Volleyball team's season ends in semis of Big Sky tourney

The Weber State University Volleyball Team ended its season at the Big Sky Conference Tournament last weekend in Portland, Ore. The Wildcats won their first match of the tournament against the University of Montana in a big 3-2 comeback victory Friday morning. The win advanced the 'Cats to the tournament semifinals Friday night against No. 1 seeded Eastern Washington University. The rested Eagles, who got a bye into the semis, handled the 'Cats easily in a 3-0 sweep. "It completely demanded everything you were capable of," said WSU Head Coach Al Givens about the two tough matches in the same day. "I was really proud of our team. We battled the entire match." The Wildcats just ran out of gas against the Eagles after what Givens called a war against Montana. WSU had to dig deep against Montana, trailing 8-3 in the deciding fifth set and then coming back to win the set 15-12. Chelsea Bair led the 'Cats with her Big Sky Conference-best 19th double-double, picking up 18 kills and 15 digs. Leah Burmeister, Brittney Bisaillon and Jenna Leggat also had double-digit kills with 17, 11 and 10 respectively. "I thought our kids showed some remarkable composure and really held the course," Givens said. By the time the Wildcats got back to the arena to face Eastern Washington later that night, according to Givens, they were emotionally and physically spent. The 'Cats couldn't get anything going and the No. 1 Eagles soared to the sweep. "They were pretty much on fire," Givens said, "and we were just struggling to even do the basic fundamentals of the game. It took us until halfway between the third set before we could get any kind of rhythm." The Wildcats had a season-low 24 digs in the match and 29 kills, which was the second lowest total of the season in that department. The Wildcats hit just .060, their second-worst percentage of the season. The fatigued Wildcats were definitely at the disadvantage against the rested Eagles. Givens said he plans to definitely speak with Big Sky officials about changing the format of the tournament to span over three days instead of two and allow the lower-seeded team to not have to play two matches in a day. "In my opinion, it's not very fair to the student athletes," Givens said. Regardless of the loss, the Wildcats still had a season to be proud of. "The last game of the season doesn't define the season at all," Givens said. "The players did a great job this year. It was a good year." The Wildcats finished the season with a 21-13 record. That's the most wins for the 'Cats in 20 seasons. The Wildcats went 8-4 at home in the Swenson Gym, their best record since moving to the venue. "There are definitely some things we can build off," Givens said. The Wildcats are looking forward to next season already. Despite losing seniors who will be missed in Bisaillon and Burmeister, Givens said he has one of his best recruiting classes coming in next season. "We're celebrating and enjoying the accomplishments of this season," Givens said. "But by no stretch of the imagination is the cupboard bare."