The volleyball team is riding high this year-it defeated No. 3 Stanford, is currently No. 1 in the Atlantic 10 Conference and, for the first time in program-history, is nationally ranked.
But none of that matters. There’s a storm on a way.
The No. 20 Billikens go to Ohio to face conference rivals Xavier and Dayton this weekend in an end-of-the-season showdown. The Bills silenced both teams last month to strengthen their hold on the A-10 Conference. This time, it’s for bragging rights.
“Both matches mean something . We are trying to play for something,” head coach Anne Kordes said. “Regardless of where these teams stood in the conference, there’s no love loss with Dayton and Xavier. It’s a healthy rivalry … It’s a game we get excited for.”
Saint Louis University swept both team, 3-0, the first time around. The team has won 14 straight games and is 22-4 overall, 11-0 A-10. By comparison, Xavier is 14-12 overall, 7-4 in A-10 play; Dayton is 19-9 and 10-2 in A-10.
The Billikens will have their hands full, however. Both teams have an impressive lineup that can deliver both offensively and defensively, according to Kordes.
“Dayton and Xavier are two opposite teams, so they are hard to prepare for, especially when you have to play them back-to-back,” Kordes said. “Dayton is big and powerful, Xavier is small and quick. We have to put up huge blocks against Dayton; we can’t do that against Xavier. We have to be ready on the ground.”
That doesn’t worry Sammi McCloud. The junior, who was named A-10 Player of the Week for the thrid time this week, is up for the challenge.
“[Having won before] definitely gives us motivation,” McCloud said. “We know that it’s possible, but we’re not overlooking them.
“We seemed to stop them the first time, so, hopefully, we can put together a good game plan this time.”
The team has come a long way. Victories against both Dayton and Xavier this weekend would propel the Bills into the A-10 tournament, which they were picked to win in pre-season polls.
An A-10 championship would mean an automatic berth into the NCAA National Championship, a feat the team hasn’t accomplished since 2006.
“I came here with a big vision, and I knew I could recruit here [because of the University],” Kordes said. “I didn’t know I could get such a good class the first year to take this program to the next level. I’m surprised it’s come this quickly.”
So, what does McCloud think?
“Each step we’ve come closer to our goal [of the NCAA],” she said. “Everything has gone exactly to plan. I know we should be here, and I definitely thought it could happen.”
