November 15, 2007...5:00 am
Volleyball Team Ready for Duluth
Well the volleyball team is in Duluth preparing for what is only their second time in the NCAA Division II tourny. They will face the number one team in the nation tomorrow at 6:30 in Duluth.
I have been traveling with the team since I am broadcasting the game on 91.1 starting with the pregame at 6 and the game starting at 6:30. This is my first time really being on the road with a team, not to mention a team preparing for a game in a national postseason tournament.
I have to admit it is fun. My rooms are paid for and meals with the team are paid for. Last night we went to the Cheesecake factory. Plus on a bus full of women, there hasn’t been any chick flicks played thankfully. I could definitely get used to this.
The team is having fun up here in Duluth. Practice went well for the team but they could be without outside hitter Laura Slaughter who might be sidelined with an injury. Coach Brian Lamppa said he is optimistic that Slagter will be healed by tomorrow nights game.
If Slagter would not be able to play, defensive specialist Jamie Vander Kooi would slide over to the outside hitter position and Kristen Kritenbrink would see more playing time.
No offense to the rest of the team, but I think if Slagter cannot go tomorrow night, it would be a huge blow to the team. Slagter provides a good mix of defense and offense to a team that is going up against a juggernaut in Minnesota-Duluth.
But Vander Kooi provides the team with a hard kill shot and her defense is very solid. Kritenbrink brings the same offense ability Slaugter does but her defense is not as solid as Slagter’s.
The team looked good in practice without Slagter and made the necessary adjustments. But as everyone knows, practice and gametime is completely different when facing a quality opponent like Duluth.
If the Coyotes are going to beat Duluth tomorrow night, they will have to keep their heads up throughout the game. Sometimes the team seems to get down on themselves during a slide and don’t play to their potential. They are going to have to keep their confidence up, because if they do, they could pull off the biggest upset in USD volleyball history.
Here’s hoping they do that, because if they do, they could have a great shot at the national title if they knock off the number one team in the nation in Minnesota Duluth.
-Justin Rust
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