Oshkosh Regional: Quarterfinals

I saw some good volleyball today. Here are some things that stuck out to me.

Wisconsin-Whitewater 3, Calvin 1 The better team won, plain and simple. Calvin’s all-everything freshman Rebecca Kamp was very good – often the best player on the court, a terrific athlete with a perfect volleyball frame – but she wasn’t enough. Not to say Calvin = Kamp. Far from it, but the sum of Whitewater’s parts were more than Calvin’s. Whitewater played better in every phase of the game. The Warhawk block was better, they had much better swings, etc. Whitewater’s Melissa Zuleger hit some absolute bombs this afternoon. The lackluster Calvin block didn’t help in that regard. In summary, it played out like the seeds were flipped. Whitewater did what Whitewater does: keep the floor clean and take advantage of mistakes. If I had a game ball to give, it would go to Warhawk Sofia Sanchez, who played amazing defense after entering in the second set.

Carthage 3, St. Norbert 2 Believe it or not, I don’t think the better team won. I don’t know what this matchup would look like tomorrow or any other day, but today St. Norbert was better than Carthage. For four sets, that is. Set 5 was one of those snowball-effects. SNC didn’t get a pass that entire set. Through four sets the St. Norbert block had Carthage on its heels, and the Lady Reds were having trouble passing. And when Carthage got a pass, the setters didn’t do anything with it. Just a really odd match in terms of ball control. So many stretches where Carthage seemed out-of-system. The Lady Reds’ block bailed them out today. One thing’s for certain, that SNC team played loose. And they were for real. Again, until the fifth set. Even after the disappointment, many SNC players were loose again, dancing and having fun. Seems like a really tight-knit squad in De Pere.

Heidelberg 3, Hope 2 Worth the price of admission by itself. Wisconsin Oshkosh had the best serve I’d seen in D-III this year. Until today. Heidelberg was just ripping serves like crazy, especially Jackie Reinhart, Brittany Donelan and Venessa Haase. Each one of them is a better server than any I’ve seen this year, and I’ve seen quite a few. It’s a testament to Hope’s passing that it went five sets. Both teams had great setters, outstanding defenses and dynamic, diverse offenses. And the Hope libero was everywhere. Just one of those matches that you feel thankful for seeing it live. Sometimes 4 vs. 5 doesn’t live up to the seeding. It did today. Hope OH Nora Slenk might be my favorite non-Oshkosh player in the country. So athletic. So smart. So much hustle. Great swings. Awesome, awesome player. I wish I could see Slenk play another match. One is nowhere near enough. A silly observation: I think the chants “Let’s go Hope!” and “Come on Hope!” are kinda funny. Made me chuckle, at least.

Wisconsin Oshkosh 3, Lakeland 0 The simple truth is Lakeland just didn’t play very well. I’d be lying if I wrote anything different. Oshkosh was OK at best. Lakeland is sooo much better than it showed. The Oshkosh block was nowhere to be found, and the Titans had far too many attack errors. In the end the Oshkosh serve was too much. Lakeland had trouble with its receive all match. The highlight was the Lakeland fans. I’ve said it many times before and I’ll write it here: Lakeland has the best D-III student fans in Wisconsin. Loud. Proud. Supportive. Positive. Funny. Numerous. Everything you want in a student section, you’ll find it at Lakeland sporting events.

I won’t predict the outcome of the Oshkosh vs. Heidelberg match, but I’ll make two declarations: Oshkosh will not win tomorrow if both teams played like they did today, and if you like serving, this is the match for you. In the early match, I’ll take Whitewater over Carthage in four. If the Lady Reds play like they did today, it’ll be a ‘Hawks sweep.

-Ricky Nelson