NCAA Tournament Chicago Regional

GRINNELL, Iowa - Many things go into achieving a record-breaking season in athletics.

But Grinnell College volleyball coach Eric Ragan can point to one particular facet that has guided his team to a school-record 26 wins and a first-ever berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

"Our team culture is unbelievably strong this year," said Ragan, whose squad faces fourth-ranked Carthage College in the Chicago Regional at 3 p.m. Friday. "The team gets along so well and they play together well as a team. They know they have each other's backs in those big moments which allows them to go for it and swing away at the end of sets and matches when most teams play it safe."

Grinnell advanced to the NCAA Tourney by winning the Midwest Conference Tournament, posting two "upsets" as the fourth seed. The Pioneers lost to both higher seeds St. Norbert College and Illinois College in the regular season, but avenged the St. Norbert loss with a five-set win in the MWC Tourney title match.

"The losses in the middle of the season created an opportunity for our team to reset and recommit to competing for every point and learning and getting better every day in practice," said Ragan. "The team definitely felt like the Midwest Conference Tournament was an opportunity to prove that Grinnell was one of the best teams in the conference and it was so cool to see how hard they competed in the big moments throughout the weekend. They earned this championship by being great teammates and working hard in every practice and every match. I am so proud to be their coach."

Ragan is ecstatic with the support the team has received in its historical run.

"It was so cool to see how much the title meant to the current women on our team, our program's alums and everyone in the Grinnell College community," he said. "I will never forget the big, teary-eyed hug I got from an early 2000s alum after the match. She said she had been waiting 20 years for this moment and that all of her teammates felt the same. One of the best parts of Grinnell's community is how we support each other and how we're Grinnellians for life. The reaction from our community and the pure joy they felt for our team is a reflection of what makes Grinnell Grinnell."

As for the task at hand, Ragan knows Carthage will present a great challenge, but also a tremendous opportunity for his team. 
 
"Carthage is extremely athletic and has competed at a high level all season," he said. "They play a fast tempo and work to find their key attackers in one-on-one situations. We will need to control the game on our side of the net, serve tough and compete on every single point throughout the match. Our team is full of women who love to step up and compete in challenging situations and this match will be an opportunity for GCVB to do this on the national level."

Carthage ranks 11th nationally in hitting efficiency at .252 and 20th in blocks per set with 2.05. The team has a balanced hitting attack, with Haley Horner leading the way with 3.23 kills per set and Megan Behrendt 2.91.
 
Ellie LeCount ranks 13th nationally in assists average at 10.63 and Kathryn Shuty leads the team in aces with 0.64 a set. Horner and Andrea Kozak lead the team in blocks with 0.97 and 0.96, respectively, while leaders in digs are Laura de Rosales (4.76) and Behrendt (3.73).
 
Grinnell's Kaylin Kuhn '21 ranks second nationally in kills and points per set with 4.80 and 5.47, respectively. Rachel Woock '23 averages 2.79 kills, Julianna Roth '22 is at 9.78 assists and Payton Lowrey '22 averages 0.73 aces.
 
Lowrey and Woock are leaders in digs with 4.48 and 3.21, while Anna Killin '22 is the blocks leader with 0.64.
 
The winner of Friday's match meets either fifth-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps or Washington University of St. Louis on Saturday.