Lady Bluejay netters endure bumpy road
The roads in Missouri are loaded with rolling hills.
The Lady Bluejay volleyball team found out in more ways than one just how hilly the roads are Sept. 6 and 7 as they opened the season at the College of the Ozarks Tournament in Point Lookout.
There, the Bluejays went 2-3, competing against national tournament caliber competition during the weekend.
In spite of facing some of the NAIA's top programs, Coach Amy Ratzlaff has a good idea of what it will take for her team to make it one step further than it did a year ago.
Projected to finish as the runner-up in the KCAC, Tabor upended Bacone College, 3-0, and Park College, 3-2.
But the competition got harder, and the Bluejays dropped their next three matches against Southern Nazarene, John Brown University and the hosting College of the Ozarks by 3-1 margins.
"The biggest disadvantage during the weekend was that we were playing some of the top teams in the nation who have had a lot more time to practice and to play," Ratzlaff said.
"We used this weekend as a way of finding our leaders and our chemistry."
Angela Kroeker proved that she will be one of Tabor's leaders in defense this season with 46 kills for the weekend.
Sara Haggard had 164 assists to go along with nine aces. Erin Loewen led Tabor with 10 aces.
"Our defense kept us in most of the matches because we're a very fast team," said Ratzlaff. "We had an incredible time together.
"It really turned out to be a really good time."
The Bluejays return today to play host to the preseason KCAC favorite and bitter-rival Bethel at 6 p.m.
Ratzlaff and her team aren't likely to forget the last meeting with Ratzlaff's alma mater Bethel.
Tabor was on track for the regional tournament a year ago before the determined Threshers swiped the ticket out from Tabor's nose to advance to the national tournament.
