NCAA selection show begin at 11:30 a.m. Monday for Eagles
Last year at this time, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse volleyball team was crossing its fingers in hopes for an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
This year, no drama as the Eagles (21-6) go into Monday’s NCAA tournament selection show knowing they’re in.
“I would say dramatic, not quite as much, since we’re already on the automatic,” first-year UW-L coach Amber Dunn said. “But dramatic in that at this point we’re not sure where we’re going to play, who we’re going to play. Things like that.”
That comes after 11:30 a.m. today. The Eagles earned an automatic bid on Saturday winning the WIAC tourney title by sweeping 16th-ranked UW-Whitewater 3-0.
It’s the third consecutive trip to the NCAAs for UW-L, which lost in the second round last year.
The Eagles are riding high heading into the NCAAs having done more than just win the WIAC tourney title. They’re also coming off a third consecutive regular-season WIAC title. Dunn was also named WIAC coach of the year and Stephanie Henk was named WIAC offenisve player of the year.
Dunn is keeping things in perspective as the team has built on the last two year’s of success.
“For me I guess it’s just not crashing the convertible,” she joked.
Despite not being ranked, Dunn believes her team is playing some of its best volleyball right now.
“Unfortunately for us, our schedule didn’t offer up the option to compete against those top-ranked opponents in the month of October,” Dunn said.
The Eagles swept a then-ranked No. 9 UW-Whitewater at the end of October, as well and have won seven in a row and nine of 10.
WOMEN’S SOCCER HEADED TO SECOND-EVER NCAA TOURNEY
The UW-La Crosse women’s soccer team is awaiting announcement at noon today on who and where it will play in the NCAA tournament.
The Eagles (17-1-3) earned an automatic bid beating Whitewater in a shootout, 4-3 on Saturday.
The last time UW-L won the conference tourney title came back in 1996.
This is also the second-ever trip to the NCAAs in school history for the 15th-ranked Eagles, who also went in 2015.