After winning two consecutive games this past weekend, the Falcon volleyball team will look to continue its momentum as it plays its last four regular season games on the road.
“Those two wins definitely gave us the confidence we need going forward,” said senior Erica Fullenkamp. “We know that in order to make the tournament, it is all in our hands. We don’t have to worry about how other teams do, it is all on us … and if we can take control in these next couple weekends and get a couple more wins, we will be able to make the tournament.”
The Falcons are 7-17 overall and 4-8 in the Mid-American Conference, putting them in a three-way tie for the eighth and final spot in the MAC tournament with Central Michigan and Buffalo.
Despite the win-or-go-home scenario at stake, the Falcons are not focused on the three-way tie, but more on each individual opponent and taking it one step at a time.
“We don’t control those things,” said head coach Danijela Tomic. “All we can do is prepare and look at the next opponent that we are playing, which is Miami, and figure out the best way to
beat them.”
Miami [OH] is currently on a seven-match win streak with their last loss coming on Oct. 10 to Ohio in a five-set contest. The Redhawks have shown a balance of offense and defense throughout the year, ranking 30 in the nation in digs while two players carry a .350 attack percentage or better.
However, the rankings and statistics do not bother the Falcons as they continue to feed off of their last two wins.
“I like to use the analogy about the lull of harvest,” Tomic said. “You have to prepare the ground, you have to plant the seed, then you have to water and take care of it and weed it out and then you hope that you will reap what you sow … You have to put all that work in to get the outcome and to reap the results of your labor … if we do, the outcome is going to be most of the time
more favorable.”
The Falcons will do so with a smaller roster as several players are out with injuries. Sophomore Jelena Sunjic has been injured throughout the season. Additionally, freshmen Desi Klaer, Clara Martinez Rubio and Katie Scholten each did not play this past weekend.
Even with the various injuries, the Falcons know they must stay focused on the task at hand.
“That is something that we try not to think about,” Fullenkamp said. “We think about what we control and what we control is those players that are currently out there on the floor getting the job done, so we are just going to focus on who is out there playing and leave it at that.”
The Falcons will look to grab three straight victories on Thursday for the first time since last season when they defeated Buffalo, Akron and Oakland. The game will begin at 7 p.m. in Millett Hall.
