By Patrick Stumpf
GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – Coming off its first five-set loss of the season, the Green Bay volleyball team was nearly perfect on the second day at the UND Classic on Friday afternoon, defeating Jacksonville State (26-24, 25-16, 25-18) and Drake (25-22, 25-13, 27-29, 25-15) in a combined seven sets to improve to 6-3 on the year, marking the team's best start since 2003.
Following a marathon with North Dakota on the first day of the three-day, five-team tournament in Grand Forks, N.D., Phoenix head coach Sean Burdette thought his team played with a chip on its shoulder on day two.
“There was certainly a level of frustration after last night because there were some plays that we could have ran better, and some errors that we normally don't make,” said Burdette.
After trailing by as many as seven points in its opening set against Jacksonville State, Green Bay responded with a furious comeback to win, 26-24. The Phoenix proceeded to not only finish off the Gamecocks in straight sets, but take a commanding 2-0 set advantage on the Drake Bulldogs, who Green Bay had less than 30 minutes to prepare for following the prior match.
Drake, who entered play 6-2, ultimately took a long third set 29-27, before the Phoenix finished things off in the fourth.
GAME ONE – GREEN BAY 3, JACKSONVILLE STATE 0
GAME TWO – GREEN BAY 3, DRAKE 1
Playing in its last of three double-headers this season, Green Bay ended with a 5-1 record in such games, with the only defeat coming one week ago today at Kansas State.
“I think it's a testament to the players and also our strength coach Mike DeLong,” said Burdette on his team's success when facing quick turnarounds. “They all bought into being here this summer and training and working hard in preseason, so that helped prepared us.”
Seemingly everyone on the roster has contributed with playing time this season, and sophomores Lydia DeWeese and Abby Jeffcoat led the Phoenix offensively on Friday. DeWeese recorded 31 kills on a .473 hitting percentage, while Jeffcoat ended with 29 at a .323 clip.
A trio of seniors all had their moments in the spotlight, too. Setter Emily Riese posted her fourth double-double on the year in the win over Drake (43 assists/11 digs). Libero Jillian Bauer, who surpassed 1,200 career digs at the school on Friday, continued her rock-solid play on the defensive side with 46 digs in seven sets, an average of 6.57. And Taylor Kasal's moment came upon ending the first game: her 400th kill in green and white, almost fitting, because it wound up being her lone kill of the day.
What it all means is that Green Bay has moved past its forgettable 5-21 finish in 2014, and gotten off to its best start in 12 years, since it began 12-3 under former head coach Debbie Kirch. That team not only went on to win the Horizon League with a record of 23-11 (10-4), it advanced to the NCAA Tournament, before falling to Minnesota. And while it's far too early to focus on such grandeur, Burdette does believe his team's start has been a huge confidence boost.
“I think our start has been really big,” he said. “From the top down, seniors all the way to the freshman, we've had different people step in and take advantage, which is good. It allows you to make changes and not miss too much.”
“It's been a great start, but it's only a start. We're going to take it one day at a time right now.”
UP NEXT
The Phoenix will conclude pool play tomorrow afternoon against South Dakota, with first-serve scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Green Bay will look to avenge a 0-3 sweep by South Dakota last year at the Green Bay Country Inn & Suites Tournament. For LIVE STATS click here.
Burdette previewed Saturday's game, saying, “They're a very different match-up because they've got multiple left-handed attackers on their team. That's different to defend; we don't have that in our gym each and every day so that's something we'll have to be quick to adjust too and track the hitters.”
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