In any sporting event, every team has to have an attitude that is of the ruthless variety inside the lines.
However, the events that take place outside of the lines are arguably more important -- because they are what bring us together in the first place.
On Friday evening, the Shawnee State Bears' volleyball program will participate in the Emileigh Cooper Memorial Tournament, which will be held by Rio Grande University but is played at Jackson High School -- Cooper's alma mater -- as a tribute to the standout Southern Ohio student-athlete who perished at the age of 22 in a car wreck on Feb. 5, 2016.
For Susan Shelton, it's always an honor to play in the Cooper Memorial Tournament, especially considering the class acts that surrounded how the event is run every year -- and the overall cause of the event in general.
"We look forward to playing in the Emileigh Cooper tournament every year," Shelton said. "Even though the rivalry is strong between us, we are honored to be able to support Rio's program. Billina (Donaldson, Rio Grande head coach, Emileigh's aunt) and I are friends, and I know how much this tournament means to her. I cannot even imagine how hard it would be to not only lose a member of your coaching staff but also a member of your family."
Cooper, who was a 2011 graduate of Jackson High School, exemplified the pure excellence that a student-athlete can possibly have during her short lifespan. She was a three-sport athlete (basketball, softball, volleyball) with the Ironladies and graduated as the valedictorian of her class despite being young for her grade as Cooper was only 17 when she graduated high school and didn't turn 18 until June 29 -- the month after her senior season.
Her excellence in both arenas, unsurprisingly, led to a big future within the Marshall softball program, where Cooper progressed from a player that was used mainly in pinch-running situations to a stout two-way threat on a game-by-game basis. This was best evidenced in her senior season, when Cooper hit .434, collected 53 hits, 32 runs, and 13 RBI in 122 at-bats, and obtained three home runs, three doubles and 10 walks in one of the greatest single-season hitting performances in Thundering Herd history. She also graduated with her bachelor's degree in health sciences in 2015, and was pursuing her RN license from Rio Grande at the time of her passing.
Within a year of her graduation, Cooper was working as an assistant volleyball coach for the Rio Grande program and was also giving back to her alma mater, as the 22-year old also served as the seventh-grade girls basketball coach for Jackson. She had also been hired as Jackson's head softball coach shortly before her passing.
In all, the tournament also keeps Cooper's memory alive with the type of competitiveness and regional rivalries that will be in place at the event. Shawnee State will be competing against Point Park (Pa.), West Virginia Tech, Bluefield (Va.), and Rio Grande in the five-team tournament, with the latter trio serving as former conference foes in the Mid-South.
"This tournament is filled with rivalries and playing in it is always intense," Shelton said. "The competition is always fierce."
The Emileigh Cooper Memorial Tournament, however, doesn't lack for talent, either. Ashley Taylor, who notched 265 kills for Rio Grande, Macy Roell, who obtained 572 assists and 328 digs for the Red Storm, and Katie Hemsley, who added in 460 digs for RGU during the 2018 season, are all back, while West Virginia Tech has four players -- Carolina Bologna, Emily Kidd, Konstantina Pateli, and Katelyn Byrd -- who have amassed double-digit kills while hitting over .220 in attack percentage, with Pateli obtaining a ridiculous total of 4,025 assists for her career. The Golden Bears also return Sawyer Hawgood, who led WV Tech with 611 digs last season.
Then, there's Point Park (Pa.) and Bluefield (Va.) -- the former of whom having three players in double-figures with attack percentages north of .200 in Madison Sima, Jada Jones, and Taylor Small; the latter of whom bringing back Katie Kendrick (209 kills, .288 attack percentage) from last year's unit.
However, Shawnee State has shown plenty of promise in its own right. Despite their 0-5 start to the season, the Bears, despite half of its roster being completely filled with newcomers, have been impressive, as evidenced in a five-set thriller against undefeated Thomas More where Shawnee State got a career-high 18 kills from Macie Rhoads to go along with a career-high 20 digs from Stacia Martin. Rhoads, who accumulated a double-double by obtaining 12 digs in the contest, leads SSU with 53 kills, while Martin, who has 849 digs in her three seasons at SSU and 983 overall, will almost certainly surpass the 1,000-dig mark for her four-year career this weekend.
In addition to the duo, Isabella Gill, who posted a career-high nine kills against Thomas More and posted a .500 attack percentage while doing so, has continued to showcase improvement, as has Nashail Shelby, who posted six kills and a .286 attack percentage against the Saints. Maria Kolinoff, who has 87 assists and 22 kills in her first season with the Bears, Maddie Payne, who has added in 34 assists of her own, and freshmen Alissa Kefauver and Alexa Ball, who have 32 kills and 45 digs, respectively, are among the vital additions that the roster has already seen production from in 2019.
As the season gets into full swing, the hope is that SSU can build on its productivity -- which has already been the case from last Friday and Saturday to this past Wednesday.
"I am very proud of our performance against Thomas More," Shelton said. "We made some adjustments in practice Tuesday and throughout the match, and the girls responded to those changes. We started a little slow, especially in our passing, but didn't let that get to us. Offensively, we were more aggressive than last weekend and that provided the spark we needed to keep fighting. We are moving in the right direction!"
For more information on SSU Bears Athletics, visit www.ssubears.com. SSU Athletics is also participating in the ongoing Bear Club Challenge in order to raise money for continued support for SSU student-athlete scholarships. To join the challenge and support SSU Athletics, visit www.ssubears.com/bearclubchallenge.
