Nathan Tucker
nrtucker@lc.edu
The road to the Mid-West Athletic Conference tournament hasn’t necessarily been a smooth one for Bron Wilkerson’s volleyball Trailblazers this fall, but the tournament is this weekend, and Wilkerson has repeatedly stated that regular season wins aren’t the main focus for his team. The Trailblazers possess a paltry 4-19 record on the campaign after Tuesday’s action, going 1-3 in the MWAC, which didn’t necessarily help their seeding in this weekend’s tourney.
The last stop on the road to the MWAC tournament was a home match on Tuesday, October 8 for L&C, hosting the Archers of St. Louis Community College. STLCC came into Godfrey hot, winning 7 of their last 10 matches, and the Trailblazers were aware of their stiff competition.
“I knew (STL) would be good, I’ve known their coach, Geoff (Davis) their coach, is always good, I’ve known him for a while. It’s good to get to play them because we get to play that MWAC tournament this weekend. We needed to play them. We’re still down our starting middle (Emma Rinacke), that hurts us a little, that throws things off. But we should be healthy by this weekend and make a little bit of noise (in the MWAC tourney).”
All Trailblazer focus is on Friday and Saturday’s tournament matches. Speaking with coach Wilkerson after Tuesday’s match, he reiterated his team’s focus, as he has nearly every match. “We’re gearing towards it. We knew tonight, the outcome didn’t matter as much as just getting the reps and working on a few little things. Hopefully we’ll have our middle back, and everything will be back to normal.”
Tuesday night’s action saw a shorthanded Trailblazer unit fight a tough battle against a strong St. Louis Archer team, but was ultimately bested in straight sets, 25-18, 25-15, and 25-22 respectfully. It was in set three that Lewis and Clark looked their strongest, taking their only leads of the match and coming within three points of stealing a set. Outside hitter Brittney Alexander led Lewis and Clark with 5 kills, and libero Skylar Kuntzman, who looked to be nursing a hip injury, set the tone defensively with 13 digs.
As you read this, the volleyball Trailblazers are in MWAC tournament action that determines the true fate of their initial campaign this weekend. With a healthy roster, the Trailblazers can force a tough game for any opponent. For more information about volleyball and all Lewis and Clark sports, visit LC.edu/athletics.