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St. Cloud State University
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Sports
Husky spikers hit crunch time
By Jay Corn
Published:
Thursday, October 30, 2003
Megan Hardy
Not many thought it was realistically possible, but the SCSU volleyball team finds itself in the midst of a late season playoff hunt.
With only five games left to play, every match is a must win. In addition, all five matches are against N.C.C. opponents, giving the Huskies a prime opportunity to gain some ground on virtually everyone in the conference.
"It's a huge motivator to have these last five matches against N.C.C. opponents," senior Cara Bartolic said. "Now we're going to face these teams for the second time, and in combination with playing at home, we're very confident we can beat all of them. We've really grown as a team with every game we've played, so it will be really fun to come home and show these teams what we're really made of."
The added bonus to these final five games is that they will all be played at home in Halenbeck Hall. Additionally, the team has the chance to reach the .500 mark if they can manage to sweep these five games. That was an unofficial team goal before the season started, and with five wins, the team would most likely sneak into the playoffs with a record of 15-15.
"My goal right now isn't .500," said junior Meghan Hardy. "My goal is to go on to the playoffs. I'm not exactly sure what we have to do to get in, but I know if we win these last five games, we're pretty much a lock."
A five-game winning streak would put SCSU into the playoffs; however, that scenario hinges on several games still to be played in the N.C.C. A 4-1 record to end the season would conversely all but eliminate SCSU from the playoff picture, although there would still be possibilities. All the playoff race "ifs" will be sorted out over the next two weeks, and by late next week, the Huskies should have a much better idea of who will fill what playoff spots. Until then, the squad is concentrating on their next opponent, South Dakota State, and according to Bartolic, continues to focus on the task at hand.
"If you look at our last five opponents, we've either beaten them or honestly should have beaten them," Bartolic said. "For the seniors on this team, these last five matches definitely have a special significance. It's especially true because they're the last five games of our college careers and especially because we're playing them at home. It means a lot for Kari (Turkowski), Jane (Backes) and me to do well and go out on a positive note."
Bartolic's fellow senior Backes is expected to miss the rest of the season after tearing her ACL. Backes' 2.9 kills per game will be missed by the Huskies, but the team's depth at outside hitter gives head coach Patricia Mickow the flexibility to rotate and play the hot hand.
One thing Bartolic stresses is the transformation of her younger teammates since the beginning of the season. She says that there may have been a certain level of intimidation being felt by younger teammates earlier in the year, but believes that is no longer a problem.
"I don't think we came out and played our best game against some of those teams, and intimidation by younger teammates may have been a factor, but after they see that it is possible, we can beat these teams, we will be successful," Bartolic said. "People will begin to see the character of this team starting with South Dakota State. If all goes as planned, that will only be the start of what we believe will be an extended winning streak."
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