- The Record Archives
- Volume CXVIII, No. XXI - November 17, 2005 -
Blazers' season ends at hands of St. Thomas
Tommies take down CSB for the third time this season
Editorial staff
For the first time since 1997, the Blazer volleyball found itself competing in the NCAA Division III Central Regional tournament last weekend.
"For us seniors, this has been our best year," senior setter Beth Schiller said.
Unfortunately for the Blazers, the team's "best" season ended abruptly last weekend at the hands of a familiar opponent — St. Thomas.
The odds were against the Blazers heading into the regional semifinals Friday night.
St. Thomas won the MIAC regular season, conference playoff and had already beaten the Blazers twice this season. One was a 3-1 loss in the regular season, while the other was a 3-2 loss in the finals of the MIAC playoffs.
The dominance continued on Friday night as St. Thomas won 3-0 to move on to the regional final.
"It's frustrating," Schiller said. "St. Thomas had a good team but they weren't unreachable."
Not even the lowest hitting percentage of the season (.056) was going to cut it against the top-seeded Tommies, led by All-American and MIAC player of the year Erika Wetzel. Wetzel had 31 kills and 19 digs.
"We stuck with them halfway through the games, but without any runs, they pulled away," Schiller said.
Sophomore Emily Stessman led the team with 11 kills, while senior Shantelle Needham recorded 14 digs and served four aces.
St. Thomas lost in the region final 3-0 to Washington (Mo.), the nation's No. 1 ranked team.
The Blazers advanced to play St. Thomas after a win against Nebraska Wesleyan.
With a strong start, the Blazers outplayed Wesleyan in a five-game contest Thursday night, with stand-out performances from five players.
Teri Knapper, Shantelle Needham, Emily Stessman and Beth Schiller each recorded double-doubles. Junior Laura Zwach added 39 digs.
The Blazers beat Nebraska Wesleyan once prior to the match, during a preseason tournament in Texas.
The Blazers finished the season with a 23-6 overall record. The highlight for the three seniors may be the win against Concordia.
"We hadn't beaten Concordia since our freshman year, and it was about time," Schiller said.
The Blazers also defeated Carleton during the playoffs on the Knight's home turf, with a 3-0 sweep.
"Our goal was to win the conference this year. It was tough with how deep the conference was," Schiller said.
Four teams represented the MIAC in the region tournament.
Two Blazers also walked away with tournament and national honors. Junior Teri Knapper and senior Ashley Pinckney were named to the Central Region All-Region first team and also selected to the Division III All-American team. Knapper was selected to the second team and Pinckney as an honorable mention.