The 32-3 “cohesive” Normal West Wildcat volleyball team is preparing to make a deep playoff run.
After taking home the crown of the Lyons Tournament this past weekend, the Wildcat’s historic regular season comes to a close. This season, the Cats took home the Big 12 conference title and now turn their focus towards preparing for the postseason.
“We just want to be playing consistently at a high level. Being able to move on from each point… I think in 4A for the postseason, the teams are really solid,” Head coach Kelsey Mueller notes of her thoughts going into Tuesday night’s regional semifinal matchup.
Tomorrow, October 29, the Wildcats will take on East Moline (United) at 6pm at Rock Island High School.
After much success this season, the team’s ultimate goal is to win state, but in order to do so, it starts with staying focused.
“The team has recognized playing consistent and being focused is something that is really important for success,” Mueller recognizes.
“[We preach to the girls all of the] reminders when we are on the floor, in practice, or in games…we approach everything the same way” states Mueller.
That mentality has helped the Cats throughout the season, especially after their Intercity “snag,” where they dropped 2 in a row after starting 15-0.
“We were able to have a team meeting and talk about the good and what we could work on, and we recommitted,” Mueller comments.
“We were going to use it as like a way to get better and improve for postseason, and for the rest of the season, so it ended up kind of working out… and in a way, [those losses are] going to help us, I think, in the long run,” Mueller adds.
So far, the Wildcats have done just that as they’ve gone 15-1 since that team meeting and recommitment.
Mueller credits a lot of it to the girls being much more “cohesive.”
“They’re doing a good job of embodying what a team is and being good teammates. Teams need lots of different pieces, so you obviously need leadership and you need friendship and you need trust and cooperation and resilience,” Mueller states.
And the Cats have had some great teams over the past few years, but Mueller feels this team is different.
“I think it’s just a good mix of girls. I think there are 14 of them that are on the team, and there’s a lot of new people. I feel like it’s like a new group, which I think allows for those new relationships to happen and new connections on and off the floor.
“It’s been really cool to see their personalities mesh. We have quite a few girls that have a good sense of humor and are really positive. We also have some girls that have more of a natural leadership ability to keep everybody on track,” Mueller states.
The Cats look to stay focused, loose, and cohesive on their quest to bring home some hardware this postseason.
“We just want to have fun and play hard,” Senior standout and St. Louis University recruit, Ellie Rink, puts simply.
Catch the Cats at 6pm for their Regional Semifinal match at Rock Island High School against East Moline (United) tomorrow night.
