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More Milestones at Stake as
Pointers Host WIAC Quarterfinals
Already achieving numerous program milestones during the 2006 season,
UW-Stevens Point looks to add another Tuesday night as the Pointers and
UW-River Falls meet in the opening round of the Wisconsin
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference volleyball tournament.
The match is set for 7
p.m. on Oct. 31 at Berg Gym in Stevens Point. At stake is a berth in the WIAC final
four weekend on Nov. 3-4 at the highest remaining seed. The victor
meets either top-seeded UW-Eau Claire or eighth-seeded UW-Stout in the
semifinals.
The fourth-seeded Pointers are playing their
first home postseason match since 1998 and their 24-11 overall record
marks their highest victory total since 1995. UW-Stevens Point, which
placed ninth in the conference last year and was picked for ninth in
this year�s preseason poll, could clinch its first WIAC semifinal
appearance since 1995 with a win. The Pointers, who have never won the
WIAC tournament in its 27-year history, concluded the regular season by
winning 15 of their last 20 matches.
UW-River Falls has also been red hot with 15
wins in its last 18 matches, suffering all three losses to top 10 ranked
teams for a 23-11 overall record. The Falcons have lost in the
quarterfinals the past two years after making six straight trips to the
semifinals. Their last tournament title came in 1996.
The teams met at Berg Gym on Sept. 23 as the
Pointers� 30-22, 30-26, 24-30, 30-23 victory over the Falcons snapped a
16-match losing streak in the series and was their first since 1994. In
fact, sixth-year UW-Stevens Point coach Stacey White played at UW-River
Falls for Falcons� coach Patti Ford and was a member of that 1994 squad.
UW-Stevens Point has been led by junior
middle hitter Shelly Maus, who leads the WIAC with 205 blocks for an
average of 1.67 per game. Maus also has a .353 kill percentage and
averages 3.47 kills per game. Sophomore Callie Kunde has 12
triple-doubles this season, averaging 2.77 kills, 6.38 assists and 2.89
digs per game. Senior Lori Marten is among the WIAC leaders in digs at
5.28 per game and needs 17 more to eclipse her own single-season school
record of 676.
UW-River Falls has five senior starters,
including twins Kate and Molly Thompson. Kate ranks third in the WIAC
with 4.15 kills per game and Molly averages 2.53 kills per game. Andrea
Geehan, a 2005 first-team all-WIAC performer, did not play in the loss
to the Pointers and ranks fifth in the league with 3.77 kills per game.
Kat Krtnick is one of the league�s top setters, averaging 12.38 assists
per game. Libero Lindsey Mace is the team�s fifth senior and averages
4.97 digs per game. Mace also missed the earlier meeting with the
Pointers.
The Falcons lead the all-time series 30-20.
The teams last played in the postseason in 1999 with UW-River Falls
recording a three-game sweep. The Falcons' victory followed UW-Stevens
Point's most recent tournament triumph, coming over UW-Superior in the
1999 play-in match. |
