SXU Athletics
The women’s volleyball team was very busy last week, playing several games.
The Cougars even traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan, later in the week.
On Oct. 3 and 4, the women hosted the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Crossover Tournament.
However, being at home didn’t necessarily give them a home-court advantage.
After winning their first game against Purdue University-North Central (25-13, 25-20, 25-7), the Cougars lost to Indiana University-South Bend (21-25, 24-26, 19-25) and rival University of Saint Francis (Illinois) (25-16, 22-25, 22-25, 18-25).
Losing to these two teams brought the Cougars’ winning streak to an end.
For both the Purdue and Indiana game combined, senior middle hitter Marie Hackert shone with 20 kills and six blocks (one solo).
Senior setter Kelli Shaffer posted an impressive 60 assists and 12 digs.
Heidi Gregerson, a junior middle blocker and outside hitter, contributed 19 kills and five blocks (one solo).
Junior right side player Meghan Falsey recorded 14 kills, eight digs and three block assists.
The Saint Francis game on Oct. 4 was the ladies’ final game of the CCAC Crossover Tournament.
Freshman outside hitter Anna O’Hara and Gregerson led the team in kills; they had 12 and 11 kills, respectively.
Shaffer had 36 assists and three service aces, while Falsey contributed eight kills and two block assists.
Senior defensive specialist and outside hitter Jessica Galotta posted 16 digs and seven kills.
Freshman Shauna Meagher, a libero, recorded 17 digs.
Fortunately, the ladies quickly recovered and took home wins against Judson University, Taylor University (Ind.), and Campbellsville University.
During the Judson game on Oct. 7, Gregerson led with a career-best 17 kills; she also contributed four blocks, one of which was a solo.
Shaffer had a whopping 43 assists, 10 digs and two kills.
O’Hara contributed 10 kills and two service aces, while sophomore defensive specialist and setter Erica Harris had 13 digs.
Falsey recorded nine kills, a team-high 14 digs and two block assists.
The team’s performance was impressive, no doubt, with an attack percentage of .400 in the first set.
The women then traveled to Michigan to play in the Davenport University Panther Invitational against Taylor and Campbellsville.
O’Hara stood out once again, leading her team to victory.
Shaffer contributed 80 assists, 12 kills, 26 digs and four service aces combined for both games of the day.
Gregerson recorded 21 kills and five blocks (one solo), while Hackert posted 20 kills and five block assists.
Falsey finished with 18 kills and two block assists.
Senior libero Dominique Aramburu led her team with 29 digs, and Galotta had 13 kills and 22 digs.
The Cougars had two more matches in Grand Rapids, Michigan, against Grace College and Ashford University on Saturday.
Prior to the first round of the CCAC Tournament on Nov. 11, the volleyball team has nine more games after their game against Saint Ambrose.
The team has consistently been working hard, and it is very clear that their hard work has been paying off.
Despite their rocky start to the season, the Cougars have gotten comfortable with each other, taking home several wins recently.
However, the ladies, including their head coach Robert Heersema, don’t get cocky. They just continue to strive for more.
Being as hard-working as they are, the Cougars are never 100% happy, because they know that they can defeat each and every one of their opponents; if they lose, for example the two games they lost after their five game winning streak, the team does not take much time to recover.
Losing to two teams only made them work harder, and within three days the ladies were back on the court, recording win after win.
Now the Cougars can work on beating their previous winning streak record.
Next, the team heads to Davenport, Iowa, for a game against Saint Ambrose University, who will be a member of the CCAC beginning in 2015.
Alexis Flamburis
Sports Contributor
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