Volleyball loses three in a row
October 26, 2006
Following an 11-game winning streak, the UW-River Falls women’s volleyball team lost two in a row on the road over the weekend.
The Falcons lost to both UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater in three games. Both teams were ranked ninth and 11th.
The Falcons also played against Minnesota rival St. Thomas on Tuesday night in a hard-fought battle, but lost, extending their losing streak to three games.
The Falcons record currently sits at 19-11 overall and 4-4 in WIAC.
“We’re not thinking that far in advance,” head coach Patti Ford said. “We’ve had some success along the way, but we had a tough weekend on the road.”
This weekend, the Falcons host the annual Trick-or-Treat Tournament at the Karges Center.
“The Trick or Treat tournament is always fun,” sophomore Nina Cooper said. “I won’t be satisfied unless we go 4-0 because after winning 11 games in a row we proved to be a competitor. We are good enough to win all of our games this weekend, especially since we are at home.”
Besides playing four games over the course of the tournament, the Falcons are hosting five other teams to participate in the tournament. Ford said the event is always a fun tournament.
This season the Falcons have a fairly even mix of new freshman and experienced veteran players.
“I always knew that we could be successful. Traveling as much as we do and then performing well is difficult, but we proved it was well within our reach,” Cooper said. “We definitely deserved all of those wins because we finally “clicked” on the court. It was tough to work through all the kinks but we are a new and improved team with a mission.”
Cooper also said that the freshman class is outstanding. She went on to say that they have made a huge impact on returning players and are very talented.
The Falcons aren’t changing their game plan for the playoffs or this weekend’s tournament. They’re basically just going to keep playing the way they know works best.
“We’re not looking too far ahead,” Ford said. “...Or behind.”
The Trick-or-Treat Tournament goes on Friday and Saturday at Karges. Following the tournament, the women will play in the first round of the WIAC playoffs on Tuesday. It is unknown yet whether the Falcons will be at home or on the road.