With a team full of freshmen, the WolfPack Volleyball team is poised to make a move this postseason. The team recently won a share of the conference title and won its 10th consecutive match to improve its overall record to 22-4.
Coach Toby Parker is excited about what his young team has been able to accomplish and believes more could be in store.
“Getting to the national tournament and bringing a title back to Madison are certainly things this group is capable of (doing),” Parker said.
Madison College joined the N4C conference in 2009, but the WolfPack had never won the conference before this year. The team was the conference runner-up twice.
A hard-fought 3-2 victory over Rock Volley College on Oct. 11 and a strong 3-0 win over Triton College on Oct. 16 earned the WolfPack a share of the conference title. Madison College finished tied at the top of the conference with both Rock Valley College and Harper College, all of whom finished 10-2 in the conference.
Winning on the road against No. 2 ranked Rock Valley was key to securing a share of the title and a top 5 ranking for the WolfPack. Madison College won the match 20-25, 25-19, 21-25, 25-17, and 15-9. The win gave the WolfPack a season sweep over Rock Valley.
The conference ended in a three-way tie after Madison College’s convincing 25-13, 25-16, 25-19 win over Triton College because there was no tie breaker in the head-to-head competition. During the season, Madison College beat Rock Valley twice, Rock Valley beat Harper College twice and Harper College beat Madison College twice.
Entering its regular season finale on Oct. 22, Madison College has won 10 consecutive matches, including two hard-fought wins at the UW-Whitewater JV Invitational on Oct. 20. The WolfPack won both matches in five games, rallying to win the final three games both times. They defeated UW-Whitewater, 13-25, 24-26, 25-23, 33-31 and 15-13. Madison College then beat Illinois Valley 22-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-21, 15-13.
With it’s never-say-die attitude, the WolfPack squad has exceeded Coach Parker’s expectations throughout the season. As for the playoffs, he’s not going to set any expectations. He just wants his team to play to its abilities.
“Our expectations heading into the postseason are simple, we have none,” Parker said. “With a roster that consists of just freshmen, we have done nothing but exceed expectations from day one. … I truly couldn’t be more proud.”
The WolfPack will start their playoff run against Triton College Wednesday, Oct. 24, at home. Game time is 6 p.m.