Subscribe 
Lakeland to face No. 7 UW-Oshkosh in first round of NCAAs
Athletics - posted on 11/10/2008
The Lakeland women's volleyball team will head to Oshkosh this Thursday to take on the regional host, No. 7 UW-Oshkosh, in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at 8:30 p.m.
"We expect to play great teams in the NCAA Tournament, and we certainly are playing one with a team like UW-Oshkosh," Lakeland head coach Chad Schreiber said.
The Muskies (25-10) wrapped up an automatic bid to the national tournament after winning the Northern Athletics Conference Tournament last Saturday in a 25-20, 18-25, 28-26, 25-17 win over Concordia Wisconsin in the championship game.
Freshman middle hitter Allison Davis (Sheboygan) provided the Muskies with a huge spark off the bench, posting 10 kills in the match and pushing Lakeland over the top in a closely contested third-set.
"Allison just out-jumped everyone and was able to find the floor with her hitting," Schreiber said. "That was really a shining moment for Allison that I hope she can build her career on."
Junior middle hitter Brittanie Paulus (Belgium) provided the defense, posting 33 digs, which is second in Lakeland history for one match.
Schreiber has been pleased with the team's chemistry all season long.
"In my 14 years of coaching here, I've never coached a group that respects me and respects each other like this team does," Schreiber said. "We've had very few issues with team chemistry or player relations."
Lakeland suffered an 18-25, 20-25, 17-25 loss to the Titans back on Oct. 31 at the two-day UW-Whitewater Volleyball Invitational in Whitewater.
"We showed flashes of being competitive in the match," Schreiber said, "but they really wore us down by getting contributions from all aspects of their game."
The region's top-seeded Titans (37-2) haven't lost since Oct. 4 and are coming off a five-set victory over UW-Eau Claire in the championship game of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletics Conference Tournament.
The Muskies are the region's No. 8 seed. The winner of the match will take on the winner of the 6 p.m. contest between fourth-seeded Heidelberg (Ohio) College (30-7) and No. 5 Hope (Mich.) College (26-6).
Lakeland's last NCAA Tournament appearance came in 2005, when the team was defeated in the first round by UW-Eau Claire. That match was also played in Oshkosh.
To see the complete tournament bracket, click here.
Share This Story Help
Lakeland offers links to several popular social bookmarking services. These links help you share stories with other people or create bookmarks for future reference. The services are free, but they require a personal account.
Click for more information on social bookmarking.
<< Return to News
