The volleyball team, currently ranked No. 11 in the country, will be heading to Augustana College on Saturday for a non-conference matchup. The Maroons are 24–3 overall and 6–1 in University Athletic Association play heading into the match, and Augustana is 13–11 overall. After a tough UAA competition last week, the Maroons can enjoy one match this weekend before heading off to the UAA Championships next Friday.
The team has had a fantastic season so far, being ranked as high as No. 8 in the country. The Maroons have earned a variety of upsets so far in the season. They defeated Wash U in their first round of UAA matches and defeated No. 6 Trinity Texas in the Illinois Wesleyan University Classic in four close sets. The South Siders also beat Illinois Wesleyan University earlier in the season and pushed the top-ranked team in the country, Calvin College, to five sets. Chicago is currently ranked No. 6 in the conference right behind Emory. The two teams have the same conference record, but the Maroons lost to the Eagles, so they are sitting behind the Eagles in the rankings.
The team has been boosted by consistent solid performances from a variety of players. Second-year setter Emma Griffith has captured four UAA Athlete of the Week accolades so far and third-year middle hitter Madison Pearson has won offensive athlete of the week honors. Additionally, Griffith was the Gargoyle Tournament MVP and Pearson and third-year Anne Marie Stifter were nominated to the all-tournament team. In the IWU Classic, Pearson and fourth-year Sarah Muisenga were named to the all-tournament team. The Maroons are sitting atop the conference in hitting percentage (0.252) and assists per set (12.45).
Looking ahead to the rest of the season, second-year Aasha Dave has high hopes for the team. She said, “We are feeling good about our performance, but we understand we still need to take it one match at a time before we can even begin to think about post season goals. We have a few more important regional matches to go and our conference championships but we are continuing to work hard and aren’t going to stop until we reach our goals!” Additionally, the hard work the team has put in has clearly already started paying off, and she can’t wait to see the end results. “I’m most excited to see how all of our training from preseason has prepared us for the final push for conference and post season.”
The Maroons head to Augustana College on Saturday and play at 4 p.m.
