Volleyball

Mississippi State’s senior libero Kayla Woodard did something this year that nobody ever did: She became the first player to earn SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors at MSU.

Kayla posted 507 digs, the third highest total in the past 36 seasons at Mississippi State.

For her efforts, she was awarded the Newsom Award to honor her as Mississippi State’s top volleyball student-athlete. In 121 career matches, she piled up 1433 digs. 

Not bad for a walk-on.

Along with Kayla Woodard’s successes on the volleyball court, she is an outstanding student at Mississippi State University, earning SEC Academic Honor Roll and a perfect 4.0 GPA. 

Kayla was named to the ESPN Academic All-American Volleyball team, as well as earning ESPN first team academic all district VI team honors for 2010.

Just recently, I was able to catch up with Kayla and get some feedback about her success.

John Neuman: Where did you grow up and how did you get started playing volleyball?

Kayla Woodard: I grew up in a small town in Addison, Alabama. I started playing volleyball in the sixth grade. We had tryouts [at] the end of sixth grade and I have played ever since.

JN: What kind of impact did your family play on your upbringing with volleyball?

KW: My family has always been very supportive of my volleyball career. My parents travel to almost all of my games and this being my last year they have gotten to come to all of my games.

I am so blessed to have them and their support. Growing up and learning the game of volleyball, my mom and dad [were] always willing [to help] and sent me to all kinds of defensive, and all-skills camps to make me better because that was what I wanted to do.

They made it happen. My mom was always one of the parents hauling all of us girls around to and from camps and games.

JN: When you started playing volleyball, did you practice on indoor courts or outside?

KW: When I first started playing, I practiced in the gym.

Of course, when I was little in elementary school we would play outside at PE, but we didn’t really know the rules or play the right way.

JN: Where did you play high school volleyball?

KW: I played at Addison High School. I played with the same girls that I grew up with my whole life. (LAUGHS)

JN:  Did you participate in any other sports in high school?

KW:  All throughout high school I played volleyball, softball, basketball and ran track. Going to a small school like I did, the same girls played everything.

If you were athletic, you pretty much had to do it all.

It was a lot of fun because you were always with the same girls and you really got to know them when you spent so much time with them. 

JN: Were you a standout athlete as a child?

KW: It's funny that you ask that because my parents always tell me that they knew I was going to be athletic since I was three years old.

They told me that I loved to play with balls and when I was three years old, I could bounce a basketball.

JN: What brought you to Mississippi State and did you have any other scholarship offers?

KW: It was a very hard decision for me when choosing where to go to school.

I dealt with it for a while and was not really excited to move far away from home, well far for me (LAUGHS) but knew that it was a great opportunity to go play at an SEC school. I prayed about it and prayed about it, and I know without a doubt God brought me here for a reason.

I was only offered to walk on at MSU and knew that it would be expensive for my parents. God just answered my prayers and everything just fell into place.

I ended up getting an academic scholarship and my out-of-state tuition waived. That was my answer and how I knew this was where God wanted me to be.

I did have other scholarship offers to smaller schools—community colleges closer to home. I was actually considering playing both volleyball and softball at a community college 45 minutes from home when the Lord just showered me with answered prayers.

JN: How do you like Mississippi State and the campus life?

KW: I love Mississippi State! I have really enjoyed my time here.

As far as campus life goes, I do not have a whole lot of free time to do a lot of stuff on campus. I am involved in FCA and I attend Campus Crusades, which are both very special ministries on campus.

I love the community and how teachers are involved and keep up with how we are doing with sports. I have had teachers save newspaper articles and bring them to me to class. I love how they care about what is going on campus and are involved in what is going on.

JN: What do you do to enjoy your free time away from Volleyball?

KW: To be honest I don’t really know what free time is. (LAUGHS)

Between all the time I spend in the gym and all the time I spend doing school work there isn’t a whole lot of time for anything else. I love spending time in the Word and going to FCA. I have made a lot of lasting friendships through FCA that have really influenced my life.

I am so thankful that God gave me the opportunity to be involved in Fellowship of Christian Athletes because there is no where else I would rather spend my time.  

I also love to hangout with my family when I do not have volleyball. I am very much a family person and love getting to spend time with them when I am not busy with volleyball.

JN: How did you become so good at playing defense? Any advice to give to players to make themselves better?

KW: The best advice I can give anyone wanting and striving to be a better player is to always have a positive attitude and always be willing to the extra work to get better.

You have to be selfless and willing to do anything. You have to be coachable and open minded.

Let the struggles make you stronger and learn from the ups and downs in each and every moment.

JN: In 2009, you averaged 4.35 digs per set and you had the fifth most in the SEC.  You had a game against Ole Miss where you piled up 34 digs, the second most in the SEC. How did you feel after that game and did you realize you had a record game?

KW: I don’t really remember this...(LAUGHS) Is that sad or what?

JN: You are on par to become only the 12^th MSU player ever to have 1000 career digs. How does it feel to approach this milestone?

KW: It feels really awesome to be able to reach this milestone in my volleyball career. I was so shocked when I found out that was on the verge of reaching 1000 digs.

I have never been one to be caught up in the stats and have not really ever kept up with all of that. It made be feel very proud to be one of the few that have ever accomplished that at MSU.

It gave me reassurance that I was doing my job and making a difference on the team. It really helped me see how much I had improved over the past year and a half.

JN: What is the most challenging part of playing collegiate volleyball?

KW: Collegiate volleyball is a full time job, just like any other collegiate sport.

It takes all of your time and there isn’t much time for anythings else after going to class, working out, practicing, and then studying.

I would say the most challenging thing would be in learning to manage your time and making the most of every little free moment you get.

JN:  What is your favorite part about being on the team?

KW:  My favorite part of being on the team is my teammates and having the opportunity to do something I love. I love being able to go out there on the court and using the ability and talent God has given me to glorify His name through the passion and desire that He has given me for the game. I love all the friendships that I have made over the past four years and they will always hold a special place in my heart.

JN:  What was your most memorable game and why?

KW:  My most memorable game would have to be the Georgia game this year when we played them at their place.

It was such an awesome game! We played our hearts out and were determined to do whatever it took to win. We battled and fought hard that game. I remember I had like 31 digs that game and my roommate Ashley Newsome had I think 26 kills. It was awesome! I do not know that I have ever felt like that before.

I had a good game that day and had such a confidence about me. I just wanted them to keep hitting and serving at me. I was determined to make a difference and it worked. We beat Georgia in five! The games were close and gave it our all.

It was one of those games I kept looking back on throughout the rest of the season for confidence boosts and mentally preparing before the games.

JN: What do you plan to do after you graduate?

KW: My degree is in Elementary Education so I plan on applying for teaching jobs upon graduation.

I would like to teach the lower grades, but right now I am just hoping and praying for a job.

I love children and cannot wait to be able to have the opportunity to work with them everyday and possibly make a difference in their lives. 

JN: Out of all the different college campuses that you’ve had the blessing to travel to, which one would you say is your favorite and why?

KW: I would have to say my all-time favorite campus would be Alabama because I grew up a Bama fan and it's just near and dear to my heart.

I also always grew up going to Alabama volleyball camps and visiting the campus a lot so that makes it even more special. I love when we play at Alabama because [it’s] always a pretty good crowd from people back home that come to watch me play.

I feel that I am always more nervous then because I want people from back home to be proud of me and see how far I have came over the past few years.

JN: Besides volleyball, what are some of your favorite activities?

KW: I love spending time with my family and playing with my two little nephews. I love going to the movies and just relaxing.

JN: Are you a fan of the Mississippi State Football team and do you ever get a chance to go to the games?

KW: Yes I am a fan of the Mississippi State football. Having the same season as football makes it a little harder to be there.

This season we only got to go to three football games and we usually have to leave the game early because of curfew. I love going to the games and just being in that atmosphere.

The volleyball team even has a tailgate at the game so it's fun for us to all hangout before the game.

Our parents that are in town usually help with organizing it so its good for us to get to spend time with them as well.

JN: Do you have a favorite vacation spot or a place you would really like to visit? 

KW: I would love to go to Tahiti. Ever since watching this past season of the Bachelorette and seeing it on television, I have wanted to go there.

My favorite vacation is going on a cruise. We usually go on a cruise as a family every summer. It is so relaxing and you get to spend good quality time with the family.

John Neuman: And one last question, what advice would you give for any young person wanting to play?

Kayla Woodard: I would tell them that playing collegiate volleyball is a full time job but you learn a lot and it's a great experience.

I have made some great memories and have gotten to travel a lot of different places. I would also tell them that they need to really love the game because it is not always fun.

It is hard work and requires determination, love, passion and dedication. It is something you have to love or you will never get through it.

I would tell them to always work hard and give all you have and it will pay off.

Coming to Mississippi State as a walk-on my freshman year was hard because I was playing just because I loved the game and not really getting anything in return. I was determined to work hard and earn a scholarship after that year. I set my mind to it and did whatever it took to make myself better.

I went from being a walk-on to a scholarship player because I worked hard and dedicated myself to the team and being a better player.

I know that my hard work and God’s guidance and protection are the reasons why I have had the success I have had here at MSU.

Thinking about Hugh McCutcheon's USA women's volleyball team evokes memories of my first-ever piece I wrote for Bleacher Report. On August 21, 2008, I published an article talking about Cuba's women's volleyball team eating humble pie at the expense of the states during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Today, I sing the praises of the United States women once again. This time, it's the whole wide world eating humble pie at the expense of McCutcheon's ladies. On Sunday, August 29 at the Beilun Gymnasium in Ningbo, China, the USA swept Japan 26-24, 25-20, 25-23 to win the 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix, women's volleyball's most prestigious tournament.

The victory ends a nine-year drought for the States, who last won the World Grand Prix in 1995 and 2001.

But it wasn't an easy road for the USA to make it this far. It began in the Baja, California, town of Tijuana, Mexico, where the IX Women's Volleyball Panamerican Cup took place.

The action started on June 18, when the USA took on Peru. It was a sweep: 27-25, 25-22, 25-17. And this was the beginning of a series of sweeps for the States. Puerto Rico was the next to fall (25-13, 25-17, 25-14), then Trinidad & Tobago (25-17, 25-9, 25-11), then Costa Rica (25-11, 25-10, 25-2), and then the hosts Mexico (25-12, 25-16, 25-15).

Sadly, they would face a major hurdle in eventual Panamerican Cup champions Dominican Republic. After dropping the first set, the Dominican Republic proved that baseball isn't the only sport they are adept at, winning 22-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-16. The USA would have to settle for bronze, sweeping Cuba 25-15, 25-20, and 25-17.

But the States had already qualified for the FIVB World Grand Prix, and they got their chance for revenge against the Dominicans to start the first preliminary round of competition.

They took advantage, rolling to a  3-1 (26-24, 22-25, 25-14, 25-19) win in Gdynia, Poland. Destinee Hooker topped the scores for the victors with 17 points in a sloppily played contest offensively.

In spite of Hooker scoring 24 points against Germany, the States fell 1-3 (23-25, 23-25, 25-16, 23-25). They would collapse one more time, this time against the hosts Poland 1-3 (16-25, 26-24, 25-19, 25-23). Hooker again led the charge with 19 points.

The two losses were fuel for the States to go on the attack. Knowing that their chance to go to Ningbo were fading before their very eyes, they ripped apart Italy at Bangkok's Keelawes Gymnasium 3-1 (26-28, 26-24, 25-23, 25-15).

Bolstering the hopes of the States was the arrival of celebrated Stanford ace Logan Tom. Combined with Heather Bown and libero Stacy Sykora, the USA proceeded to become an impenetrable force, leaving destruction in its wake through timely hitting, precision blocking, and deadly jump serves from Tom.

Next up were the hosts Thailand. It was a walk in the park for the favorites, as the hosts were swept, 25-18, 25-21, 25-13. The victory signified revenge for an unimpressive 3-2 defeat at last year's World Grand Prix.

The States wrapped up the second round against Puerto Rico, and in spite of dropping their first set, they proceeded to win 3-1 (21-25, 25-22, 25-12, 25-15). The top six teams in the preliminary rounds advance to the final round, and now the USA rose to fifth. It was off to the Hong Kong Coliseum for the third preliminary round.

The USA got a chance for more revenge against Germany. And the payback factor proved too strong for the Germans to reprise their performance in Poland. Never mind that the addition of one Logan Tom complicated matters. It was a sweep for McCutcheon's girls in the form of 25-15, 25-18, 25-13.

"Our team played very well today," McCutcheon said on the victory. "We were strong in tactics and technical skills. We are making improvement from weekend to weekend."

The improvements continued for the USA as they faced Thailand once again. It was another walk in the park, as the Stars and Stripes swept the Thais in identical 25-16 sets. They wrapped up preliminary round play at the Hong Kong Coliseum with their first look at China.

Through the power of Hooker and Foluke Akinradewo, the USA proceeded to destroy their eternal rivals in women's volleyball by the score of 25-19, 25-10, 22-25, 25-22.

The States then wrapped their FIVB World Grand Prix campaign with action in the final round. Their first match against Jerzy Matlak's Poland went the distance, and the duo of Anna Baranska and Karolina Kosek made things difficult for McCutcheon's team. But the States, led by former Cardinal Ogonna Nnamani and by the blocking power of Bown, Akinradewo and Alisha Glass, took their time and dismantled the Poles 13-25, 18-25, 28-26, 25-19, 15-12.

Their second match in the final round was against Italy. It wasn't any tough setting for the States, who swept Massimo Barbolini's side 25-23, 25-20, 25-14. That set up a classic encounter between Jose Roberto Guimaraes's Brazilian national team and McCutcheon's rising Americans.

Akinradewo pulled the strings with 16 kills and seven blocks in the USA's 3-2 (22-25, 25-19, 30-28, 17-25, 15-13) victory.

"It was a very difficult match. Both teams played hard. There are some great hits, some great rallies. It was very close," McCutcheon said following the match. "I'm very happy, but we understand that we have a lot to do. Brazil taught us a lot tonight."

And a lot more came in the form of matches against China and Japan. Wang Baoquan's team were looking for revenge from their 3-1 setback in Hong Kong.

They weren't going to get it. And the reason for that: Destinee Hooker. Her 24 points, combined with suffocating defense on China's Wang Yimei—who only managed 14 kills—paced the States to an improbable 3-0 (25-21, 27-25, 25-22) sweep.

"I'm happy about the way we played today," a belated McCutcheon said following the game. "I'm satisfied with my team. They were very disciplined in serving, blocking and defense and that helped us to get the result."

Masayoshi Manabe's Japan was not going to to make things any easier for the USA on Sunday. They were the only team that stood in the way of the States from earning their third FIVB World Grand Prix title. But the 4,000 in attendance at the Beilun Gymnasium watched in awe, as the USA, led by captain Jennifer Tamas, outblocked Japan by a blistering 15 to three en route to a 26-24, 25-20, 25-23 sweep.

"I'm really proud of my team, not only for winning this tournament, but also for the way they were playing," a relieved McCutcheon said after the match. "It's a tough match against Japan. We were happy we won. I'm very happy with our performance at the tournament. This is a great start for us, but we clearly know we need to make improvement."

If that's the case, watch out contenders; the queens of women's volleyball have officially put you on notice.

Hey Tebow! Urban Meyer! Brandon Spikes! Percy Harvin! Jesse Palmer! Your boys took a beating tonight.

Yes, we're serious this time. Penn State absolutely hammered the Florida Gators. Big Ten vs. SEC? We win the first battle!

Florida is out of National Championship contention kids...and took the pasting in Gainesville.

Just in case you think we're crazy here at the VFA, what we're saying is, in fact true. The Florida Gators DID take a pasting at home.

Unfortunately, the sport wasn't college football...it was women's volleyball, where the unbeaten Penn State Nittany Lions walked over the Florida Gators 3-0 in the NCAA Championships Sweet Sixteen.

Oh, and we might have forgotten to mention that Penn State was ranked top, while UF was ranked 18th. Nothing like a reversal of fortune from the football field to the volleyball court....

Anyway, according to the ESPNU scoreboard , the first two sets were somewhat of a walkover, with PSU putting up 2-0 with 25-12 and 25-18 set victories (apparently a marginal call helped to win the second set for the Lionesses; we only wish it could have happened for the football team in Michigan in 2005 (not that we're bitter over here), before finally dealing with the Gators in the third, coming up 25-21 winners.

The Nittany Lions play Cal in the quarters, with a view to winning (get this) their 100th straight game. They're second on the all-time win list, by the way.

In an another noteworthy match-up on Saturday, second-ranked Texas, who have a player by the incredible name of Des'ree Hooker (who's apparently incredible), play Nebraska. We hope that time won't be a factor...again.

It’s good to be home, it’s good to be home!

The Northern Michigan Wildcats men’s hockey team returned home to take on Nebraska-Omaha. The hockey team is playing gaining well and gaining ground in the CCHA heading into the holidays.

The season got underway on the road for the women’s basketball team in a successful showing against Lakeland College.

The men's team traveled to Green Bay to take on the Division I Phoenix. The Wildcats came close to upsetting the team from the Horizon League, but fell short in the end.

The women’s volleyball season is over as well. The Wildcats made it to Indianapolis as NMU competed in the NCAA tournament for the second straight year. They faced a tough yet familiar opponent in Hillsdale.

We’ve got the details coming up on that matchup. It’s the Wildcat Wrap, recapping Wildcats action in every sport this week.

Let’s get started with women’s basketball.

The Lady Wildcats set some lofty goals this off-season and in the season opener, where they showed they were going to compete all season long.

Northland College couldn’t stop the opening offensive flurry led by Christa Erickson as the Wildcats defeated the Lumberjills 65-32. NMU opened the game with a 20-4 run, as Kelly Rietveld and Christa Erickson led the 'Cats in scoring. Erickson dropped 17 points, while Rietveld tallied 14.

Erickson was perfect from the floor, including a 5-of-5 three point shooting performance.

Northern Michigan outrebounded the Lumberjills 48-17 and now heads to Duluth to take on the Lady Bulldogs on Tuesday.

NMU then wraps up their November on the road against Wisconsin-Parkside on Nov. 28th. The Lady Wildcats open up their conference schedule at home against Northwood on Dec. 3rd.

In Men’s action, after falling to No. 15 Michigan to start the season, the Wildcats looked to battle with another division I foe on Wednesday. They pushed Wisconsin-Green Bay to the brink, before the Phoenix staged a last minute rally on their way to a narrow 70-64 win.

Marc Renelique shot well from the three, hitting 7-10 from behind the arc in leading the Wildcats with 23 points. Point Guard Raymont McElroy added sixteen points and led NMU with five assists on the day.

The Wildcats and Phoenix were even on the boards, but the Wildcats shot a higher percentage from the field than the Phoenix. Northern Michigan had 16 untimely turnovers.

The Phoenix were led by Troy Cotton and Rahmon Fletcher with 19 points apiece. The Wildcats will start a five game home stand starting Tuesday, as they take on Northland College.

In women’s volleyball action, the Northern Michigan fell in dramatic fashion during the Division II NCAA Tournament against conference-foe Hillsdale, 25-23, 25-22, 17-25, 21-25, 15-12.

The Wildcats dropped the first two sets, but fought back and were able to force a fifth and final set. Despite a strong effort, the Wildcats could not hold on with the season hanging by a thread.

The Wildcats were led in kills by Mandie Meyer (21), Emma Wolfe (14), Katt Garvick (11) and Amy Anderson-Goldsworthy (11). The Wildcats had 9 service aces in the final match. Hillsdale was lead by Ashley Crowder who had 17 kills. Hillsdale’s season came to an end in the next round, when Indianapolis defeated the Chargers 3-2.

The Wildcats finished the season at 19-12, while the Chargers end their season with a 24-8 mark.

In men’s hockey action, the Wildcats had some solid success at the Berry Event Center, winning both weekend games against Nebraska-Omaha. On Friday the Wildcats opened play with a solid 5-1 victory.

The Wildcats would open up with a one goal deficit to start the game, as John Kemp lit the lamp on the power play just 3:05 into the first period. Justin Florek would even things up with his second goal of the season in the middle of the period.

The Wildcats entered play in the second with a one-man advantage and Justin Florek added his third goal of the season on the power play to give the Wildcats a one goal lead. Mark Olver would add his seventh goal of the season late in the second and Greger Hanson added his second goal in the middle of the third to give the Wildcats an insurmountable lead.

Brian Stewart allowed one goal on 24 shots. Both teams had 12 minutes of penalties in the very aggressive series opening game.

On Saturday, the Wildcats continued their hot streak and climbed over .500 in conference play with a hard fought 6-3 win.

Brian Stewart made his second start of the weekend, stuffing 34 shots, while allowing just three goals. Nebraska-Omaha jumped out to a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission, but Tyler Gron, Greger Hanson, and Mark Olver added goals in the second for Northern Michigan.

That was enough for the win, but Olver added another goal in the third. Ray Kaunisto also scored his fifth goal in that period and Phil Fox added his first of the season.

The Wildcats moved to 4-3-1 in CCHA play and 5-5-2 on the season. Mark Olver continued his offensive dominance, tallying five total points on the weekend.

The Wildcats will head to Fairbanks, Alaska next weekend to take on the Nanooks. Game time is set for 11:30 both games this weekend.

They came one win short. After a dream season a year ago, everyone but head coach Noelle Rooke and her players was writing off this season as a rebuilding year, especially when Mercer 6-17 in late October. But funnier things have happened.

Rooke’s team hit a hot stretch, winning four straight matches including a 3-1 defeat of the second best team in the A-Sun, Florida Gulf Coast, to end the home slate in 2009. Heading down to Florida with momentum in their favor, Mercer coasted by North Florida 3-1 before coming up just short to Jacksonville 3-1 in a hard fought match.

The surging Bears disposed of the Lady Ospreys quickly in the Friday night matchup after a first set letdown (14-25, 25-14, 25-14, 26-24). Led by senior setter Chelsea Gebben’s 14 assists and 11 digs, the Bears posted outstanding offensive numbers in the middle two sets to sneak past the talented North Florida squad. Rachel Urbelis would lead Mercer statistically for the night, totaling 13 kills. Libby Hansch and Krista Hurley would chips in 9 and 8 kills respectively in a match that resembled more of a chess stalemate than a offensive barn-burner.

Despite the low hitting percentages for both sides, Kaley Read and teammate Paige Pridgeon provided all of the UNF offense, combining for 31 of the team’s 55 kills for the night. Errors would prove costly though for the Ospreys in the contest (32 kill errors, 8 service errors).

“A win is a win no matter how you get it,” said Rooke following the game. “I’m thankful to keep up the winning ways.”

Unfortunately, Saturday’s contest against Jacksonville would cause the Bears to fall one game short of the Atlantic Sun postseason tournament in 2009. Although the year ended with a ‘L’ in the game column, the season ended on quite a high note as the team put together five wins in the final six contests.

Mercer won the opening set 25-21, but fell short in the final three 23-25, 23-25, 19-25 to lose the match to the Dolphins. A trio of outside hitters from JU including Brittany Lehman (17 kills), Brooke Singleton (14 kills, 12 digs), and Nicki Kent (12 kills) would pace the Dolphins at the net as Mercer responded with four players of their own in double-figures. The Bears saw a truly team effort on the floor with everyone contributing including Chelsea Gebben’s 32 assists, 1 kill, and 8 digs in her final collegiate match.

It was a bittersweet ending to a hard season for the team. “I was very pleased with the girls’ effort tonight,” Rooke said via mercerBears.com. Later Rooke would add, “They came out fighting and never gave up throughout the match…never. I am very proud of the girls. They finished strong, playing their best volleyball of the year when we expected them to. The morale in the locker room was great and I think that is a testament to the group of women we have on this team.”

With the 2009 campaign wrapped up, the Bears return all starters and bench players but the lone senior on the team, Chelsea Gebben. Gebben wraps up her career as a setter at Mercer still holding an NCAA record for the most consecutive services in a set (22 against Savannah State).

When the Wildcats take the court at the GVSU Fieldhouse on Wednesday, the competition will be fierce.

Two teams who reached the NCAA Division II tournament a year ago will battle for the third time this season.

Just last weekend the Wildcat senior class completed the goal of beating GVSU on the road. Earlier in the season, the Lakers entered the Vandament Arena hoping for competition.

They left on calm seas after a 3-1 win.

Both teams have had their ups and downs, yet they sit atop the competition in the North Division. Two even teams, separated by tiebreakers, will open up a conference tournament that has six teams with 10 or more conference wins.

All season the Wildcats have battled with conference competition. They have beat both of the No. 1 seeds.

The team in front of them on Wednesday is very athletic and spreads the ball around well. The Wildcats have shown that, on the same court they will be playing on, they can dominate games.

If all the pieces fall in the right places, the Wildcats could be hosting the semifinals or finals. The tournament will be reseeded for home court advantage after the opening round.

2009 GLIAC Volleyball Tournament Quarterfinals
Wednesday, Nov. 11

WC2 Ferris State at 1S Hillsdale, 7:00 PM
WC1 Michigan Tech at 1N Saginaw Valley State, 7:00 PM
3S Wayne State at 2S Ashland, 7:00 PM
3N Northern Michigan at 2N Grand Valley State, 7:00PM

(Joe Dexter covers NMU Athletics for Inside NMU Athletics on 1320 WDMJ and 1240 WIAN . Follow Inside NMU Athletics on Twitter for the latest in Wildcat Action.)

MARQUETTE—This week saw a bunch of action across the Northern Michigan University Sports Spectrum.

For the football and women’s soccer programs, play has ended for the 2009 season. Women’s cross country wrapped up it’s competition while the women’s volleyball program finished up it’s regular season and now looks forward to post-season play.

On the ice, the Wildcats competed in their second conference matchup this weekend in Columbus, Ohio against Ohio State and got their first win in CCHA play.

It’s time to take a closer look at what happened throughout NMU sports this week on the Weekend Wrap:

Let’s start with women’s soccer.

After a tough quarterfinal win over Findlay University, the Wildcats moved in the GLIAC Tournament to take on the No. 3 seed, Grand Valley State Lakers.

The Wildcats were outscored 6-1 in the first period and could not rebound from the powerful Laker offensive attack. Grand Valley added three goals in the second period to make it 9-1 in Allendale.

Emily Lockery added the lone goal for the 'Cats during a penalty kick. The Cats were outshot 20-6 in the game and finish the season at 10-9-1. Before the game, three members of the NMU squad were named to the 2009 All-GLIAC second team.

Forward Dana Stephens, goalkeeper Kara Music, and defender Becky Schmidt all played major parts in the 2009 season. Stephens led the team in goals, Music put together solid performance after solid performance and Schmidt was a catalyst for the Cats on defense. Congratulations to the Lady Cats for their solid showing this season.

The NMU women’s cross country team wrapped up its season at the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championships on Saturday.

The Wildcat runners finished in 13th place, putting together 343 points. Olivia Juntila was the first NMU runner to cross the finish line at a time of 23:52 to finish in 36th place. Jenny Wiedmeyer finished 62nd for NMU with a time of 24:23.

In the pool, The NMU swimming and diving team headed to University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh this weekend and just fell short of winning a very close meet.

The Wildcats fell in the meet by a total of three points. The final score was 120-117. NMU placed the top-two athletes on the diving board. Kelli Vander Baan and Alison Black scored 225.45 and 223.35 points on the one-meter. Then on the three-meter, the duo scored 235.25 and 215.00 respectively.

Gena Haas finished first in the 100-meter butterfly. Kelsey Sipple finished first in the 100-meter freestyle. The meet came down to the final event, and the Wildcats were just edged in the 200-meter freestyle relay. Wisconsin-Oshkosh finished with a time of 1:48.80. NMU’s relay squad touched the wall right behind that with a time of 1:48.98.

The NMU swimmers and divers will be out of the pool for a few weeks and will not see competition until December 3 at the Calvin College Invite.

The women’s volleyball team wrapped up its season on the road this weekend against Grand Valley State and Ferris State University.

On Friday, the Wildcats were victorious, winning three sets to one. Mandie Meyer led the team with 17 kills, Sami Vierk added 13 and Katt Garvick’s 11 gave the ‘Cats the extra boost needed for the win. The Wildcats stormed to take the first two sets, dropped the third, but then came back to shut the door in the fourth set of the match.

Katt Garvick had four service-aces in the match. After Saturday’s success the Wildcats headed to Big Rapids to take on the Ferris State Bulldogs for at least a share of the GLIAC North title.

Off the bat the Wildcats struggled, dropping the first and second sets of the match. Mandie Meyer had 14 kills and 10 digs, and the Wildcats squeaked out the 3rd set 30-28.

The Wildcats would drop the fourth set and the match to wrap the season. The volleyball team finished 18-10 on the year with an 11-5 conference record; good enough for a second place tie in the GLIAC North division. The Wildcats will take on Grand Valley State at the GVSU Fieldhouse in round one of the GLIAC Tournament. The Game will take place on Wednesday at 7:00 P.M. EST.

On the ice, the Wildcats traveled to Columbus, Ohio to take on the OSU Buckeyes this weekend.

Looking for their first conference win on Friday, head coach Walt Kyle placed goaltender Reid Ellingson in the net, hoping he could keep the offense in the game. Ellingson did more than that, posting his first collegiate shutout.

Last week’s CCHA Offensive Player of the Week, Mark Olver, scored the lone goal just 22 seconds into the game. Phil Fox posted his first point of the year on his assist to Olver as the Wildcats rolled 1-0 to pick up their first conference win.

On Saturday, The Wildcats stormed out to a 2-0 lead in the first period when Tyler Gron got his first goal of the season and Mark Olver scored his sixth of the year on the power play.

The Buckeyes tied it up in the second on even-strength goals from John Albert and Peter Boyd. In the third period it became a shootout between the two clubs as five goals were added to the tally.

Billy Smith added his second of the year for the Cats, 1:25 into the third period. Cory Schneider added one for the Buckeyes to even the score. Then in the middle of the third, Andrew Cherniwchan got on the board to give the Wildcats the lead. The Buckeyes would respond with two more goals in the third to win it 5-4. Reid Ellingson started his second straight game but gave up five goals in 29 shots faced.

The Wildcats will head on the road to take on Notre Dame next weekend.

On the Gridiron, it was senior day this Saturday and the final game of the year for the ‘Cats.

After battling through three straight losses, the Wildcats dominated play to end the season on the strong note, beating the University of Indianapolis Greyhounds 41-14.

The Seniors came out strong in their final game. Zach Nichols went over 100 yards receiving with two touchdowns, and senior runner Mark Bossuah added two of his own touchdowns.

Jon Laue played a huge role for the ‘Cats in his final game. The kicker faked the Greyhound return team into thinking he was booting it deep, but then placed a perfectly-kicked onside kick near the end of the first half to give his team the ball back with just enough time to score. The Wildcats were able to play all seniors and finish over .500 for the first time since 2002.

(For More Wildcat Athletic News and Views visit Inside NMU Athletics on Twitter).

The CSU Rams Volleyball (No. 24) team began their season Friday night, against Pepperdine (No. 26), one of their toughest opponents in the 2009-10 season. In all, the Rams didn’t have enough to hold off the more experienced Pepperdine Waves, as CSU lost their first match of the season. It was the first home loss in 29 matches.

The Rams faithful came out strong to defend the Fort on Friday, with a reported 3,876 fans in attendance at Moby Arena, but they were unable to root the Rams to victory. CSU lost 25-23 in the first set, and were devastated in the next two sets 25-17 and 25-14.

CSU (0-1) started every set well early, jumping out to leads, but Pepperdine (1-0) proved too tough for the young Rams even though some young players provided good production including; Izzy Gaulia, Dana Cranston, and Megan Plourde.

Plourde was granted a medical redshirt last season after only being able to participate in five sets in 2008, and she finally got her first start Friday and played well with a .308 hitting percentage for the match. Plourde tied sophomore Katelyn Steffan, junior Danielle Minch, and senior Tessa Nelson with six kills each. She was second behind Steffan, who lead the team in hitting percentage at .333.

To continue reading, check out Rich at examiner.com here.

The University of Buffalo Bulls kicked off their volleyball season last night with a much different result then fans and players have grown accustomed to over the past four seasons in winning their first match.

The Bulls defeated the Boston College Eagles last night in a 3-0 sweep with scores of 25-21, 25-22, 25-19.

The Bulls were led offensively by redshirt junior Kelsey Leuders who was playing her first game in almost a full season, and she had 11 kills and hit a team high .526.

Lindsey Schlegel ran a very effective offense and dished out 32 assists and the team had a respectible .242 hitting percentage for the first night.

Defensively, the Bulls were led by freshman Tori Beckman, who had 19 digs on 19 attempts for the night, Lindsey Schlegel added a block of her own, and juniors Leuders, Reese Hornbaker, and Kristin Bignell each recorded two block assists. 

For the Eagles, the offense was held to a .076 hitting and were led by Sophomore Mollie Kolosky, who recorded 12 kills and freshman setter Krissy Musserden, who handed out 25 assists to go with five kills of her own. The Eagles were only able to manage 32 kills on the Bulls for the match.

Both teams return to action this afternoon with Boston College playing Seton Hall at 10:30, and Fordham at 4:30. The Bulls face off with Fordham at 1:00 and Seton Hall at 7:00 this evening.

Defensively the Eagles were led by sophomore Brennan Clark who recorded 18 digs on 18 chances and sophomore Jordan Merideth added 2 blocks.

Notre Dame Volleyball

Louisville slugger Christina Kaelin’s fiery presence, an old friendship, and London rain re-ignited her career—and the showdown against St. John’s equally impassioned Russian import

by Michael Augsberger

The dark colors she wears while on the road, the bullets she fires at vulnerable pedestrians from behind a fence, her lethal ferocity—they all betray her. They give her away. She’s a serial killer, Notre Dame’s most repeat offender, who fits the usual-suspect profile right down to the psychologically stunting injury.

Those shaded road jerseys were tucked away as she led the Irish volleyballers through a homestand opener that reduced a star player to fits and a veteran coach to exhaustion, their most dramatic performance of the year saved for the finest team in their conference, St. John’s.

On the court she is a ruthless challenger, an authentic left-side hitter. Christina Kaelin blazes with tenacity, built straight from the mold of songs about Queens and Cops, athletes Harmon Killebrew and Doug Gilmour, and Domer-dad Dave “He’s a Killer” Hanson.

And it’s not lost on anyone, from the crowd’s prepubescent girls who reach piercing octaves after her kills to seasoned former teammates. St. Louis University setter Whitney Roth hit to Kaelin during their Louisville grade school days. That was before their high school team, Assumption, topped national polls, way before the buddies parted for prestigious Catholic colleges. “She’s one of the most intense, high-key players I’ve ever played with,” says Roth, who trains with Kaelin over the summers. “I remember when we were 17, playing club at nationals in the quarterfinals. In the fifth game we were down 11-4, and I remember her looking at me, screaming, ‘Set me the ball!’ We ended up coming back and winning.

“Tight matches, she was just like, ‘Set me the ball, and I’ll take care of it.’ That’s just how she was.”

Still is. “I definitely play better when I have a chip on my shoulder,” said Kaelin, thrice a conference weekly honoree this season. “[The passion] comes from the people I’ve played with my entire life. My coaches and my teammates from home are really intense, really competitive.”

It’s tough to imagine a time when things were not so perfectly aligned for Kaelin. She’s athletic! Recorded 24 kills her first collegiate match, three Augusts ago.

Passionate! “She’s not delicate—she wants the ball,” says freshman Kristen Dealy, a soft-spoken but punishing outside hitter, one of four Irish players in double-figure kills against St. John’s on Friday.

Well-rounded! The graphics design major’s artwork hung on former Kentucky Congresswoman Anne Northup’s office wall until she lost her seat in 2006.

Reads like a bio from CatholicMatch.com, if the URL referred to the two-hour-plus volleyball contest between the dogmatically-connected Irish and Red Storm. Domer gents must be taking numbers, looking for dates. But the prevailing notion is that she’s intimidating to approach. Like at the net. Guys—and Big East foes—must fear rejection.

“We’ve had recruits come in and be scared of her,” says classmate Serinity Phillips, a lithe attacker who defends as well as most liberos. The two first met playing for a national team development program as freshmen in high school. “She has no problem with being in-your-face. She wants the ball”—is everyone reading from the same script?—“but she also encourages us to demand the ball the way she does.”

Encouraging, too!

A junior with two years’ more eligibility, Kaelin won’t turn 21 until March, but that hasn’t stopped her shot-gunning from landing her in court—preferably in the deep corner of the synthetic, gold-painted one on the Joyce Center floor. 3.44 times per set, actually, sixth in the Big East. Kills whip from her array of right-handed shots—the type whose bounces cause the helpless dismay of Daniels, Mandy (Eastern Washington libero) rather than the spilling of expensive Daniels, Jack.

And Mandy would know: on Sept. 5 her Eagles beat the Irish 3-1 despite Kaelin’s match-leading 20 kills, one of which salvaged the only Irish set win.

A day later, on Sept. 6, Whitney Roth couldn’t contain her excitement. She called Kaelin to celebrate St. Louis’s upset of perennial powerhouse Stanford, then ranked No. 3. “I was so jealous,” Kaelin said. “I just wanted to be a part of that, and I was so happy for her to accomplish such a huge feat.”

Lifelong friends were rejoicing again, so little removed from a season of trial.

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Hardwood in the Joyce Center usually reflects the concentrated overhead lighting fiercely. Tonight, two days before the showdown with St. John’s, the light bounces with less alacrity.

In walks Christina Kaelin, all five feet, 10 inches of her, and none of it intimidating. On the court, perhaps, but not next to it, not tonight. She holds out her left hand as a greeting—the right is wrapped. Could be another injury.

She doesn’t want to re-live that. The 2007 season was lost to Christina Kaelin when she tore the labrum in her right, swinging shoulder during a summer workout.

“The thing is, Christina’s a major competitor,” notes her former club coach, Carrie McCaw. “People relied on her, always, when the game came to the end and they needed to win. The ball would go to Christina.

“So when she got hurt, it was difficult for her not to be able to contribute, very hard to sit on the bench and watch the team play and not be able to assist in any way.”

Especially irksome was the gradual nature of the tear. Before arriving at Notre Dame, Kaelin’s shoulder was healthy as a Churchill Downs thoroughbred around the corner from her home. “A lot of times shoulder injuries are wear and tear,” McCaw said, “and it did happen over time. She played for me the summer before Notre Dame, and she had no nagging. So something must have occurred that year.”

“It started to hurt at the end of freshman year,” Kaelin said. “But I didn’t really think too much of it, thought it was just a sore shoulder. In the spring it got progressively worse.”

She and old friend Whitney Roth arrived back in Kentucky from long college seasons. They went to a gym together. “She was setting me some balls. I took a couple swings, and it was just bringing me to tears.”

Tears accompanying a tear of her labrum rendered the killer powerless. Louisville doctors did the MRI, and the university’s orthopedics team performed the surgery that ended Kaelin’s 2007 campaign.

Whitney was at Christina’s side when it happened and remained there—only a call or text away—to help her through the arduous process of rehab. The two, hectically busy in-season, found much more time to talk when Christina was injured than they had the previous season. “She was very supportive, extremely supportive,” said a grateful Kaelin. “Someone I look up to very much.”

“It was really hard on her not being on the court,” Whitney said, as her former coach McCaw did. “She used that for motivation to get back in shape.”

But northeast of St. Louis, the Irish spirits and win-loss record headed south without Kaelin. Notre Dame finished 15-13 and missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1991. Says Phillips, no stranger to fiery court celebrations herself, “We missed her edginess, her competitive spirit. She would have been a huge influence on that team.”

Security guards hint to the few souls left in the arena as the lighting grows more romantic and the night grows older. Sports information director Alan George stops on his way out. “Kaelin’s the type of player that can change a program,” he says. Over his shoulder, a young man begins to shoot hoops on the arena floor, almost in the dark. He takes his first shot. Air ball.

“We have Kaelin last year, and we win five or six more games. And if we didn’t have Kaelin this year?” George’s voice trails off into the void of a barren Joyce Center.

Another air ball from the background answers his query.

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The long road back began with Whit and spun toward the Brits. Kaelin credits a six-week seminar in London with high billing in healing her shoulder. There she studied with a couple of teammates in the university’s summer program.

London—the refreshing respite she needed—brought Kaelin a long way from her yearlong slumber and, in fact, from her youthful over-aggression. “They didn’t have a gym over there,” she explained, “so I didn’t take any swings for a month. I just did lifting and conditioning, and I know it sounds weird because I didn’t do anything, but I think that the rest helped it to heal completely.

“I think my shoulder wasn’t totally healed before I went,” she said, “but after I got back it felt tenfold better than it did at the end of the spring semester.” To call her play this season tenfold better would be an exaggeration, but not by much. The junior has improved on her freshman season in every major category, raising her attack average almost a hundred points higher.

Yet her injury and the rehab have refined even her most valuable asset: her fire.

George, the SID, has studied every move of Christina’s injury-plagued year and her return to the lineup since he was appointed prior to the 2007 season. According to him, during her juniors career the killer could take her intensity over the line. “By all accounts I’ve heard, in high school on the court she could really be downright nasty,” he said. “Just screaming at opposing players across the net, referees.”

Christina has done her worst in the past. “Going to my knees, slamming the floor,” she lists. “Yelling at the other team through the net.” Not exactly pleasantries, mind you. She laughs immediately upon invitation to reiterate something, then nods: It’s not repeatable. “But I’ve definitely cleaned it up since high school.”

One of the few Irish to have seen Kaelin at that time, Phillips agrees. “Now she’s bottled her intensity,” said Phillips, “so it’s still intimidating but not…” She has to think of the perfect word. “But not rude. She brings our team an edge, but it’s a classy edge.”

She brought back the edge on Aug. 29, her first match after the surgery. George could feel her nervousness before a win over IPFW in which she posted only two kills and a negative attack average. But for a player Phillips describes as “a riot and outgoing” from the day they met six years ago, the nervousness took all of, oh, twenty hours to diffuse. The next two nights Kaelin notched 24 kills, hitting .480 in the loss to Valparaiso.

They had imprisoned the killer for a year. Now parole was up.

“It gave her a confidence boost,” George said, “that enabled her to realize she actually was over the injury. It was done.”

It was almost done. Two weeks ago Irish coach Debbie Brown put her Louisville Slugger to the test at home against a mediocre Marquette bunch. Following a first set in which Kaelin committed four attack errors, including three in a row, Debbie Brown made like Larry Brown and benched her under-performing star. The team emerged for the second frame with Kaelin right back where she was the previous year—on the pine.

What happened? “Kaelin was playing bad, and so were most of the starters,” Brown told The Observer. “It’s not fair to have our backups sitting when they were playing that poorly.” Yet the backups fared little better, dropping sets four and five as Golden Eagles leading scorer Ashlee Fisher finally managed to beat a staunch Irish block that had quieted her through the opening rounds.

Kaelin responded to Brown’s discipline with eight kills in the third set, a 25-20 Irish win. So, she took you out of the game, Christina? “She did,” the junior recalls, as if hearing a juicy rumor in her Assumption cafeteria, clearly still incredulous, almost indignant. But most impressive wasn’t her stat line—it was her attitude. It wouldn’t have happened in high school, and it may not have happened before her injury. Yeah, she was p----d—she was still p----d, a week and a half later—but she managed her emotions.

“I hate watching from the sideline, and I think I did that enough last year to last me a lifetime,” she said. “Whenever I’m taken out of the game, even now, it just fires me up more. Because I want to be out there so bad.”

But her injury made her reevaluate her sideline contributions and curb her feistiness when she wasn’t in the lineup. Says Kaelin, “From the sideline you have to take on a new role and help out the players out on the court. I learned that last year. Try to pick up strategy, techniques during the game to help out the other hitters.”

That disappointing weekend tightened the strings of their lone match against 1-11 Rutgers the following week, not anymore a foregone conclusion given the loss to sub-.500 Marquette. But Phillips, a 5’11” outside hitter (seven kills, three blocks), and reigning Northeast Regional Freshman of the Year Kellie Sciacca (seven kills, .467) split the spotlight with poor Rutgers play. 38 attacking errors turned Knights first-year coach Jeff Werneke Scarlet in the face, and a school-record, third-set victory margin of 17 points assured the Irish a playoff spot heading into the final weekend. What seed, the only unresolved issue.

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Now the Joyce Center is fully lit again. The bright lights ricochet off all the white giveaway T-shirts on this Friday, “white-out” night.

At 11-1, St. John’s game-night roster includes more foreign nationals than their cross-town Ellis Island, which at least partially explains how their play resembles that of the Ryder Cup international teams that dominated the U.S. in the early 2000s compared to the rest of the domestic Big East. Arena music coordinator Beth Hunter could have started her own radio show but in the interest of a 7:05 start settled on playing just one national anthem. “I might play three,” she said with a wink. With three players each from Europe and China, and two from Latin America, the Red Storm had coalesced seven different nationalities and nine straight conference conquests to all but clinch the top seed for this week’s Big East tournament. A win tonight would ice it.

Judging by her 13 kills, perhaps Kaelin, like this year’s U.S. Ryder Cup team at her hometown Valhalla Golf Club, felt at home against the invaders. Her right thumb—recall the second injury—was wrapped in tape but a non-issue, probably only a sprain and nothing she wouldn’t soldier though. By Sunday she wouldn’t even need the tape.

Red Storm sniper Valeria Kovaleva, a senior who transferred after her freshman season at St. Peter’s College—that’s in Moscow, Russia—proved more difficult an adversary than any injury. She grabbed the ball to serve at 1-1 in the first and didn’t relent until it was 10-1 en route to a 25-17 rout. “It was a good first set,” said St. John’s 15th-year coach Joanne Persico-Smith in her New Yawk accent.

“Then ND took it away from us with great blocking, great heart, great courage,” she said. The only person to have both Big East Player and Coach of the Year awards on her mantle (1986, Syracuse; 2006, St. John’s) watched as Serinity Phillips strung together a couple of serves to take a 10-3 lead in the second. Persico-Smith’s entire collection of allotted timeouts couldn’t break the momentum. All told, the record showed nine straight points, six from Red Storm errors. 25-18, Irish.

It was then that 8-4 Notre Dame’s defense at the net coagulated. As blocks crippled their attack, the Red Storm offense lost its methodical choreography and any sense of poise. Especially Kovaleva, St. John’s own illustration in intensity.

Their frustration came to a head in the middle of the third. The arena’s youthful patrons would have been better off without the antics of Kovaleva, the senior outside hitter whose short, bright blonde hair only further punctuates her menacing approach. Prompted by 6’3” senior Justine Stremick blocking a string of her spikes, Kovaleva—so distraught, her first words after the match were, “Did I hit negative?”—evoked images of a much younger version of Christina Kaelin.

Out of misguided intensity, she kicked the ball deep into the stands, earning the Russian ambassador to the Queens, N.Y. campus a prolonged chorus of Bronx cheers and a yellow card. “I felt I shouldn’t have done that,” a remorseful team leader, in emotions and kills (3.29 per set), said later. “My teammates look at me, and if I’m frustrated, they become [so], too.”

Her feelings certainly spread like wildfire. Baseline to net, red-clad players showed signs of disgust—Beijing native Kun Song flailing her arms here, setter Casie Brooks jerking back her head there. Stremick, flanked at times by Phillips and Kristen Dealy, controlled the net like a fleet on a coastal blockade through the match’s middle stages, baffling the same Red Storm attackers who ranked 12^th in the nation in kills per set. Notre Dame held them under their usual 14.37 in each set, never allowing more than 13. “The team fed off that [blocking],” said Stremick, a senior. “Being able to shut down another player…” She continued, but the words weren’t important. Her blue eyes twinkled, and that’s all that was necessary.

Kaelin’s three kills led the Irish offense in their third-set victory to make it 2-1, her spikes most effective tonight from the outside, aimed at the left, hard with topspin. But early in that frame she displayed the deep-pocketed shot arsenal for which Whitney Roth so admires her. “She is a very smart hitter,” Roth said, “and she can hit all types of shots. To be able as a hitter to hit down-the-line shots and touch shots is very beneficial.” And so at 3-6 Kaelin took the pass from setter Jamel Nicholas and masterfully kissed it to the center of the St. John’s defense, where four prostrate players locked hands trying to revive what was a deceased ball before arrival. Two points later the Louisville hitter, again from Nicholas, opted for a more traditional, power route to set the Irish on a four-point run to 8-7. No doubt she was exhorting her setter to get-me-the-ball—and St. John’s never saw the third-set lead again.

“Kaelin’s a nice player with a great shot down the line,” said Persico-Smith, who holds the endearing habit of tugging at your shoulder when she feels inspired. Everyone she talks to is a long-lost friend. “They got us so far out of it, on the road, on white-out day.”

But ever the sportswoman, Persico-Smith managed to tame not only her own killer but also, somehow, Notre Dame’s. Kaelin would collect five more kills in two sets. Meanwhile, Kovaleva would hit 10 in that span. She emerged a new woman for the fourth set, poised and collected, leaving the 1,591 paying customers wondering precisely what the hell sort of magic Persico-Smith had worked in order to calm her temper. “I don’t say much to Kovaleva,” smiled the coach, with another friendly shoulder tug. “Obviously she’s got a fiery head.”

“I couldn’t change the situation,” said Kovaleva, explaining her sudden but indispensable change of mindset from fragile to resolute. “I just changed my attitude toward it.”

Her team cleaned up its attacking mess—they hit just .030 in sets two and three—and, with a 10-5 run in the middle of the fourth, red-stormed back to tie the match at two sets apiece.

The extra period took extra time to conclude. Notre Dame fended off three match points to tie at 14, but when it mattered, it was Kovaleva who proved why St. John’s brought her all the way from Moscow. She had committed six errors out of nine attempts in that dreadful third set. In the fifth, rival Kaelin’s three scores were not enough. With the match on the line, Kovaleva buckled down, blocked Kaelin’s final stab at 13-10, and notched five kills—match-winner included.

She turned without flourish from the fatal blow, a down-the-left-line, close-range missile. Fist clenched, relieved more than excited, Kovaleva retreated to an emotional team hug at center court. Truly they had toiled for the Big East regular season title, winning this capstone match by the slightest of margins possible in volleyball, two points in the fifth set. “We really earned it,” said Kovaleva, finishing with 17 kills, more than Kaelin’s team-leading 13 despite her loss of sanity in the second and third frames. “One of the toughest matches I’ve ever played. It felt like a championship match.”

Such postseason-like intensity completely drained Persico-Smith, who drudged across the court after the game with high spirits but low fuel. She needed to sit down. Anywhere. The courtside press table did just fine. “You know, my back gives me problems,” she remarked as she looked around the Joyce Center, empty once again. “This is a tough place to win. I’m so proud of my players right now.” She soaked it in—a second No. 1 seed for the Big East tournament in three years.

Very rarely in sport today is there such loyalty. She grew up with little, a stone’s throw from the Jamaica section of Queens where St. John’s sits. Attended St. Francis Prep in Fresh Meadows. Played collegiately in her Empire State. 15 years of coaching monogamy. No coach deserved it more—the press table seat, or the seed.

Later, Notre Dame’s seed could have fallen as low as seventh, depending on Sunday’s result with Connecticut. As of Saturday the fifth-place Irish didn’t know whether they would play Louisville, Cincinnati, or UConn again. “We want the best spot possible, the easiest road to the finals,” Kaelin said, with more than a hint of urgency. “We need to win this tournament to make the NCAAs. It’s a pretty blatant fact.”

But a higher number when it comes to seeds may not suit the Irish all that poorly. The more seeds they get from Kaelin’s right arm, anyway, the better. Doesn’t matter which seed receives them, either. Any victim will do. She’s a weird serial killer, like that—she’s not particular.

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Michael Augsberger is co-sports editor of Notre Dame’s yearbook, The Dome, and play-by-play commentator for the volleyball team on UND.com. He can be reached at maugsber@nd.edu.