CLEMSON 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-15)

MURFREESBORO, TN — Clemson hit .385 overall and was steered in terrific fashion by Mckenna Slavik (29 assists and five kills) in a sweep of Eastern Kentucky in a Round 1 matchup Thursday at the 2023 NIVC.

The Tigers (18-13) will play Ball State or Middle Tennessee in the Super 16 on Friday. The Colonels close the season at 21-9.

Clemson took advantage of a slow start by EKU in Set 1, using a 6-1 run to move ahead 13-5 and looked in full control when leading 23-15. The Colonels stormed back and tied it at 24-all with kills from Sarah Mitchell and Carson Ledford; Clemson pulled it out after a kill by Ayah Dailey and a block assist from both Mckenna Slavik and Adria Powell.

Another Tiger run in the second set drove a 19-17 lead to 23-17, with the set secured on a kill from Dailey and an ace from Mia McGrath.

Clemson stormed ahead 7-0 in the final set and saw the lead carved back to 10-8. Two aces from McGrath helped restore the advantage to 15-9, and kills from Slavik and Sophie Catalano wrapped it all up. The Tigers closed with eight kills from Powell and Dailey.

For Eastern Kentucky, AG Vandagriff had 11 kills; Chloe Mason added 16 assists and 11 digs.

by Kyle Koso

For Sacramento State volleyball head coach Ruben Volta, dipping into the transfer portal and dealing with the mystery of how his new players might mix with the old, was no doubt a trip to the unknown.

But another thing Volta didn’t know, or want to know, was the feeling of seeing his Hornets struggle to reach their ceiling in 2023.

So, Volta welcomed two brand-new setters to the squad in junior Hailey Plugge (Wichita State) and sophomore Kate Doorn (Idaho) and got introductions and any awkwardness solved early with spring practice, beach season and a trip to Portugal and Spain over the summer. With a senior-dominated roster in step with the transition, Sacramento State (21-11) rumbled to the Big Sky Conference regular season title and reached the league’s postseason tournament semifinals.

The Hornets will try to cap a season of excellent play with a run in the 2023 NIVC, hosting a four-team regional and taking on UNLV (19-12) on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET. The Rebels won the NIVC in 2021; the Hornets played in the event in 2017, a season where they went 26-10.

Volta, in his 16th year at Sacramento State, took a team that was picked to finish in the middle of the Big Sky standings to the top of the pile as the roster stayed in step with the direction of Doorn (665 assists) and Plugge (659 assists). Volta said he saw the elements falling into place before the season began in late August.

“We’ve felt like that the last couple of years. We saw a roster that could be competing for a championship, and bringing in two transfers that were setters, it seemed like good time for a foreign tour,” Volta said. “Something to get that extra training and competing with our team as we were returning a pretty full roster of starters. Throughout the regular season, we had a good record, and boy, there were a lot of close matches and close sets — we were able to win those pretty much throughout.

“We had them last spring as well, and we did play beach — there wasn’t a lot of indoor training, but there was a lot of working in small groups. In Europe, we started to get an idea of some lineups we thought could be successful. I’d run 5-1 year before; with this roster and the number of attackers we had I thought the 6-2 would be a good idea.”

The Hornets went 12-1 to start Big Sky Conference play and earned some nice wins ahead of that — a 3-0 sweep of Iowa and a 3-2 nail-biter over Winthrop, another team in the 2023 NIVC. Doorn (5-foot-11) and Plugge (6-0) handled their fresh assignments with confidence and consistency.

“Both the setters have some size and could play front row as well, so this was a challenge,” Volta said. “It’s been nice having that size at setter; there are times we pass balls really tight up to the net; our middles have been good attackers and our setters are pretty skilled with one hand … and traditionally you wouldn’t have tall setters playing back row, but they’re both very good on defense as well.”

Volta has had to tweak the hitter mix on occasion, and then even re-tweaked it back to something he had tried before, all part of keeping the Hornets playing to their potential.

“Going into the Florida tournament (Sept. 7-9), I thought we were in a good place and playing pretty well. Taking on Florida first (a 3-2 loss), we played well, a fun match with a lot of energy,” he said. “The rest of the tournament I thought we were inconsistent. Coming off that, we had stretch of matches, maybe we were fatigued, but I changed lineups right after that. I was still searching for the right mix. We started conference with that lineup, and in the middle of it, in October, I reverted back to the lineup we played in Florida. That’s the one we used the rest of the way.”

Another source of reliability through it all was senior Bridgette Smith, who earned Big Sky player of the year honors and became the first Hornet to earn first-team accolades three times in a career. She has team-best totals of 410 kills, 30 aces, and is second in digs at 262.

“She’s just such an all-around player, and so skilled. Even undersized (at 5-10), it’s her blocking and technique and vision,” said Volta, the 2023 Big Sky coach of the year. “She’s a great server and can play every part of the game. She can hit in the back row, and she might be our best passer. Teams don’t typically try to serve her; someone may try to and see if they can wear her down, but she hangs in there and passes well. She carries a big load. A really good arm swing and is super creative as an attacker.”

Sacramento State also got powerfully useful campaigns from its senior middles in Kalani Hayes (263 kills) and Tiyanane Kamba-Griffin (167 kills). While not the skyscraping tower-types you might normally see in the middle, both had superior hitting percentages.

Junior Ellie Tisko added 312 kills and senior Caitlin Volkmann tallied 296 kills; senior Caty Cordano has 504 digs. 

If Volta had that wise and thoughtful way to prepare his team back in the summer, it’s a skill that comes in handy right now ahead of the NIVC. The Hornets were sobered by coming up short in their drive for the NCAA tournament, but it’s a group that should bounce back swiftly.

“It’s an experienced team, and it was something we talked about,” he added. “In 2017, I don’t the think the team was necessarily prepared for the NIVC, but we talked and saw that many teams from our conference had gone to the tournament in recent years. I think it’s helped them in the Big Sky. We were hoping for the NCAA’s this year, but I think our team is pretty eager to get out there and play together again.”

DEPAUL 3, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 1 (27-25, 25-21, 27-29, 26-24)​

DES MOINES, IOWA – The DePaul Blue Demons earned their first postseason win in program history with a thrilling 3-1 victory (27-25, 25-21, 27-29, 26-24) over Southern Illinois to advance to the second round of the 2023 Women’s NIVC.
 
For a program that had yet to experience a postseason victory prior to today’s match, DePaul showed incredible poise, erasing three-point deficits late in the first and fourth sets.
 
The Blue Demons trailed 23-20 in the first set before they rattled off four straight points to take the lead, and eventually the set. In the second set, DePaul carried its momentum and jumped out to a lead on Southern Illinois and held on to take the second set.
 
The third set found Southern Illinois playing like a team with its back against the wall. SIU jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the set and held onto that lead until DePaul was finally able to tie it up at 22-22. The two teams traded points down the stretch with Southern Illinois fighting off three match points to eventually take the set, 29-27.
 
In the fourth set, the Salukis jumped out to an early lead again and led 18-15 late in the frame. DePaul recovered, though, scoring four of the next five points to tie the set at 19-19. Down the stretch, DePaul fought off a set point and scored the last three points of the set to take the match.
 
Jill Pressly led the Blue Demons with 18 kills and 11 digs, while Audrey Klemp added 16 kills and five digs on .364 hitting. Nataly Garcia (19 kills) and Tatum Tornatta (18 kills) paced the Salukis in the match. DePaul advances to the second round where it will take on the winner of Chicago State and host Drake on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.

DRAKE 3, CHICAGO STATE 0 (29-27, 25-18, 25-16)
 
DES MOINES, IOWA – After making a run all the way to the NIVC Championship last year, the Drake Bulldogs are looking to make a run once again in the 2023 Women’s NIVC. The Bulldogs got off to a good start on Wednesday night, defending their home court and knocking off Chicago State, 3-0 (29-27, 25-18, 25-16).
 
The first set put the Bulldogs on their heels with Chicago State starting out strong. The Cougars jumped out to an early lead and led by as much as five points at 20-15. A timeout by Drake settled the team down and the team responded by scoring six of the next eight points to make it a one point game. Drake fought off three set-points before taking the final three points and seizing momentum in the match.
 
Coming off that strong first-set comeback, the Bulldogs once again found themselves in a position to comeback in the second set as Chicago State jumped out to a 5-1 lead. Not to to be deterred, Drake rattled off eight of the next nine points to take a 9-6 lead in the set, and never looked back. The Bulldogs won the second set 25-18 and carried that play into a match-deciding third set, which the Bulldogs won 25-16.
 
Chicago State was held at bay by Drake’s tough defense, hitting just .129 in the match with 18 attack errors. The Bulldogs were led by Taylor Oberpriller, who had 12 kills and 22 digs, and Haley Bush, who finished the match with 11 kills and 12 digs.
 
Drake will host DePaul, who knocked off Southern Illinois, 3-1, tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET in the second round of the Women’s NIVC. 

Officials announce selections for 2023 NIVC
32-team field has eight regional hosts; action begins Nov. 29

2023 OFFICIAL NIVC BRACKET
 
FORT COLLINS, CO. – After another season of remarkable play throughout the nation’s D-I volleyball schedule, postseason excitement gets another boost with the announcement of the field for the 2023 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC), produced for the sixth time by Triple Crown Sports.
 
The bracket launches with eight host schools, with action set to begin on Wednesday, Nov. 29. The championship match is slated for Dec. 10, 11 or 12 – all matches are held on campus locations. A total of six programs won or had a share of their regular season conference championship, and 17 teams in the 32-team field won at least 20 matches this season.
 
“The competitive mix for the 2023 NIVC is a clear indicator that the event is truly a viable answer for teams looking to conclude their seasons with the most valuable experience possible,” said NIVC director Jared Rudiger. “A significant number of teams have played with us before and feel very strongly about how the NIVC can fortify their programs, while several new teams tell us the word is spreading and that a postseason run in the NIVC is something that inspires and intrigues.”
 
The event previously ran from 1989-95; champions of the current NIVC era include Boston College (2022), UNLV (2021), Georgia Tech (2019), Iowa State (2018) and Ole Miss (2017).
 
Here is the 32-team field for the 2023 NIVC:

Automatic qualifiers (*- won or had share of regular season conference title):
Buffalo (23-8) – Mid-American*
Citadel (27-3) – Southern*
Drake (22-10) – Missouri Valley
Howard (17-14) – Mid-Eastern Athletic
Sacramento State (21-11) – Big Sky*
St. John’s (23-10) – Big East
​South Florida (19-11) – American*
UMKC (22-8) – Summit*
Wichita State (21-8) – American
Winthrop (14-13) – Big South
 
At-Large Selections:
Arkansas State (16-14) – Sun Belt
Ball State (16-14) – Mid-American
Chicago State (13-8) – Independent
Clemson (17-13) – Atlantic Coast
DePaul (17-14) – Big East
East Carolina (20-10) – American
Eastern Kentucky (21-8) – Atlantic Sun
Florida Atlantic (20-12) – American
Georgia Southern (21-8) – Sun Belt
Middle Tennessee (20-9) – Conference USA
Montana State (21-8) – Big Sky
North Texas (17-15) – American
Northern Colorado (17-11) – Big Sky
Pacific (18-10) – West Coast
South Dakota (18-10) – Summit*
Southern Illinois (20-11) – Missouri Valley
Tulsa (17-14) – American
UNLV (19-12) – Mountain West
UT Arlington (20-10) – Western Athletic
UTEP (21-9) – Conference USA
Valparaiso (18-14) – Missouri Valley
Wyoming (20-9) – Mountain West
 
In bracket order, here are the matchups, locations and match times for Rounds 1 and 2 (all times ET; designated home team listed second):
 
Round 1 at Wichita State, Nov. 30
Tulsa vs. UMKC, 4:30 p.m.
Arkansas State vs. Wichita State, 7 p.m.
Round 2, Dec. 1
Winners, 2:30 p.m.
 
Round 1 at Drake, Nov. 29
DePaul vs. Southern Illinois, 4 p.m.
Chicago State vs. Drake, 7 p.m.
Round 2, Nov. 30
Winners, 7 p.m.
 
Round 1 at Sacramento State, Nov. 30
Pacific vs. Montana State, 7 p.m.
UNLV vs. Sacramento State, 10 p.m.
Round 2, Dec. 1
Winners, 10 p.m.
 
at Northern Colorado, Nov. 30
Wyoming vs. South Dakota, 5 p.m.
Valparaiso vs. Northern Colorado, 8 p.m.
Round 2, Dec. 1
Winners, 8 p.m.
 
at St. John’s, Dec. 1
South Florida vs. Buffalo, 4 p.m.
Howard vs. St. John’s, 7 p.m.
Round 2, Dec. 2
Winners, 7 p.m.
 
Round 1 at East Carolina, Dec. 1
Georgia Southern vs. Winthrop, 2 p.m.
The Citadel vs. East Carolina, 6 p.m.
Round 2, Dec. 2
Winners, 6 p.m.
 
Round 1 at UTEP, Dec. 1
UT Arlington vs. Florida Atlantic, 7 p.m.
North Texas vs. UTEP, 9:30 p.m.
Round 2, Dec. 2
Winners, 4 p.m.
 
at Middle Tennessee, Nov. 30
Clemson vs. Eastern Kentucky, 4 p.m.
Ball State vs. Middle Tennessee, 7 p.m.
Round 2, Dec. 1
Winners, 7 p.m.

Follow the action at www.womensnivc.com

About Triple Crown Sports
Based in Fort Collins, CO., Triple Crown Sports has been producing youth, high school and college events for 40 years. TCS runs both the preseason and postseason WNIT basketball events and produces the men’s and women’s DI Cancun Challenge tournaments in November. Triple Crown is also powering “WNIT” concept events in D-I softball (NISC) and volleyball (NIVC), with those two events debuting in 2017. Triple Crown’s PV College Challenge features two sessions of top-level DI college softball teams in the country each year in Puerto Vallarta, MX, helping to kick off the season in February.

With the conference chases in the 2023 season coming to a boil, the NIVC looks at some of the programs in the thick of it as we track the depth and competitive excellence found throughout D-I volleyball.

by Kyle Koso

You get the sense that if Clemson volleyball coach Jackie Kirr had a chance to play a game of pickup basketball on a court with a 9-foot rim, she’d say no way and look for a regulation hoop.
 
If there’s a choice between the stairs and an elevator, she’s taking the climb. Or if it’s possible to get all the groceries from the car to the house in one trip, she’s muscling up with all the bags.
 
Tough assignments and imposing foes have never rattled Kirr’s resolve, beginning with her outstanding run at setter for Wisconsin from 2004-07 in the deep and imposing Big Ten and continuing through this, her third year running the show for the Tigers as they look to thrive in the difficult ACC. Currently 15-11 overall and 6-8 in league play, Clemson sits No. 66 in the NCAA RPI ranks, ready to wrap up the regular season with, of course, another mountain to tackle featuring four consecutive road matches.     
 
“At that time when I was at Wisconsin, the Big Ten was by and large the best conference for volleyball in the country. I loved that as a competitor, where anyone can beat anyone on a given night,” said Kirr, who was a two-time all-American for the Badgers and still stands at No. 2 in program history for assists. “We talk a lot here at Clemson about the concept of honoring the game – the game doesn’t know who is supposed to win, the game doesn’t care about statistics or rankings or RPI. Playing the best you can and controlling the controllables and honoring the opportunity, well why wouldn’t you want to play at the highest level you possibly could?
 
“I enjoyed it as a player, the opportunity for upsets and then defending your home court, all that is so fun. On the coaching side, when I came to Clemson the ACC was solid but not what it is today. Two teams in the final four, it’s a powerhouse. Obviously with Louisville and Pitt, that‘s opened people’s eyes, but you go top to bottom, it’s a fight. That’s what the ACC is – and why wouldn’t you want to be challenged? It would be boring otherwise.”
 
Holding strong in 2023 is partially a function of Kirr clearly seeing a concern already brewing last year as the Tigers started to plan ahead. A young roster was trending to be even more so, and Kirr felt particularly anxious about giving setter Mckenna Slavik some concrete help after she agreed to come back for her fifth year. That prompted the Tigers to bring in two important transfers in defensive specialist Katie Culumovic from Mississippi State and middle Adria Powell from Ohio State.
 
“This time last year, preparing how our 2023 roster would look, at the time we were looking at 13 freshmen or sophomores with Mckenna being our only senior. We knew that as good as she is, we needed some experience around her,” Kirr said. “We were pretty active in the transfer portal to get her some support, both on and off the court. We found that with Adria, who had multiple Sweet 16 appearances, knowing we didn’t have a lot of depth in the middle. That was a main priority.
 
“By the time Katie and Adria graduated, those programs had done things they hadn’t in many, many years. I explained to them that we have a young team and I don’t just want talent coming in the doors, I want people who will take on the task of mentoring. They stood out in their leadership capabilities and desire to show up that way. Adria has single-handedly affected our blocks per set numbers; we were last in the league last year, now fourth or so. She’s anchoring the defensive end, and she’s always an option for Mckenna.”
 
Slavik has 731 assists this season, and Powell has come through with 167 kills and 125 total blocks. The fresh-faced crew has done its work as well, with freshman Kennedy Wagner adding 200 kills and 137 kills coming from both sophomore Mia McGrath and freshman Kate Simington. Junior Azyah Dailey leads the team in kills with 203.
 
Having found balance in who would suit up, the Tigers had the right makeup to handle some early adversity in conference play, which started with three straight losses. A certain amount of win-loss struggle is just the cost of doing business in the ACC, and Kirr’s priority is making sure her roster doesn’t miss the opportunity to do something useful with a setback.
 
“We really try to be in the moment, knowing how intense the conference slate is that we’re up against. We take it match by match, point by point, step by step,” Kirr said. “We talk about it this way, ‘E plus R = O’ – which is Event plus Response equals Outcome. You lose a match, well that’s happened and you can’t change it. The only thing you have control over is your response. We talk about how your either win or learn; maybe you’re lucky and do both, but you’re guaranteed one or the other. That’s where we’ve kept our focus.
 
“What did Georgia Tech teach us? We need to serve aggressively; if we don’t then teams will be in system. We roll into NC State, what did we learn there? We have to be better defending the right side. (Amanda Rice) is incredibly good, and while you won’t stop her, you need to contain her. Wake Forest, the first road match, you know they’ll be super gritty defending their home court. They did a great job running their middles, so we got the opportunity to see how to get better up the gut. That’s what this team has done, responded tremendously by processing what happened, win or lose.”
 
Friday’s match versus Notre Dame is next up for Clemson, but the regular season comes to a frantic finish in a six-day stretch (Nov. 17-22) featuring matches at NC State, Duke and Virginia Tech. The schedule got a little wonky because work has started on a $15 million construction upgrade that includes $10 million beefing up the volleyball site, compelling the Tigers to clear out of their home early.
 
If nothing else, Clemson will see if all the growth and savvy that’s been implied from 2023’s journey will show up at the finish line.
 
“So now they can start construction three weeks earlier, and we’ve known for a while that we’ll have the stress of being road warriors and figuring it out at different facilities,” Kirr added. “We’re immersed in that, and the team is excited and fired up. We stay grounded where our feet are.”
 
ON THE NIVC – Clemson played in the 2022 NIVC, an experience Kirr believed gave her players something special and memorable in the moment, as well as something to draw from in the future.
 
“We had a young team last year and felt like I wanted those players to have the opportunity to feel those pressure moments. Survive and advance; you’re traveling and playing opponents you probably haven’t seen, so it’s a quick turnaround. You find out who you’re playing and start scouting – it’s a different experience. We don’t have a postseason tournament in the ACC, and I think the NIVC gave us the opportunity to see what that feels like. Then you look at the opportunities for upperclassmen who have been working so hard all season, it gives that experience to round out their career. It’s an incredible opportunity for as many teams as possible to get that. People are recognizing how great our sport it, and you see it with blowout attendance records and playing on football fields … the NIVC is another way for people to come watch this incredible sport.”

While it’s still a bit early to nail down who lands where in the NCAA postseason volleyball conversation, the NIVC is keeping close watch on teams as the fight for conference titles and strong league tournament finishes begins to get serious. Here’s a look at some of the programs who are popping in 2023:
 
University of Illinois-Chicago (18-10 overall) is in an interesting place, having eased into the top 100 in the NCAA RPI index and facing a chance to elevate its profile ahead of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. UIC has three regular season matches left, all versus teams ahead of it in the standings in Northern Iowa, Drake and Valparaiso. Four players have registered more than 200 kills, and a fifth is just five away from joining that group.
 
Indiana (17-10) is making progress through the daunting Big Ten schedule and now enjoys a solid RPI number at 72. Next up are three home matches with Rutgers, Minnesota and Maryland coming to Bloomington, where Hoosiers have only lost once this season. It’s a chance to get to double figures in conference victories. Camryn Hamworth has 982 assists, tied for No. 26 in NCAA D-I.
 
The Patriot League has been a real scuffle all season; with the conference tournament champion likely the only team to go to the NCAA tourney, expect some serious competitive vibes as Bucknell (15-9), Army (14-10) and Colgate (19-7) look to extend their seasons into December.
 
Thursday, Grand Canyon (19-6) gets to host WAC leaders Stephen F. Austin with the door closing on catching SFA for first place. However, the Lopes are still in good position regardless with an RPI of 100 and a chance to move it up a few clicks in the WAC tournament. Fifth-year setter Klaire Mitchell has 933 assists and sophomore Tatum Parrott has 389 kills (tied for No. 20 in NCAA D-I).
 
In the West Coast Conference, the top of the charts this year have always included Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount and San Diego (all 65 or better in RPI). So is there room for Pacific (15-9) and/or St. Mary’s (13-11) to shake things up here at the finish to raise their profiles? Pacific can certainly flex two big and experienced hitters in senior Alexa Edwards (309 kills) and grad student Biamba Kabengele (294 kills).
 
Full Watch List

With the conference chases in the 2023 season coming to a boil, the NIVC looks at some of the programs in the thick of it as we track the depth and competitive excellence found throughout D-I volleyball.

by Kyle Koso

​Time and time again, volleyball players may not appreciate the span of their talents, and it takes a perceptive coach to convince those athletes they’ve got something special cooking.
 
And on occasion, coaches are told the same thing.
 
Johnna Bazzani felt her coaching career had begun harmoniously enough with her assistant gig at Eastern Kentucky, moving straight from her time as a setter at San Diego State onto the sidelines with the Colonels. After a few years the tune changed dramatically as Lori Duncan stepped down after two-plus decades and eyeballed the young Bazzani, still well short of her 30th birthday, as the next in line.
 
The haste of these developments put Bazzani on a learning curve steeper than a secret jeep trail in nearby Daniel Boone National Forest. But her stamp on the program is clearly present in 2023, as EKU sits at 18-6 overall (8-4 in the Atlantic Sun Conference) and is on the doorstep of clinching a berth in the ASUN tournament and a chance to earn a spot in the NCAA postseason mix. Next up are weekend matches on the road versus Central Arkansas (7-17, 1-11) and North Alabama (14-10, 6-6).
 
Progress has hardly been a simple assignment for the Colonels; EKU lost 42 matches in Bazzani’s two seasons that wrapped around the messy, COVID-rattled 2020 campaign, and her team reached .500 (15-15) last season. But this year, the ability of the squad to truly execute her vision has led to something special, including a 13-match winning streak and a great five-set win over Lipscomb (15-7, 10-2) on Oct. 28.

“I was fortunate to have been working under Lori Duncan as an assistant for five years; when I started my coaching journey right after I finished playing, EKU was my first home, but I don’t know if I truly thought I’d be here very long,” said Bazzani, two-time Mountain West setter of the year who took over as EKU head coach in late 2018. “I’m from the West Coast … I didn’t necessarily think being an assistant for that long and then jumping into a head coaching job was my instant plan. Lori ended up sitting me down and said she was thinking about retiring and wanted me to take over the program. I was like, ‘What?’ At age 27 then, I wasn’t sure I was ready for this, I kind of thought about making a few stops along the way before (taking something over).
 
“The big thing … youth is great in this sport, and this was a perfect time for transition and a rebuild. I knew there were things I wanted to implement and change, (tweaks) with recruiting to make it my own. This year, we’re seeing some success that’s resulted from the work I put in, our staff, recruiting good kids and training how I was trained and what I’ve learned about it. That was my journey, and it’s been exciting. I had a chip on my shoulder at the beginning, knowing I had a lot to prove. But I knew that time would tell and I had to be patient.”
 
The 2023 roster was picked to finish sixth in the preseason ASUN poll, but EKU caught fire early and reeled off that long winning streak before coming up against a cold reality – conference road wins can be hard to find. Losses at North Florida and Jacksonville (both teams that sit behind the Colonels in the standings) had that stinging quality, and hearts were still heavy after an Oct. 21 five-set loss at home against league-leading Florida Gulf Coast.
 
“I expected us to be a good team; we’ve surprised ourselves with how good we actually are. How talented, how competitive,” Bazzani said. “We certainly are talented enough to beat North Florida and Jacksonville, but the team needed to learn about winning on the road. Conference games on the road, they are important. The key to championship-level teams is the mindset to win on the road. That got the better of us. We know we are a top-tier team in the league. Ever since those losses, we turned a corner and have trained every day, trained harder. You’ve seen it in our play from there.”
 
Last year’s 15-15 record hinted that the Colonels were marching on the right line, but it was a weird year, just their second in the ASUN, and one that left them outside the cut to make the postseason tournament. That result very much motivated the current group, arguably led by senior outside Sarah Mitchell, who plays six rotations and has a team-best 260 kills. Right on her heels is sophomore AG Vandagriff with 249 kills, and Bazzani is particularly pleased she can run some offense through her middles, sophomore Carson Ledford (191 kills, team leader in blocks) and junior Paige Wagers (116 kills). UT Martin transfer Kambree Lucas has 191 kills and 32 aces.
 
At the controls are two excellent setters in senior Chloe Mason (544 assists, 41 aces) and freshman Emilee Hill (423 assists), who stands 5-foot-11 and looks like a cornerstone asset for EKU going forward. With the regular season about to conclude in a burst – four matches in nine days, all on the road – EKU can sense that an already memorable year has a real chance of being talked about for seasons to come.
 
“We had lost that confidence, and it’s back. That’s how we have to play, knowing our fate is in our hands and we can control it right now,” Bazzani added. “We have four matches coming where we can continue that. Teams are fighting – we’re in a good spot (for the ASUN tourney), just need to think about getting better and not being stagnant. I can’t wait to see how they will respond. It’s doable to go 4-0, and we are training with the champion mindset that you’ve got to get it done on the road.”
 
NOTE – Coverage of Eastern Kentucky in 2023 sprang up naturally given the accomplishments of the team this season, but we’d like to remind volleyball fans of the role EKU had in the origins of the NIVC, especially the vision and guidance that came from Geri Polvino. She was the first volleyball head coach for the Colonels and won 627 matches from 1966 until her retirement in 1997.
 
The Women’s Invitational Volleyball Championship debuted in 1989 with 20 teams, in response to demand for another postseason opportunity within the sport. Administrators at smaller but competitive programs like Western Kentucky, Alabama-Birmingham and Eastern Kentucky did the introductory work of gauging interest and building a format. The teams played at one site, in four five-team pools, with each pool winner advancing to a single-elimination bracket.
 
After two years, the event was renamed the NIVC. Previous event champions were:
 
1989 – Wisconsin
1990 – Houston
1991 – Kentucky
1992 – Washington State
1993 – Louisiana State
1994 – Cal-State Northridge
1995 – Wisconsin