The NMU women’s volleyball team lost a tough battle against the Indianapolis Greyhounds, leading them to be knocked out of the NCAA Division II tournament and officially ending their season.
The Wildcats, coming off of a loss against Grand Valley State in the GLIAC tournament, were looking to make a statement against the Greyhounds in the first round of the tournament.
The Greyhounds tested the defensive strategy of NMU as they went on to win the first two sets 25-16 and 25-18. The ’Cats, picking themselves up and trying to mount a comeback, won the third set 26-24, but in the end, the Greyhounds offense proved just too much for the ‘Cats defense as they won the final set 25-22, eliminating the ‘Cats from the tournament.
Junior LS/MH Emma Wolfe said the team can only get better from here on out.
“It is sad to have the volleyball season over with because you always want to go as far as you can with your season,” Wolfe said. “We will be back next season ready to face whatever challenges await us, and we wouldn’t have had such great success this year without our great players, coaches, and fans.”
Head coach Dominic Yoder agreed that his team had a good run and was pleasantly surprised by this young team’s outcome for the year.
“For being such a young team, I am very satisfied as to how far we progressed this year,” Yoder said. “We need to just keep focused on the goals we set and we also need to work on game execution, especially when we get deep into the season. Overall, this was a competitive season, and we will just keep getting better and better as each year progresses.”
Freshman outside hitter Ana Lopes was name the Midwest Region Freshman of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association on Dec. 1. She led the Wildcats with 329 kills and 323 digs.
The Wildcats will begin individual training as well as meetings for individual players beginning in January, and they will begin spring training the first week in March.
The ’Cats will be losing one of their captains and the only senior on the team, Katie Twardzik. Twardzik, who was the right side hitter for the ’Cats, will be student teaching this upcoming winter semester and plans on getting a teaching job sometime in the fall of next year.
“I love to play volleyball. I love competing and working hard. Volleyball has been challenging, it has helped keep me organized, goal-oriented, and focused. I love being around my teammates as well and just knowing this is my last season, well it’s hard to think about,” Twardzik said.
Yoder said he is already looking forward to next season, as he offers some final comments to his team for the season’s end.
“This team shows the willingness and ability to learn, and that’s what makes us such a good team. We will always have expectations and goals that may seem difficult and challenging, but if we succeed in meeting those, that’s how we win conferences and titles. This has been one of the best seasons this team has had since I have been coaching here at NMU and I can promise it won’t be the last.”