The Clarion

Issue date: 10/8/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: MATC ATHLETICS MATC volleyball player Kayla Conner reaches up to spike a ball during a recent match. She leads the team in kills and is currently fourth in the nation in hitting efficiency.

With wins come accolades. And with accolades come added pressure. The women's volleyball team has experienced all of the above as of late, as they've been on a hot streak that has vaulted them to number three in the nation according to the latest NJCAA polls.

MATC (22-5 overall) has been riding a wave of success lately, and are gaining momentum as their regular season is coming to a close with tournament play right around the corner. The genesis of their current eight match winning streak took place in Kankakee, IL, where the WolfPack took part in the Kankakee CC tournament. Taking place over the weekend of Oct. 19-20, the contest featured two of the top Division III teams in the country in MATC and Rock Valley College (IL), and several Division II teams as well.

First up for the WolfPack on the weekend was a showdown with Rock Valley CC, a team they had lost to twice earlier in the season. In a match that served as a catapult for the momentum that they've found since then, MATC avenged their previous losses to the Golden Eagles in dramatic fashion as they won the match in five games by scores of 14-25, 25-18, 19-25, 25-18, and 15-9.

After falling to a ranked Division II Kankakee CC in four games, the WolfPack came back the next day to defeat McHenry CC (IL) in five games, again in dramatic fashion by scores of 25-23, 13-25, 25-20, 22-25, and 19-17. The team then proceeded to sweep their next two opponents convincingly, winning in three games against both Ancilla College (IL) and Muskegon CC (IL) to take home the championship trophy.

Since the loss to Kankakee the team has been, well, unbeatable. MATC has gone on to win their last eight matches, including wins over MATC-Milwuakee, UW-Waukesha, Western Tech, Riverland CC, and UW-Richland. In the process MATC hasn't lost a single game, winning 20 win a row during their current hot streak.

A key to the team's success has been the stellar play of second year outside hitter Roxanne Toby, and a pair of first year phenoms in Kayla Conner and Kristen Klein. Toby is putting up All-American type numbers all across the board, and is proving to be an integral part of the team's success this year. Supplementing her on the front line is Kayla Conner, a former All-State (Waterloo, IA) middle blocker who is making her presence felt in the state of Wisconsin. Currently Conner ranks fourth in the nation in hitting efficiency with just over a 40% efficiency rating. She also ranks in the top ten in kills per game, with 3.4 per game. Another nice surprise for the WolfPack this year has been the play of Kristen Klein, who leads the team in assists with nearly eight per game, good enough for seventh in the nation.

MATC will play in a quadrangular hosted by UW-Waukesha tonight, October 8, and is expected to keep their consecutive win streak intact for what should prove to be an electrifying matchup this weekend when they host second ranked Rochester CTC, a team that beat the WolfPack twice in the opening weekend of the season.

To add more fuel to the fire, the date with Rochester also happens to be the "Dig For The Cure" event, in which the gym is expected to be filled to capacity with hundreds of pink-clad WolfPack fans.

For more information on how to be a part of this sure-to-be unforgettable event, log onto http://matcmadison.edu/athletics/sports/volleyball.htm.

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