Honorable Mention All-American.
Burkhardt and Weathersby were both named to the second team. Burkhardt totaled 443 kills and 468 digs this fall, while Weathersby tallied 515 kills and 354 digs.
Head Coach Taylor Mott was selected at the PBC Coach of the Year after leading her team to a 36-9 record overall. The Saints finished the season ranked 22nd in the AVCA Top 25 poll.