Wildcats Volleyball won the Big Sky Championship Tournament, which took place from March 31 to April 2.
In the first match on March 31, the Wildcats beat Eastern Washington 3–0. They won the first set 25–15, the second set 25–21 and the last set 25–12.
Weber State achieved 52 kills throughout the match compared to the Eagles’ 26 kills. The Wildcats got the only three aces of the match. Both the teams earned five blocks on the day. Weber State assisted 46 times, while Eastern Washington assisted 26 times. The Wildcats got 57 digs to the Eagles’ getting 53 digs.
The game’s kill leader was Rylin Adams with 19. Dani Nay was right behind her with 17 kills. The Eagles’ kill leader was Ka’ehukaiiha’amaina’e Keala with eight. Makayla Sorensen got two of Weber State’s aces and Caroline Clark got the other.
The Wildcats’ Sam Schiess and Emma Mangum both got three blocks each. The Eagles’ Ashlyn Blotzer and Sage Brustad also earned three blocks each.
The match’s assist leader was Ashlyn Power with 39 assists; Eastern Washington’s assist leader was Lindsey Russell with 19; Nay led the Wildcats in digs with 16; and the Eagles’ Catelyn Linke got 15 digs.
After the match, Adams talked about how they were successful in the regular season.
“Not worrying about the wins and the losses, just worrying about getting better every single day,” Adams said. “That really contributed to our success this season.”
Before their semifinal match, Adams spoke about what their focus would be.
“I think we’re gonna focus on taking care of our side of the net,” Adams said. “Just being disciplined because when we play like we know how to play, nobody can stop us.”
The Wildcats played their semifinal match on April 1 against Northern Arizona. Weber State beat the Lumberjacks 3–1. Northern Arizona won the first set 25–23. Then, Weber State won the second set 25–14, the third set 25–12 and the fourth set 25–17.
The Wildcats earned 56 kills, and the Lumberjacks earned 40 kills. Weber State were able to get six aces with Northern Arizona getting three aces. The Wildcats got nine blocks with the Lumberjacks getting seven blocks. Northern Arizona got 39 assists, and Weber state got 52 assists. Weber State achieved 82 digs and the Lumberjacks had 64 digs.
Adams was the match’s kill leader with 19. The Lumberjacks’ kill leader, Taylor Jacobsen, had 14 kills.
Nay and Sorensen both led the game in aces with two each. Schiess lead the match with six blocks. Northern Arizona’s block leaders were Ryann Davis and Jordan Elder with five each.
Power was the match’s assist leader with 46 assists. Aubrea Bandfield was the Lumberjacks’ assist leader with 18. Sorensen led the match with 23 digs. Jacobsen led Northern Arizona in digs with 15.
After the match, Schiess spoke about how they were able to reach the finals.
“We just go into every game and every practice just to get better and just to learn,” Schiess said. “I think we did that today.”
Schiess talked about how they adjusted after losing the first set.
“We just went back, and we just decided that we needed to be a little more disciplined,” Schiess said.
The Wildcats headed into the final match on April 2 against Northern Colorado. Weber State beat the Bears 3–1. Northern Colorado won the first set 26–24, but Weber State won the second set 25–18, the third set 25–17 and the final set 25–17.
The Wildcats achieved 55 kills in the match with the Bears earning 49 kills. Weber State got seven aces, and Northern Colorado got two aces. The Wildcats were able to get 10 blocks. The Bears earned seven blocks. The Wildcats assisted 52 times with the Bears assisting 47 times. Weber State got 65 digs, while Northern Colorado achieved 68 digs.
Adams was the match’s kill leader with 19 kills. The Bears’ kill leader was Taylor Muff with 13 kills. Nay led the match in aces with three.
Northern Colorado’s Rachel Hickman and Cece Huhn both earned seven blocks. Schiess and Mangum both achieved five blocks.
Power assisted 45 times, while the Bears’ Daisy Schultz assisted 40 times. Sorensen earned 18 digs. Northern Colorado’s Kyndall Feather had 23 digs.
Adams was the MVP for the regular season and the tournament. She spoke on her thoughts about that.
“It means a lot to me,” Adams said. “I’m really happy to be here. I’m just super happy that I can be in a position to help my teammates win.”
Wildcat head coach Jeremiah Larsen spoke about his championship team.
“I think they’re wonderful volleyball players,” Larsen said.
Weber State will compete in the NCAA Tournament. They will face off against Bowling Green in Omaha, Nebraska, on April 14.
