National Runner-Up!
Tournament run is an experience of a lifetime
Matt Daniels
Issue date: 11/25/09 Section: Sports
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"It's hard to put into words, it's exciting and something I will never forget," said all-region selection and co-captain Melissa Ernst. She defined her experience this season as being her most well-rounded and exciting volleyball experience she has encountered up to this point in her life.
The WolfPack, ranked as the tournament's No. 3 seed, coasted into the championship match, winning all six sets in their first two matches of the tournament over Nassau Community College (25-19, 25-22, 25-19) and the No. 2 seed Ridgewater College (25-18, 25-20, 25-19).
It appeared to be smooth sailing again for the WolfPack in the championship match against Brookhaven College. They won the first set 25-22 and appeared to be well on their way to dethroning the defending champions. However, Brookhaven College seized control of the momentum and the match as the Lady Bears took the next three sets from the WolfPack (20-25, 18-25, 19-25) and were crowned national champions again.
"For being our first trip there and being our first time in the championship, it's a pretty big success," stated a proud Ernst. Finishing as national runners-up is not exactly where Ernst and her teammates wanted to finish, but finishing second-place in the country is not a bad place to end a season.
Losing to Brookhaven was tough to deal with for the team, but Madison College walked off the court knowing they gave Brookhaven everything that they had brought across the Minnesota border. The Lady Bears have now won the National Junior College Athletics Association Division III national title for the second year in a row and the fourth time in six years.
"It was a little bittersweet at first," exclaimed first-year player Skye Kapinus. "We put everything on the court, we really did, we put our heart and soul into it."
Kapinus and Ernst attributed a majority of this season's success to how well the team bonded over the year. Even as the end of the season neared, Ernst still looked forward to going to practice so she could see her teammates, her friends.
Everyone got along largely because there were no cliques on the team. The team bonded on-and-off the court as the season progressed and their friendship grew as a whole. Kapinus feels that this season was a once in a lifetime experience, she has never been on a team that grew together so closely and became such good friends.
"It is really rare to have a group like we did," stated Kapinus. "This group felt like a home away from home."
As for next year, Kapinus, along with the other four first-year players all plan to return. Mixing in the five returning players with a solid recruiting class should translate into another successful season for the Madison College women's volleyball team.
If the opportunity arose, Kapinus would be thrilled to play Brookhaven College again. And given the recent success of both programs, a future postseason matchup between the two teams is not out of the question.
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