APPLETON, Wis. — It was the most important match of the season for the Lawrence University volleyball team, and it was one in which the Vikings weren’t playing.
When St. Norbert knocked off Ripon on Oct. 26, it vaulted Lawrence into the four-team Midwest Conference Tournament in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Lawrence plays top seed Cornell Friday night in one semifinal, and St. Norbert faces Grinnell in the other. The winners meet Saturday in the title match with a NCAA Division III Tournament berth on the line.
“I was at home watching (the webcast), and I know the team got together and was watching,” Lawrence coach Matt Schoultz said. “We were texting back and forth. It’s a great step for our program and a great opportunity to represent Lawrence at the tournament.”
Lawrence (11-15) has been knocking on the door of the tournament since 2013 and narrowly missed making it last season.
“Knowing the players we had returning and how close we came last year to making it, it was something we felt was attainable this year,” Schoultz said. “We had some pretty high expectations, and that was our goal this year.”
The Vikings returned all-conference hitter Arianna Neumeyer, the setting duo of Lauren Ray and Sydney Nelson and defensive standout Cyra Bammer. A valuable new addition to the mix has been rookie outside hitter Rachel Barthel.
The Vikings stumbled out of the gate with an 0-2 conference mark, but then reeled off five straight conference wins.
“It was just staying the course,” Schoultz said of the win streak. “Just continuing to get better and staying more consistent. That started with how they approached practice. They never lost focus and got down on themselves. They stayed very positive and motivated.”
Road losses at Grinnell and Cornell to finish the league slate put their tournament berth in jeopardy before they got the assist from St. Norbert. It’s Lawrence’s first berth in the MWC Tournament since it went to its current four-team format in 2008.
“Setting that expectation and then realizing it — it changes the attitude of the entire program,” Schoultz said. “To say you’re in the top four and made it to the conference tournament finally, it’s a great builder for our returning players and for players looking to come here in the future.”
Just making the tournament isn’t enough for Schoultz and the Vikings. They would like to win a match or two, but the Vikings will have to knock off four-time defending champion Cornell to get to the title match. It would be a first for Lawrence volleyball, and Schoultz would like to add “2016” to the volleyball banner in Alexander Gymnasium.
“Every day we step in that gym and we have an empty banner up there. It’s hard not to think about that every day in practice,” Schoultz said.
“We are not just being satisfied with being at the tournament. They feel like they have the talent and ability to win a match. … I feel like we could be right there with (Cornell), and I think the team feels that way.”