2018 Volleyball Season Preview
DUBUQUE, IA – The Lady Eagles return to the court this week as they seek to continue building a program of excellence at Emmaus.
The 2017 campaign saw the Lady Eagles earn their historic inaugural NCCAA National Tournament bid, finishing the season with a 6th place national ranking. Emmaus also put the first volleyball banner on the Pollard Fieldhouse wall, as they captured both the MCCC regular season and tournament championships.
The Lady Eagles return eight players from last year's squad, with four freshmen rounding out the roster. Emmaus also added new assistant coach Hannah Richter, whose insight has made a large impact on the team already. "I have been pleased with the progress we have made during the pre-season, as has Coach Richter," commented Coach Pitman. "We have players stepping into new roles, both out of strategy and necessity, and it is great to see our ladies working hard to step up and meet the needs that we have as a team."
Emmaus again faces a tough schedule. The Lady Eagles will play five matches against NCAA DIII opponents, will take on four NAIA teams, and will play three NCCAA matches against teams that were nationally ranked in 2017. Emmaus will also have to defend their MCCC titles against a strong field of contenders. "The MCCC is a quality conference of well-coached and hardworking teams," said Coach Pitman. "While repeating is certainly a good goal for our team, we realize that doing so is no small task and will require a great deal of effort. We firmly believe there are no shortcuts to winning matches, and we will take the long view of the season as always. Encountering bumps along the road is part of our plan, and I am confident that we will respond well to and learn from adversity as it comes."
The Lady Eagles also aim to make their mark in the NCCAA DII North Region; a region that contains nine teams, including 2017's 7th ranked Providence University College and National Champions Maranatha Baptist University.
Despite the challenges that loom ahead, the team is determined to be successful. However, the Lady Eagles plan to gauge their success by their own definition as opposed to numbers on the scoreboard. "We will strive to honor the Lord and represent Emmaus well, to look after each other's needs before our own, and work hard to be invested in the team on and off the court," commented Coach Pitman. "We have talked about this extensively for the past three seasons, and I expect that this group will be successful to this end as well."
The Lady Eagles open play at home with four matches over Labor Day weekend. On Friday (Aug. 31) Emmaus takes on NCCAA opponent Kansas Christian College, then faces off against Gogebic Community College (NJCAA). Saturday (Sept. 1) sees the Lady Eagles completing the doubleheader with Gogebic, and then taking on Silver Lake College (NAIA) to round out the weekend. Matches are at 5:30 and 7:30 pm on Friday and 11:00 am and 3:00 pmon Saturday in the Pollard Fieldhouse.