Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Ladyjacks Finish Regular Season: Prepare for Region Tournament

Tonight we played our last regular season game against NDSCS. In the end we did not have enough as we dropped the match in 3 sets. NDSCS is a good team who is well coached, and I would anticipate them making a strong run for the Region Title. With that being said it is much more important to understand what was of value at The Woodshed this evening.

It was the final home match 5 sophomore's will ever have a chance to play in front of our home crowd. As usual the student section, family and supporting fans were great throughout the entire contest. Wins and losses are valued by many programs, but when it's all said and done what is more memorable are the struggles we overcome during a season. "Tough times don't last but tough people do". We play an extremely competitive scheduled filled with a variety of teams who have potential to when Region Tournaments and play for a national bid. The fact this TEAM has stuck together over a span of tough stretches speaks volumes of their character. Krissi Lessman, Halle Schuhmann, Dariann Freer, Ashleigh Aufforth and Leah Parizek will forget about the losses over time, but remember the relationships developed and the bonds tied with teammates.

Moving forward our TEAM is preparing for the Region Tournament. The best thing about a tournament is anything can happen. Each team at the Region Tournament will begin the day 0-0, and the outcome will be determined by play on that day rather than the past. We have been inconsistent so it is hard to say what will happen, but if the past has anything to do with the future this TEAM will rally to go down swinging.

Our 1st match will be Saturday, October 26th at Bismarck State against an opponent to be determined at 11am. The tournament is a double elimination format. We will do our best to communicate with our fans regarding the next match after 11am has been completed.

THANK YOU to those who have hung with the Ladyjack Volleyball Program throughout this season. It was easy to feel the difference between being home and away because of your energy.

Get Jacked UP,

Cory Fehringer

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Ladyjacks Enter Final Stretch: Drop to LRSC in 4 Sets

The window is beginning to close on the Ladyjacks Volleyball season. This group is dominated by a freshman class who have battled to find confidence and a comfort level on the floor.We have had a series of unfortunate injuries forcing us to alter game strategies which has not made transition into college athletics very smooth at times for our young squad. With that being said I truly believe this TEAM continues to stay positive toward one another, strives to get better daily, and still feels like our best volleyball is ahead of us.

Last night we lost in 4 sets to Lake Region State College who is having a very successful season. They have picked up wins against Williston State and North Dakota State College of Science. We came into play LRSC on their sophomore night and the game was fairly sloppy for the better part of most sets. One key area that has continued to plague this Ladyjack TEAM is our inability to successfully serve at crucial times. Throughout the year WE have failed to put the ball in play at opportune times. Although many of our losses have came to solid teams it is safe to say we can consider ourselves to be "our own worst enemy" when the ball isn't rolling our way.

On a positive note, this TEAM consistently has players step up a different times to carry the load. Sophomore Krissi Lessman, Freshman's Tessa Walters, Savannah Bruce, and Justine Nordin alternate matches in which one or two of them play at a high level. The door will open for our offense the day each of them swings for success on the same night. To their credit the returning players (Ashleigh Aufforth and Leah Parizek) have gone through a major 180 from last year after completing a season of several highlights in 2012, and managed to ride the waves of the season with positive attitudes in tough times.

It does us no good to look backward, this is why our eyes are placed on the front of are heads. The main priority of this TEAM remains the same. Play our best TEAM Volleyball at the end of October! This goal is still achievable from my point of view. This TEAM still seems eager to put the pieces together in time for the Region Tournament.

Over the weekend we will travel to LRSC Classic and compete in four matches. The 1st match is set to take place at 4pm in Devils Lake. Continue to support our Ladyjacks as they deserve our praise in good times, not so good times. Stay tuned for the next blog which will be completed by Sunday evening.

Thank You.

Get Jacked UP,

Cory Fehringer