After weeks of hype about this season and the team itself, the women’s volleyball team answered the bell with an impressive sweep of Rock Valley, the defending national champions. In front of a packed house at Redsten Gymnasium the WolfPack let out a pregame scream and then let off some serious steam against their archrivals.

Coming off a dominant performance at the DuPage Invitational in which Madison College dropped only two sets, it was clear that they wanted to send a message to Rock Valley. A kill by team captain and sophomore Danielle Crawford set the tone and perhaps sent a personal message to Rock Valley.

“We call some of the bigger shots you saw tonight statement shots,” said Toby Parker, WolfPack head coach. “We are going to have a good year and if you’re going to beat us those are some of the things you’re going to have to contend with.”

Rock Valley was seemingly unfazed by those big shots. They were able to quiet the raucous crowd by taking a 24-22 lead in the first game and forcing the WolfPack to dig deep. Rock Valley seemed unaffected by all the hype surrounding their more celebrated opponents, a notion which did not surprise Parker.

“Rock Valley does not just have a good team, they’ve got a great program. Year in and year out it’s a tradition for them. We respect their program and we fully expected the match we received tonight,” Parker said.

It seemed as though Rock Valley was as primed for this matchup as much as the WolfPack players were. But time and again, Rock Valley found their forays at the net blocked by sophomore Elizabeth Mahsem.

Whether it was coming up with clutch, game saving points in a dicey first game or providing exclamation points en route to a 3-game sweep, Mahsem found a way to answer Rock Valley.

“They’re tough to keep up with,” said Elizabeth Mahsem, a sophomore middle blocker. “They had a good block at the net. It was difficult to work around but I just tried to find the floor.”

Following the difficult first game, Madison College never looked back and defeated their nemesis 3-0. The fans at Redsten Gymnasium were thrilled at the clutch performance the WolfPack displayed. Athletic director Steve Hauser was appreciative in the passionate roar that the crowd let out for their team throughout the entire game.

“That’s as good an energy as we’ve had in the gym in a long time. I would just say this is one of the most skilled teams we’ve ever had here,” Hauser said.

Hauser also said the WolfPack playing its best at tournament time was what really counted but Parker refused to prognosticate about the team’s future, but is looking forward to what happens down the stretch.

“It’s going to be a fun finish,” he said.

Madison College’s next home match will be Sept. 24 against the College of DuPage at 6 p.m.