The MCC volleyball program hit the road before classes started on Monday, August 26. After leaving on August 19, the Tigers went on to play six matches over the course of three days as they took on Pensacola State, participated in a tournament at Snead State, and wrapped up the trip with a match at Wabash Valley.

With ten new faces and five returners, the Tigers saw their first action of the year as they took on Pensacola State. The two teams proved to be evenly matched as went back and forth throughout the match.

The first set provided a hint of things to come as MCC was able to outlast the home team 27-25. But the Pirates weren't discouraged and took the second set of the match 19-25. The back and forth battle continued as the Tigers claimed set three 25-18. With the first win of the season in sight, the Tigers couldn't manage to gain any momentum in the fourth set and the home team cruised to a 15-25 set victory. It all came down to the fifth and final set. With both teams desperately wanting to open the season with a win, the two teams battled to the end, but ultimately, the Tigers prevailed, 15-12, to start the season 1-0.

There was little time to enjoy the victory though as the Tigers loaded the bus and made the five hour drive to Snead State in Boaz, AL.

The Tigers played three matches on Friday, August 23 with contests against Snead State, Lawson State, and Gadsen State. The day got off on a positive note with the Tigers claiming a 3-1 victory over the hosting Parsons. Things didn't get any easier from there as the Tigers clawed their way to a 3-2 win over Lawson State after getting out to a 2-0 lead in the match. The third match of the day didn't go well for the Tigers as they suffered their first loss of the 2019 season with a 0-3 loss to Gadsen State.

Saturday saw the Tigers slated for two more matches.

The first match of the day again pitted MCC against the hosting Snead State. This time, the host team got the better of the Tigers and defeated the visiting team 1-3. After the loss, the Tigers again boarded the bus and set off to Wabash Valley in Carmel, IL. After the six hour drive, a tired MCC team found a way to defeat the scrappy hosts 3-1 to wrap up the trip with an overall record of 4-2.

"These past few days were a huge challenge for us as a team." Said fourth year MCC Head Coach, Justin Hoskins. Not only did we face six quality DI opponents, but we battled through being tired and sore and found a way to come away with a few wins. I think the travel really took a toll on all of us, but our girls showed some grit in going out and continuing to compete. I believe the adversity we experienced on this trip will help us in the long run."