Margaret BauerWith wins this weekend over Calvin College and 20th-ranked Elmhurst College, the sixth-ranked Bears volleyball team improved their season record to 30-6, captured the NCAA Central Region Championship and advanced to the NCAA Division II Quarterfinals. Both matches were played in Pella, Iowa.
In their opening match against Calvin, the Bears defeated their opponent 3-1. The Bears were led by senior Colleen Winter who posted 15 kills in the match. They followed that up with a dominating performance against Elmhurst, defeating them 3-0. Bears Coach Rich Luenemann had expected Elmhurst to be a particularly tough opponent after the team’s convincing win over Central College on Friday.
“When I watched Elmhurst dismantle Central on Friday, I was concerned with our ability to defend their quick offense,” Luenemann said. “That wasn’t a problem, as our serving and attacking forced them to run a high set offense, and our defense responded very well.”
Coach Luenemann credited the team’s decisive win to their execution and team play.
“The Bears played very well on Saturday. We looked sharp in all phases of the game,” Luenemann said. “Although it’s a clich‚, it’s appropriate to say ‘it was a team win’. We executed our systems very well.”
The Bears’ finely tuned attack was evidenced by their .352 team hitting percentage-the eighth-best post-season offensive performance in team history. Freshman Emilie Walk had a team-best 12 kills in the match.
The Bears weekend wins sets them up for a quarterfinals matchup with 14th-ranked University of Wisconsin-La Crosse this Saturday. The Bears previously faced off against La Crosse at the Washington University Midwest Classic. The Bears defeated La Crosse 3-0, but Luenemann stressed that La Crosse is a strong opponent and that both squads are much improved since their earlier meeting. Additionally, the teams’ earlier match was played nearby at Fontbonne College while their pending meeting will be played on La Crosse’s home turf.
“La Crosse is a strong opponent. They can attack from anywhere along the net. We’ll need to do the same. Our ball control and blocking will be the keys to the match,” Luenemann said. “We beat them 3-0 last time. But I hear they’ve greatly improved, but so have we.”
Heading into the match Luenemann said the team’s focus will be on fine-tuning team play, as well as continuing to hone individual skills.
“Our focus in practice for the remainder of the season will be to continue to work to enhance the efficiency and execution of our systems of play,” Luenemann said. “The players will also be challenged to improve each aspect of their games.”
Additionally, Luenemann will spend plenty of time reviewing the game film from the squads’ earlier meeting. Luenemann was particularly proud of his team’s maturation this season. The team has been able to offset the loss of four starters from last season’s team and has improved more in one season than any other Luenemann-led team, according to the coach.
“[At the] beginning of the year, we looked at the team and knew we had lost four starters. But when you lose four great players, four great players take their place,” Luenemann said. “This team has improved more in this one year than any other team I have coached.”
If the Bears win, they will move into the Final Four, which will be held at a neutral location for the first time in women’s volleyball history. For now, though, the team and coach are simply focused on La Crosse.
“We’re excited to go to La Crosse,” Luenemann said. “Right now, the eight teams that are remaining are very strong teams.”