By Karly Ratzenberger

The Wildcat volleyball team traveled to Aurora, Ill. last weekend to play in the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Tournament. The Wildcats finished with a tournament record of 1-2.

The ’Cats played Bellarmine University (3-2) and Missouri University of Science and Technology (2-3) on Friday, Oct. 14. They played Northern Kentucky University (0-3) on Saturday, Oct. 15.

Head coach Dominic Yoder said he was happy with the team’s performance against Bellarmine.

“The team played well versus Bellarmine,” Yoder said. “It was a tough match and a good win.”

Junior middle hitter Sami Vierk said she was impressed with the team’s ability to use the weekend as a developmental weekend despite their over all record.

“The team played really well this weekend, although the record didn’t show it,” Vierk said. “We made a lot of improvements in our own team and played a solid weekend overall.”

Yoder said the team was well prepared for the matches last weekend, but the ’Cats were inconsistent in their losses.

“The team fought against Missouri S&T, but fell a little short,” Yoder said. “It was a tough loss.”

Yoder said the team competed well against NKU, but was not able to string enough points together to stay competitive with them.

The ’Cats played teams from a different conference last weekend and had prepared accordingly.

“I think we were as well prepared as we could be,” Vierk said. “It is hard playing teams from a different conference and trying to watch film and learn how they play in only the few hours we have from game to game.”

Both Yoder and Vierk said they were very impressed with the level of competition that was presented last weekend. Vierk said all three teams the ’Cats competed against will be in NMU’s NCAA regional bracket.

“I thought the competition was really tough this weekend,” Vierk said. “The GLVC has improved a lot and the teams are very competitive. It was nice to see the high level of play that is expected in the regional bracket.”

In comparison to the GLIAC, Yoder said the GLVC is also a very competitive conference, especially with Northern Kentucky being ranked No. 12 in the nation.

“I think the GLVC is a very strong conference with their top eight teams able to compete with the best of the GLIAC,” Yoder said.

Yoder said the team will need to work on a few things before its matches this next weekend.

“Maintaining consistency will always be one our items we need to work on,” Yoder said. “We also need to work on consistent blocking, floor defense and maintaining our serve.”

Vierk said the team needs to improve in the defense and serve -receive area, however, she said the team could improve offensively as well.

“We also need to work on sustaining our offense throughout a long day, and working on having more than one hitter scoring at a time,” Vierk said.

Due to the nature of the tournament, the amount of fans in the stands last weekend was significantly higher, Yoder said. This factor added to the team’s enthusiasm and drive.

“The energy last weekend was very high,” Yoder said. “The gym was electrifying with fans and teams. It was very loud.”
Yoder said the Wildcats’ performance last weekend was greatly affected by their ability to play both offense and defense, which is crucial for any effective volleyball team.

“The team’s success was driven by very good offense and sound defense,” Yoder said.

Yoder said the core players, Vierk, senior outside hitter Emma Wolfe, sophomore outside hitter Lina Lopes and junior setter Abby Lovell all played very well last weekend.

“Lovell was very consistent with her performance and offered our team a very strategic approach to competing,” Yoder said.
This week, the ’Cats will prepare for their upcoming matches this weekend. The outcomes of these matches will be essential for the team’s standings in the North Division.

“These matches are very important for our quest to win the North Division and compete for hosting the GLIAC tournament,” Yoder said.

The Wildcats will be traveling downstate next weekend to play Saginaw Valley State University, Grand Valley State University and Ferris State University.

The ’Cats will be playing Saginaw Valley State at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 21, Grand Valley State at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22 and Ferris State at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 23.