Championship Game Recap, Saturday, November 17
by Will Engle, American Volleyball Coaches Association

Wisconsin-Whitewater (39-4) vs. Washington University (32-5) * Nov 17, 2007 * 7 p.m. CT
Shirk Center, Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, Ill.
2007 NCAA Division III National Volleyball Championships

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (Nov. 17, 2007) – This is what collegiate athletics is all about.  Two teams, leaving all they have out on the court, going the maximum number games allowed to determine a champion.  In the end, it was Washington University in St. Louis (33-5) who would survive to win their record ninth national championship, downing the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (39-5) 3-2 at the Shirk Center in Bloomington, Ill.

“This is what it’s all about, the purity of Division III athletics,” said Washington head coach Rich Luenemann, who has been at the helm now for two of the Bears’ titles.  “It’s just as exhilarating at the Division III level as it is at the Division I level.”

Washington, now 9-4 all-time in NCAA championship matches, won by game scores of 30-25, 23-30, 30-22, 28-30 and 15-13.  It was the only match of the seven played this weekend in Bloomington to go all five games.

On a night where 2007 AVCA First-Team All-American Nikki Morrison didn’t have a great match, it was Haleigh Spencer and Alli Alberts who would step up to provide the spark the Bears would need to outlast Whitewater.  Alberts, named Most Outstanding Player of the Championships, finished with 15 kills and 22 digs, while Spencer tallied a team-leading 19 kills, to go along with 31 digs.  Morrison only had eight kills on 38 swings, but provided a couple of key attacks late.

“Whitewater knew how effective Nikki is, and she is very effective, and they did an excellent job of blocking her,” said Luenemann.  “But she had a couple of big points, didn’t she.”

The win capped an amazing run by the Bears, who lost four matches in early September, including a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Warhawks.  But they began to put it all together as the season went along.  The players point to the win against Carthage College in the Midwest Regional final as the real turning point where they never looked back.

“You can’t begin to imagine how much this team improved over the season,” said Luenemann.  “I’ve never in my coaching career, and I’m old, coached a team who improved this much over the course of the season.”

In a rematch of the 2002 national championship match, coach Stacy Boudreau’s Whitewater team came up just short.

“It says a lot of this team that they will never give up,” said Boudreau, who has now coached in two national championship matches in three years at the helm of the Warhawks.  “It’s disappointing, but we’re definitely proud of what this team accomplished this year.”

Whitewater got on the board first in game one with a kill by AVCA All-American hitter Carley Polk.  Washington would quickly take the lead and force a Whitewater timeout, going up 12-8 on a Vicki Blood service ace.  The Bear lead would hover around four, when Erin Albers’ fourth kill, followed by an Audra Janak kill, gave the Bears a 28-23 advantage late in game one.  Another Albers kill would give the Bears game point, but the Warhawks answered with back-to-back kills by Kelly Sorenson.  When Kate Lazotte’s attempt to dig a Spencer kill sailed out of bounds, Washington had secured game one, 30-25.

Early in game two, it was Whitewater who jumped out to an early lead, going up 11-7 on an Abby Schultz kill.  The Warhawks would remain in control, stretching their lead to eight at 22-14 on an Albers attack error.  When an Alberts attack glided out of bounds, Whitewater would serve for the second game, up 29-23.  A Sorenson kill for the Warhawks would lock up game two, 30-23.

Game three was back-and-forth again, as the largest lead early was a 14-10 Whitewater advantage, capped off by an Alberts attack error.  That lead would be short-lived, however, as an Albers kill would re-tie the game at 14-14.  Washington would take their biggest lead of the third frame to date at 23-19 on Spencer’s tenth kill.  Another Morrison kill would extend the Bear lead to seven at 28-21.  An Alberts kill would give the Bears game point at 29-22, and a Lindsay Schuessler service ace would put Washington one game away from their ninth national championship.

Facing elimination, Whitewater would take charge quickly in game four, going up 4-0 following a Schultz kill.  When a Lazotte service ace extended the Warhawk lead to 11-4, Whitewater appeared to be in complete control of the game.  Not ready to concede game four, however, Washington would begin to cut into the lead, and eventually get within one at 22-21.  A Sorenson kill would re-extend the Warhawk lead to three at 27-24, but a Washington run, capped by a Warhawk attack error would tie the game again at 28-28.  But the Bears were not ready to take the match, as a Washington service error and attack error would give Whitewater a hard-earned game four win, 30-28, sending the match to a deciding game five.

Neither team ready to go home without the championship trophy, the squads fought to a 5-5 draw to begin the final game.  Whitewater would take a 7-5 lead on a Lazotte ace, but the lead would be short-lived.  Well-placed in the far corner, Janak’s sixth kill tied the game again at 7-7. Whitewater reclaimed the lead 9-7, but Washington would go on a run, re-taking the lead at 10-9 on a kill by Ellen Bruegge.  With Washington up 12-11, they would turn to the All-American Morrison to provide her eighth kill, drawing them within two points of the title.  When a Whitewater attack went wide, the Bears had game point.  After consecutive points by Whitewater, a Bruegge attack hit the floor just inches from the outstretched hand of a diving Lazotte, and the Wash U. players were in a pile on the court, the new national champions.

A match that seemed to go back-and-forth throughout all five games, it was emotionally draining for both squads.

“It took so much emotion, intensity and determination,” said Washington’s Bruegge, one of four Bears seniors.  “This is the most emotionally invested team I’ve played with.  You could feel each other’s emotion, each other’s desire to win.”

“I thought it was a great experience,” said Whitewater’s Polk, playing in her final match.  “You can’t complain.  We left it all on the court.  It was great.”

Polk, one of the most accomplished hitters in Warhawks’ history, finished with 14 kills.  Sorenson led the Whitewater attack with 16 kills, and the AVCA All-American Lazotte finished with 57 assists and 22 digs.

“I don’t think people realize how hard we worked for this,” said the senior Spencer.  “This is everything we ever worked for.”

An emotional, hard fought battle to the finish to crown a champion.  This surely is what it’s all about.