Expect to win. It’s that simple.
In order for the Saint Louis University volleyball team to rebound from last weekend’s upset in Wisconsin, they must establish new expectations.
“It’s important that we get a tradition or self image of winning. If you’re used to winning, you find a way no matter what. We don’t always find a way,” said head coach Marilyn Nolen.
After last week’s three game upset over Murray State, the Billikens (2-5) lost their momentum at the Badger Invitational in Madison, Wis., dropping all three matches in the tournament.
“We were somewhat weary of the level of the tournament. All of the teams are nationally ranked, and Wisconsin just had a big win over University of Southern California and is now ranked third,” Nolen said.
The Bills first faced the University of Northern Iowa, and lost the match in three games with scores 30-15, 30-11, and 30-18. The normally heavy-hitting Billikens were held to a -.030 hitting percentage, while the Panthers slammed .391 for the match.
Sophomore Alyson Merchant and junior Missy Werges led the Billiken attack, contributing six kills a piece.
Junior standout Colleen Hunter was held to just five kills throughout the match, marking the first time in 28 matches that Hunter did not post double-digits in kills.
“Colleen was limited not so much by Northern Iowa’s defense, but by our own passing errors. It’s hard to run middle attacks if the ball doesn’t go to the setter,” Nolen said.
“We had errors in fundamentals, like serving and passing. We tried to do things too quickly, we weren’t patient and we rushed,” Nolen added.
The following day, the Bills fell to the host Wisconsin Badgers. The No. 3 ranked Badgers won the first two games 30-13 and 30-15, but the Bills took the third game 30-27. However, it was Wisconsin who closed the match, winning the fourth game 30-11. In what was the most outstanding effort from the Bills, SLU hit .314, while the Badgers hit a match-low .231.
However, Wisconsin came back in the fourth and final game of the match, and resumed their heavy hitting to slow the Billikens’ run.
Hunter led the Billiken attack with 15 kills, and defensively contributed six digs and three blocks.
Junior middle hitter Ember Knobeloch added 10 kills for the Billikens, and Beth Middendorf led the team defensively with eight digs. Sophomore setter Shannan Swiney dished up 34 assists during the match.
In the third and final match up of the weekend, the Billikens had the closest match of the tournament against Ball State University, but ended up dropping the match in three straight sets, with scores 30-27, 30-24, and 30-26.
During the first game, the Bills led most of the match, until the score was tied by BSU at 27. In the end, it was the Cardinals who closed the game by scoring the final three points. The second game remained close much like the first game, but was again closed by Ball State. In game three, the lead bounced back and forth between the Bills and the Cardinals, but the late streak from the Cardinals ended the match.
“We didn’t close out the match. It’s something we’ve dealt with, but we’re playing at a much higher level,” Nolen said.
Junior Brooke Minniear was the leading hitter against Ball State, connecting on seven of 15 attempts for an overall hitting percentage of .467.
Hunter had the team high number of kills with 10, and senior Cristal Leonard added eight kills to the Saint Louis efforts.
“Everyone’s hitting stats went up against Ball State. Our hitting got better because our passing got better,” Nolen said.
Due to the events in New York and Washington, D.C., Tuesday’s match with the Indiana Hoosiers was postponed. It will be rescheduled for a later date.
This weekend, the Bills travel to Florida for the South Florida Best Western Invitational. The schedule of the tournament is uncertain, due to Tuesday’s events.
The Bills hope to play well in their Conference-USA opener against South Florida. Last season, the Bulls eliminated the Billikens from the Conference tournament, and went on to win the C-USA crown. Coach Nolen is confident heading into the match with South Florida that the Billikens will be ready for the challenging matchup.
“We’ve increased our level of competition, and we’re settling more into our starting lineups,” Nolen said. “Good things are developing.”
