For the second-straight season Madison College and Rock Valley College found themselves in a similar situation. One match stood between the two teams and a trip to the national tournament.
The match featured two of the top five teams in Division III with Rock Valley entering the match as the No. 3 team in the country and the WolfPack as the No. 5 ranked team.
The WolfPack (25-8) entered the match having lost the previous two meetings this season against Rock Valley. But this was also familiar territory for the WolfPack, who saved their best for the Golden Eagles last season by getting their only win against their conference rival in the same championship match last season.
The results however were not the same this season, as the Golden Eagles held off the WolfPack in three sets 23-25, 20-25, 18-25 shortly after a five-set bout with Harper College in the semifinal match.
Offensively, the WolfPack were limited to just 26 kills in the match and got no more than nine in any set. The Golden Eagles' defense showed very few holes, as it did the entire season.
Ashley Biesterveld led the team with nine kills on 28 attempts.
The WolfPack defense didn't make things easy for the Golden Eagles' attack, blocking 12 shots and digging 28 balls.
Biesterveld and
Ali Waller led the team with seven digs apiece, while
April Testman and
Hilary Frey each blocked three shots.
After defeating the Golden Eagles in the first set played between the two team's this season, the WolfPack dropped the final nine sets and all three matches. In the final match each set was close, with the first two sets being decided by five points or less.
The third and final loss to the Golden Eagles was the hardest one to swallow for the WolfPack. The loss ultimately denied them the opportunity to return to the national tournament and take the extra step towards winning a national title.
With that said, the WolfPack accomplished quite a bit on the floor this season. Coming into the match they won 25 matches, finished in second place in their conference, finshed in second place in their region and were the No. 5 ranked team in the country.
