Maybe they will hoist the national championship trophy in the middle of November, a fitting way to depart from the NCAA Division III level as they transition to the NAIA next season.
Or perhaps their postseason journey will end a bit sooner, like at the regionals or in the national semifinals. Once the NCAA Tournament begins in single-elimination formats, there are no guarantees about the future. The present is all that exists for players and coaches in postseason competition, regardless of the sport.
Given those facts, the Thomas More University volleyball team is in position to accomplish a great deal next month during the NCAA Division III Tournament — maybe even pull off the ultimate goal of winning a national championship. The Saints are currently 25-2 and have beaten five nationally ranked teams this season. Among those victories is a road triumph over the nation’s No. 1 team, Calvin (Mich.), a result that alerted everyone that Thomas More is a legitimate contender for the NCAA Division III title.
Thomas More senior setter Jenna Fessler has directed the offense and led the Saints to a 25-2 record. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
Despite playing as an independent in its final season of competition at the NCAA Division III level, Thomas More is actually in better shape than previous years to advance far in the postseason.
Why? Simply put, because Thomas More has played a much tougher schedule than it would have faced had it remained in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, a collection of schools that the Saints volleyballers routinely steamrolled last season to the tune of an 18-0 record and tournament championship. In fact, Thomas More dropped just three sets to opponents in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference the entire season last fall.
But the Saints were then eliminated in the first round of the NCAA regionals in Atlanta, dropping a five-set decision to Christopher Newport.
Going virtually unchallenged by Presidents’ Athletic Conference teams did little to toughen up the Saints for NCAA Tournament competition. That’s not the case this season, when as an independent Thomas More has faced a formidable schedule of seven nationally ranked teams, not to mention six other squads that currently have at least 17 wins.
Saints head coach John Spinney probably said it best when asked about not having the Presidents’ Athletic Conference’s automatic berth as a safety net for an NCAA Tournament trip.
“We scheduled the toughest teams we could, and we’re embracing this year playing as an independent,” Spinney said after his fifth-ranked Saints defeated a good Transylvania team last week. “We need to have a great body of work and be regionally ranked. We’ve done our job so far, but it’s not finished.”
Not even close to being finished. Thomas More has five regular-season matches remaining, and the Saints will also compete in the American Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament in Delhi, N.Y., Nov. 3-4. The ACAA has no automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division III Tournament, but it will give Thomas More the opportunity to pick up two wins before the NCAA field is announced on Nov. 5.
Thomas More head coach John Spinney gives instructions to freshman Emily Mohs (23) during the Transylvania match on Oct. 19. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
Thomas More senior setter Jenna Fessler, who helped the Saints win three Presidents’ Athletic Conference championships, didn’t hesitate when asked about the upcoming postseason.
“Our goal is the national championship, so we can’t lose focus,” Fessler said after Thomas More defeated Transylvania. “Our schedule is really tough this year because we don’t have that automatic bid. We have to come out every night and play our best. We don’t have any easy matches this year.
“Our entire schedule is extremely tough to prepare us for when we get to the NCAA Tournament. Without playing in a conference and having that automatic bid, there are no nights off for us this year.”
Most players and coaches — especially the coaches — are reluctant to mention national championships as a goal, preferring to spew the usual clichés dripping with hefty praise for possible opponents in the NCAA Tournament. Those teams sometimes don’t have that invisible attribute that ignites title runs, or possess the confidence to actually pull it off — much less talk about winning a national crown. That’s what I meant by moxie.
While working at Northern Kentucky University as sports information director, I watched three teams win NCAA Division II national championships. I noticed something before each of those seasons that linked the programs during their respective title runs — the coaches and players were very open about winning national championships. They weren’t shy about the goals. It was always about playing a tough schedule and preparing for a journey deep into the NCAA Tournament.
I’m getting the same vibe about Thomas More’s volleyball team. Toss in the fact the Saints have tons of experience and talent, a star freshman (Emily Mohs) who’s an offensive dynamo, not to mention a beefed-up schedule that’s filled with squads destined for the NCAA Division III Tournament.
“I think we’ve counted that we’ve already played 10 matches against regionally ranked teams,” Spinney noted. “We’re playing the toughest possible schedule we could muster.”
The rugged schedule could pay big-time dividends for Thomas More next month. Ironically the NCAA Division III Elite Eight is being held Nov. 15-17 in Pittsburgh, located just 20 minutes away from the Presidents’ Athletic Conference headquarters in Wexford, Pa.
That, in itself, should provide added motivation for the Thomas More players and coaches, who no doubt would be thrilled to hoist the NCAA Division III national championship trophy in front of old friends and colleagues from their former conference.
Thomas More middle hitter Jenna Mummert (10) hammers an attack against Transylvania during the Saints’ sweep in Crestview Hills on Oct. 19. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
Contact Don Owen at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport
