Nov. 12, 2006
by Chris Woodley
In my three-plus seasons of covering athletics at the University of West Florida, I have been privileged to witness some amazing athletic endeavors. From both soccer teams advancing deep in the national tournament, our softball team winning consecutive conference titles and our men's tennis earning two national titles, this is just a small sampling of some of the athletic achievements.
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to witness and become apart of another memorable event: the Argonauts volleyball team in the 2006 NCAA Division II South Central Region Tournament.
I was so excited on the Sunday before the tournament when I found out that we had qualified for our first national tournament appearance. Even though the team started the season 2-6, they came together during the season and qualified for the Gulf South Conference Tournament. Now, the Argonauts were going to the national tournament to face some of the best teams in the nation.
When I arrived at the Pensacola Regional Airport with the rest of team early Wednesday morning, a positive sense of energy was evident. Laughing was very frequent as we waited for our departure. We must have felt really special as we watched television on the first leg of our trip from Pensacola to Atlanta. As we made the transition from the sandy shores of Pensacola to the Great Planes of Missouri, the weather was sunny with a temperature of about 75 degrees. It felt like we never left Florida!
While the three hour drive from Kansas City to Kirksville, Mo. seemed to take forever, we finally arrived at our destination. The team must have appreciated the hour practice since they had been sitting all day on a plane and in a car. Our long day finally ended, but the excitement was just beginning.
The excitement continued to build on the morning of game day. It's funny how I am usually the one who is most nervous in these situations. I am just glad that I seemed to be the only one who was nervous. The team was not just happy to be playing; they had one goal: to win the region tournament and return to Pensacola to play in front of our home fans in the Elite Eight.
The doubters might have believed that seventh seed West Florida was out of their league, playing amongst four nationally ranked teams, including the number one team in the nation. But a closer inspection revealed that West Florida deserved to be in Kirksville. They had played seven of the eight teams during the regular season. The tough schedule that head coach Melissa Wolter had put together had paid off.
West Florida had defeated Washburn earlier in the season, and we were confident that we could win again. As I was riding over in one of our rental vans to the arena with some of the players, I knew this team was ready. Confidence had overtaken nervousness and that positive spirit that was in Pensacola was alive and well in Kirksville.
Washburn, the second seed and 19th ranked in the nation, had advanced to the semifinals in the previous two region tournaments. The Lady Blues scored the first three points of the first game, but it was all Argonauts after that. West Florida won game one and the confidence grew. After a game two win, the girls and everyone in attendance smelled an upset. After Louann Rusch recorded a kill to close out game three, part one of our Missouri mission was complete. Not only did we upset Washburn, but we dominated the match. It was a complete team effort on offense and defense. While the game stats were impressive, I was more impressed with the "invisible" stats. The hustle plays, such as players diving for digs or keeping possessions alive, was what impressed me most. I like the think the excitement in my voice on my broadcasts mirrored the excitement level of the players. Against Washburn, it seemed like the whole broadcast was one big excitement fest for me!
Our post-game celebration meal tasted great that night! Assistant coach Shelby Moneer, who attended college in Kirksville, took us to eat at a restaurant located next to Forest Lake at Thousand Hills State Park. Laughing, smiling and story telling were all apart of the meal. We were now flying high with confidence!
I went to our practice on Friday as we prepared to face third seed and 17th ranked Central Missouri. Near the end of practice, everyone gathered in a circle and each player recalled their most memorable moment from the Washburn game. I could only smile as I realized I was watching a team that conveyed a strong sense of positive energy and confidence on and off the court.
The match against Central Missouri was a classic. After we won game one, Central Missouri came back to win the next two games, including a 30-14 triumph in game three. I have seen so many teams get dominated in game three and have nothing left in game four. Some teams might have their heads down in despair, but not this team! Before going back out on the court, the entire team was up in a circle dancing and cheering. Yes dancing, after losing game three! I don't know what they were singing, but I loved it! This team had so much fight left in them and a bad performance in the third game was not going to keep them down.
Despite falling behind 10-3 in game four, we came back and eventually won the fourth game. In the decisive fifth game, we fell behind once again, but as if the sun was shining on our side of the court, we battled back and nearly pulled off our second upset in as many days. While Central Missouri pulled out the win, we had earned so much respect from our opponents and those in attendance in Kirksville. Not many people had talked about West Florida before the tournament, but the Argonauts had made a statement.
Not left with much of a voice after the most exciting volleyball match I have ever seen, I could only have a tremendous sense of pride for each and everyone on our team. The perseverance and teamwork they showed on the court and the positive energy and smiles they showed before, during and after the tournament is something that I will always remember.
Even though the team did not reach their final goal of playing in the Elite Eight, West Florida accomplished so much in Missouri. It has been said that attitude determines altitude. If that is true, then the attitudes of these young women helped lead the Argonauts to new heights.
