The Tigers travelled to Lisle, Ill. this past weekend to take part in the Benedictine University’s Eagle Classic, where they emerged with two wins, two losses and an overall season record of 24-9.
“We saw a lot of tough competition this weekend,” sophomore Elizabeth Wilson said. “It definitely helped prepare us for the upcoming NCAC tournament.”
The first team DePauw played was Dominican University, who they topped 3-1 (25-23, 19-25, 25-20, 25-23).
Junior Sarah Burtenshaw had 14 kills to lead the Tigers, followed by classmates Lauren Falotico with 12 and Molly Rinhart with 11. Junior Faith Rowles assisted 45 of the 55 kills, and Wilson and first-year Emily Beckes both had three aces.
On the defensive side, junior Keely McGrath had 17 digs, with sophomore Rachel Lenderman and Beckes contributing 16 apiece.
Senior Mary Kate Etling had five blocks, a team high.
The Tigers then faced 17th-ranked Carthage College, who they took to five games but ultimately lost 3-2 (25-20, 18-25, 25-20, 19-25, 15-12).
Burtenshaw had 15 kills and Rowles had 36 assists, while McGrath had 27 digs and three service aces.
“This was a good building weekend for us,” Wilson said. “We made a lot of steps forward in a lot of areas in the game.”
The Tigers continued to step forward on Saturday, when they blanked North Central University (25-12, 25-23, 25-18).
Three players tied with seven kills each—Falotico, Etling and Wilson—and Rowles assisted 31 of 36 kills.
Much like against Carthage, the Tigers took 16th-ranked Elmhurst College to five games but ended on the losing side (25-22, 25-18, 25-22, 18-25, 15-13).
Wilson had 17 kills, leading the Tigers, and was followed by Falotico with 10. Rowles had 44 assists while McGrath dug up 24 balls.
“Though we didn't win against Elmhurst and Carthage,” Junior Molly Rinehart said. “We played some of the best volleyball that we've played this year.”
The Tiger’s biggest problem this weekend was finishing.
“We need to work on finishing games, we need to get up early and be able to stay up,” Wilson said.
The team’s next focus? The NCAC tournament that kicks off on Friday at Neal Fieldhouse against Oberlin College at 7 p.m.
“Going into the NCAC tournament, our team needs to be mentally focused,” Rinehart said. “You never want to go into the conference tournament too relaxed, because upsets happen all the time.”
The Tigers will be the 2nd seed, behind Wittenberg University.
“Wittenberg is without a doubt going to be the most difficult team to handle this weekend,” Rinehart said. “They have extremely strong offense, but so do we. It is really going to come down to who can shut down the others offense first.”
Wittenberg is currently ranked 4th in the country. The last time the Tigers faced them on the road, they lost by two sets.
Rinehart has a couple of keys to winning.
“We'll need our defense to really step up and pick up their strong hits,” Rinehart said. “We'll also need our block to be strong. If we can do these things and be aggressive with our offense, I believe we have a high chance at winning.”
Rinehart believes in her team, not because they are the best individually, but because they are the best together.
“We have an unbelievable team chemistry on the court,” Rinehart said. “I believe that this is why we are such an effective team. Though some teams may hit harder, serve tougher, pass better and block more effectively, we work so well together that we tend to beat teams even if player for player they are better.”
If the Tigers win the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament, they receive an automatic bid to the national tournament.
Said Rowles: “I know we can compete with some of the best teams in the country.”