Oh, how sweet it is.
For the first time since joining the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2005, the Billikens are sole champions of the West Division regular season crown. They enter the A-10 Championship Tournament as the No. 1 seed after finishing the season undefeated in the conference.
Clinching the crown couldn’t have happened in a more beautiful fashion. The Billikens downed rivals Dayton and Xavier last weekend to secure their place on top of the conference.
SLU, at 24-4, achieved the program’s most wins since the 1996 season and is the first team since the 1997 Temple squad to complete the regular season conference slate with an unblemished record. This is also the winningest campaign in Anne Kordes’ head coaching career.
“Coach Kordes has done a masterful job of building a championship program,” Athletic Director Chris May said. “[She] is a special coach that knows how to build a great program. I am proud to have Coach Kordes leading our volleyball program.”
Kordes is quick to stress, though, that, while she brought the talent to St. Louis, it is that talent that has turned the program around.
“It’s not about one person; it never has been,” Kordes said. “It is totally about this team. If we hadn’t brought in the right players, we wouldn’t be here. This team has so much potential … and they are having a ball. If they are happy in their lives, then volleyball is going to be great.”
Kordes and her champion Billikens also know that the fight is far from over.
SLU hosts the A-10 Tournament at Chaifetz Arena this weekend. The team will play Saturday at 8 p.m. against the lowest remaining seed in the bracket.
“Everyone can play with nothing to lose against us,” Kordes said. “We haven’t really been pushed this season, and it’s anybody’s game. The lowest remaining seed can give us more trouble than the highest remaining seed.”
Playing at home, though, does provide the Billikens with an advantage. The last time the team lost at home was in September to the University of Illinois during the Billiken Invitational. Being unbeaten, at home, and favored, though, raises expectations for the squad.
“This is our ultimate goal as a team, something we’ve worked for, something we’ve played for all year,” junior Whitney Behrens said. “This is a lot of fun.”
“I think some people would think it’s a new season, but I think for us, a loss is a loss,” junior setter Whitney Roth said. “Yeah, if you lose in the postseason you’re out, but losing for us was never acceptable.”
Adding to the challenge is the unknown: the team will not know who they are playing. For now the team is reviewing tape from last weekend’s match against Dayton.
Maybe it’s just coincidence, but the Flyers are the returning champions.
“We are watching ourselves mainly,” Roth said. “We were pushed by Dayton last weekend, so we were watching our weaknesses, what we need to fix. It helps us prepare.”
But in 2008, when the stakes have been high, the team has risen to the challenge. Now, with an NCAA Tournament berth in sight, the team is ready to lay it all on the court.
“It motivates you,” Behrens said. “You know they are looking to beat you. And we won’t be taking this lightly. Bring it on!”
