Volleyball Prepares for Great Lakes District B Post Season Tournament
Petoskey, MI – The North Central Timberwolves (15-11, 6-6) are preparing for their post season appearance in the Great Lakes District B tournament, hosted by Grand Rapids Community College. This is the third season in a row that the Timberwolves have qualified for post-season. With their 3rd place finish in the MCCAA Northern Conference the team will enter the tournament as the 6th seed.
The tournament runs November 6th – 8th as a double elimination bracket, with the champion receiving a bid to the NJCAA DII Volleyball National Championship tournament.
Scouting the Opponents
For the third consecutive year the Timberwolves have been placed in the same bracket as the tournament host, this year being #14 in the nation, Grand Rapids Community College. Unlike the previous two seasons however, the team isn’t set to face that opponent immediately – but to make it to the National Championship it is likely they would.
Cuyahoga Community College (10-9, 7-3)
The first and only known opponent for this tournament is the Triceratops of Cuyahoga CC (Tri-C) who enter the tournament as the #3 seed after finishing second in the OCCAC. This will be the first ever meeting of the two teams in program history.
Common Opponents:
Both teams have faced St. Clair County Community College, Oakland Community College, and Lansing Community College. For the Triceratops these match ups came in August and resulted in a 0-3 loss to SC4, a 3-0 sweep over Oakland CC and a 5-set loss to Lansing CC. For the Timberwolves they split on the season with SC4, having defeated them at the SC4 Quad #2 in September and falling at home during the Buffalo Wild Wings & Corktown Pizza Timberwolves Quad. Also, during the SC4 Quad #2 North Central lost to Oakland CC and defeated Lansing CC.
Tri-C Leaders:
- Kimberly Biglin is averaging 2.51 k/s on .217 hitting percentage for the Triceratops. She leads the team in service aces (.76/set) and is third in digs per set playing a crucial role all the way around.
- Pilar Hampton is sixth in NJCAA DII with 1.49 Blocks/set.
The Timberwolves and Triceratops will face off on Thursday, November 6th at Noon in Ford Field House.
Following the results from the match vs Tri-C the Timberwolves will face either Southwestern Michigan College (26-6, 11-1), Macomb Community College (15-11, 7-5) or Terra State (6-17, 3-7).
Southwestern Michigan College (SMC)
SMC won the MCCAA Western Conference with an impressive 11-1 record and is the #2 seed in the Great Lakes District B tournament. The Timberwolves did not face the Roadrunners in any non-conference matches this season but did play against nine common opponents. In those match ups the Timberwolves finished with a 5-6 record and the Roadrunners with 10-2.
Southwestern Michigan College Leaders:
- Lily Kowalik hitting at a .306, placing her 52nd in the NJCAA DII rankings. And 1.09 blocks per set which is 22nd overall for NJCAA DII statistics.
- Amie Schutz is averaging 4.4 points per set ranking her 29th in the NJCAA DII.
- Four players have earned MCCAA Western Conference Player of the Week Awards this season.
Macomb Community College (15-11, 7-5)
Macomb CC enters the bracket after finishing 4th in the MCCA East and will take part in a play-in game on November 5th vs Terra State. The winner of the Macomb CC/Terra State match will have the 7th and final seed in the bracket for the double elimination tournament beginning on November 6th.
The Timberwolves and Monarchs met at the SC4 Quad #2 in early September when North Central defeated Macomb in five sets. These two teams have a healthy rivalry with the Timberwolves holding the slight all-time advantage 3-2.
Macomb Community College Leaders:
- Jordan Pflaum leads the Monarchs with 2.97 kills/set and .71 blocks/set.
Terra State (6-17, 3-7)
The other OCCAC team in the Great Lakes District B Tournament is Terra State. They will participate in a play-in game on November 5th against Macomb CC for the 7th seed in the double elimination tournament.
The Timberwolves have never played Terra State and should the opportunity arise the only common opponent they will have faced this season is Cuyahoga CC.
Depending upon the Timberwolves success they could eventually face three other teams in the bracket including Mott Community College (21-13, 9-3), Lansing Community College (15-12, 8/4) and #14 Grand Rapids Community College (19-2, 12-0). North Central played all three of these teams this season with victories over both Mott CC and Lansing CC at the SC4 Quad #2.
Keys for the Timberwolves
This year’s team is efficient at the net with an overall team hitting percentage of .176 -ranking them 5th in the entire MCCAA. They are known for their tough serving and strong ball control throughout the entire team. No matter who is on the court you can expect a strong competitive fight ‘til the end of the point for this squad. One piece that truly pushes this team forward is the energy – both the bench and court. Taking momentum from other teams in crucial moments is key for the Timberwolves who are ready for their playoff appearance and to make some noise.
Stay tuned to Timberwolves social media and athletics website www.ncmctimberwolves.com for updates throughout the tournament.