The nation’s top men’s volleyball team, UW Oshkosh, has rolled to four-straight wins, including a pair of three-set sweeps, reaching 16 wins and a Wisconsin Volleyball Conference record of 4-1.
The Titans took out WVC rival UW-River Falls 25-14, 25-21, 25-15 and non-conference opponent North Dakota State University 25-18, 25-16, 25-21 on March 3.
On March 4, UWO bullied its way through UW-Eau Claire in four sets 21-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-20.
This is following the team’s first loss of the season to Marquette on Feb. 23. Graduate student Brandon Schmidt said the team has a quick memory.
“Everyone was able to move forward from the loss and have a short-term memory, which is needed anytime either an individual or a team doesn’t play well,” Schmidt said. “We were able to do that.”
Schmidt led the Titans with nine kills against UW-River Falls. Senior Travis Hudson provided 23 assists, five service aces and three blocks for another impressive performance.
Senior Peter Nordel added six kills and five blocks and senior Chicago native Wesley Morioka tallied three service aces. Senior Sammy Pedersen led the team with four digs and added six kills and two blocks.
In a sweep of the Bison of North Dakota State, UWO was ignited by Morioka’s team-leading eight kills and four service aces. Hudson had 20 assists and five blocks, while sophomore Tony D’Acquisto added five blocks and Pedersen provided three service aces.
Nordel tacked on six kills and four blocks. The Titans had 10 service aces and 13 blocks as a team.
Schmidt said adversity is key when bringing a team together in order to find success.
“The best thing about our team is our adversity on the court,” Schmidt said. “There are many players on the team that can play multiple positions, and at this point, we’re finding what combination is the best, or what combination makes us play our best. It’s definitely a slower process, but I believe that we are honing in on what will give us the best success.”
Pleasant Prairie native Michael Wamboldt said, despite the results of some these matches, there are still plenty of things to clean up.
“I would like to say that yes, it has been great winning thus far after the loss, but we are still in the process of piecing things together,” Wamboldt said. “We have not won these last four matches as easily as we should have.”
Wamboldt said the team’s standing is not set in stone until nationals approach.
“It is a great feeling to win the last few games, but once we get rolling on all cylinders it will be a much better victory as a team,” Wamboldt said. “Our team is never finalized until nationals comes.”
Wauwatosa native Hudson said losing matches is not an option and the team cannot be content.
“I believe it’s the urge to not want to lose again,” Hudson said. “Everyone is a competitor, so we all hate losing. We know we could have played better, so we are striving to be a better team.”
The Titans will get another shot at Marquette tonight 8 p.m. Hudson said there is no lack of motivation for this one.
“They beat us at home when we didn’t play very well. Now it’s time to return the favor and beat them in their gym,” Hudson said. “To do that everyone has to be on the same page, with the same goal and willingness to be a team player for us to get the win.”
This organization has continued to bounce back from adversity in order to keep the prestige of this club. Schmidt said the experience has been one to remember.
“It has been a blast being part of a team with such drive to be the best in the nation,” Schmidt said. “It’s a great feeling being able to mesh with the team and make an impact.”
