Volleyball looks to bounce back at Central Regional |
| Posted by Administrator on Nov 19 2008 |
Photo by Garrett Ritonya
Junior Kelli Wemhoff of Humphrey and the Loper Volleyball Team are looking to bounce back from an upset loss to Adams St. in the RMAC Tournament. UNK will face Augustana in the first round of the NCAA Division II Central Regional in St. Paul, Minn. that Begins Thursday.
By Garrett Ritonya
Antelope Staff
When the University of Nebraska-Kearney Volleyball Team was announced as the number one seed in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Volleyball Championships, the thought on everyone's mind was that UNK would run through the tournament on the way to Regionals this week.
But first the Lopers had to get by Adams State, the number eight seed coming into the match with a 15-12 record.
The Health and Sports Center was packed, the Loper Legion was crazy and the Lopers were primed for the victory. They forgot to bring the win home though, as Adams State upset the Lopers in five sets, sending the home crowd out disappointed.
"We just didn't execute well and our blocking was non-existent," Loper Volleyball Head Coach Rick Squiers said. "If we want to make a run in the NCAA Tournament, our team is going to have to block better. Even if we aren't a great blocking team, we need to have a resemblance of some blocking attack when we head to Minnesota."
The first round loss in the RMAC tournament allowed Minnesota-Duluth to leapfrog UNK into the third seed, forcing the Lopers into the fourth seed and a match-up with Augustana on Thursday, Nov. 20 at the Central Regional hosted by Concordia St. Paul. UNK is 2-6 all-time against Augustana, with the last match-up between the Lopers and the Vikings coming in 2002.
UNK is in perhaps one of the toughest regional categories in the entire 64-team NCAA bracket. St. Paul (31-1), winners of 30 consecutive matches, is the leader of the Central Region and the defending national champions. If the Lopers defeat the Vikings on Thursday, they will face the winner of the CSP-Regis match-up. Regis entered the field after winning the RMAC Tournament Sunday night.
The Lopers are looking to step up their game to beat a tough Augustana team.
"I think overall we just need to focus on the end result. A lot of times I believe we are just thinking too much, and we need to relax, have fun and play volleyball," said junior defensive specialist Michaela Kneip of Omaha.
Regardless of what happens in the NCAA Tournament, UNK enjoyed one of its best seasons under coach Rick Squiers, going 31-3 with a 22-match winning streak after an opening game loss to BYU-Hawaii. The Lopers also saw some bench players make big splashes on the roster this season.
Junior outside hitter Erica Burson of Gretna wasn't expected to compete much this season after off-season shoulder surgery, but her emergence during the middle of the season fueled the Lopers' long winning streak.
Junior middle hitter Nikki Scott of Broken Bow fought her way into the Lopers' starting lineup and boasts one of the highest attack percentages on the team.
"Our team has played really well at times, and we have a lot of potential," Scott said. "I expect us to play tough and play sharper than we did this weekend."
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