OSHKOSH, Wis. – After wrapping up their walkthrough inside the Kolf Sports Center earlier today, the North Park women's volleyball team looks to make a run in the 2023 NCAA Tournament beginning with ASC champion East Texas Baptist University tomorrow, Nov. 16, at 2:00 PM CT.
"We are more than ready to get out there and compete with this team," said Vikings' Head Coach Michael Sopocy. "We had the sixth toughest regular season schedule in the country, which has prepared us for this tournament. Our team has worked hard all season for this opportunity and they deserve it."
"We had probably our best practice of the season today and the mentality of this team is completely locked in," added Assistant Coach Brittany Welch. "Tomorrow can't come soon enough!"
Notes on the Tigers
East Texas Baptist University (ETBU) swept through the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, 3-0, (29-27, 25-14, 25-20) last Saturday, winning their first American Southwest Conference (ASC) Tournament Championship in 20 years and, therefore, receiving the automatic bid to the Division III Tournament.
The Tigers' schedule, at least in a geographical sense, pales in comparison to the Vikings' as the only time ETBU has left the Lone Star State was a season-opening tournament in Atlanta, Georgia. However, despite the lack of travel, ETBU has seen ranked opposition in No. 24 Covenant, (rv) Mary Hardin-Baylor (UMHB), and No. 7 Emory, earning a pair of wins against UMHB in two of their three clashes this season.
ETBU possesses one of the country's top-ranked offenses evidenced by their 13.84 kills per set and 12.55 assists per set, ranked fourth and ninth in Division III, respectively. Leading that charge is sophomore outside Graycee Mosley, who holds national ranks of fourth in kills per set (4.81), sixth in points per set (5.28), and 8th in total kills (467). Mosley was an All-American in 2022 as a freshman after being named the ASC's two-time Most Valuable Player (2022, 2023) and the league's Freshman of the Year (2022).
As a team, the Tigers have held their opponents to an average hitting percentage of .102 this season. They're on a 10-match win streak and currently hold a record of 25-3, including victories in 21 of their past 22 matches.
Notes on the 13th-ranked Vikings
Coach Sopocy boasts the strongest and most accomplished team in program history as the Vikings didn't suffer a loss to a College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) opponent en route to double champ status; their first-ever regular season title and a second tournament championship.
According to the Massy Ratings system, No. 13 North Park's strength of schedule is the seventh-strongest in Division III women's volleyball. The Vikings earned four ranked wins this season, including No. 3 Hope (Oct. 27), No. 4 Calvin (Sept. 22), and No. 6 UW-Whitewater (Oct. 27). After a brief, early-season stumble at home, the Vikings rattled off 12-straight wins on their home floor.
North Park is extraordinarily well-rounded, evidenced by their national numbers coupled with their difficult schedule. The Vikings are eighth in attacks (4,551), 10th in digs (2,161), 14th in aces (299), 16th in assists (1,353), and 17th in kills (1,468).
Two-time Setter of the Year (2022, 2023) and newly-minted American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Region 8 Honorable Mention Christina Gatta (Chicago, Ill., Resurrection) is ninth in the nation with 80 aces, a single-season record for North Park volleyball. She's also the career aces (387) and assists (3,715) leader at North Park, currently ranking 15th in DIII with 1,051 assists this season.
2022 All-American and three-time All-CCIW pick (2021-2023) Adriana Rodriguez (Carolina, Puerto Rico, Saint Francis) is the lead attacker for North Park, ranking sixth in attacks (1,350), 10th in points (519.5), and 13th in kills (446) in all of DIII. She's had 14 kills in each of her past six matches, including a two-match total of 30 against Whitewater and Hope.
Freshman middle blocker and the CCIW's 2023 Newcomer of the Year Meg Rothermel (Cary, Ill., Cary-Grove) shined in her first year of collegiate volleyball among a group of veteran teammates. On the attack, Rothermel boasts 174 kills alongside a .214 hitting percentage. Defensively, she leads the Vikings with 67 blocks and 0.64 blocks per set.
Shamyia Collier (Orlando, Fla., Bishop Moore), Kharlie Simeona-French (Papakolea, Hawaii, Punahou), and Rhianna Huebner (Edwardsville, Ill., Edwardsville) all make a major impact up front. Collier, a second-team All-CCIW pick this season, was second on the team with 219 kills and averaged 2.16 per set. She's reached double-digit kill totals in each of her past five matches, including a career second-best of 14 against No. 3 Hope. Simeona-French ranked third on the team with 201 kills and 53 blocks. She set career marks in the CCIW Tournament Championship against Carthage with 14 kills and 35 attacks. Huebner, a 2022 second-team All-CCIW selection, was right behind Rothermel with 63 blocks, averaging 0.58 per set to go alongside 143 kills and a .239 attacking percentage.
Senior defensive specialist Teiya Alagar (Gresham, Ore., Central Catholic) and 2022 All-CCIW libero Carolina Aviles (Guaynabo, PR, Colegio Adianez)round out the defensive structure for North Park. Alagar is averaging 2.43 digs per set and a season total of 250, while also proving to be a service threat with 25 aces, fifth-best on the team. Aviles, who teams largely played "keep away" from this season, is the Vikings' digs leader with an even 500 on the season (4.13 per set). She's had eight matches with 20-or-more digs and adds 123 assists to her repertoire.
Senior Jenna Jones (Glendale, Ariz., Mountain Ridge) and sophomore Abby Ames (Grand Rapids, Mich., Grand Rapids Christian) are a major reason the Vikings' service game is so deep. Jones is third on the Vikings with 49 aces (.40 per set) and Ames is sixth with 15. Jones had four aces in the dismantling of No. 3 Hope while Ames added a pair.
Down the Road
A win tomorrow would position North Park against the winner of (rv) Otterbein and No. 20 La Verne on Friday, Nov. 17, at 4:30 PM CT. The other side of the eight-team bracket features Thursday matchups between No. 18 Gustavus Adolphus and No. 12 Calvin before host and No. 2 UW-Oshkosh plays Greenville. Eight teams are whittled down to two on Saturday, Nov. 18, to see who heads to Claremont, California for an NCAA Quarterfinal matchup.
Live links, including an interactive bracket will be updated and available on our WVB schedule and results page.
