Record-setting night
Record-setting night
By Ricky Nelson
After a block by senior Kim Vail, the Titans had the record. But there was no break in the action to acknowledge the accomplishment. There was another game to win on the road to bigger things.
The UW Oshkosh women's volleyball team defeated Beloit College 30-15 in game two to win its NCAA Division III record 50th consecutive game Monday night at Kolf Sports Center. The Titans went on to sweep the match and run the streak to 51, the eighth best mark in any NCAA division.
But there was no ceremony. When the streak reached 50, fans of both teams gave a knowing standing ovation while the Titans walked to their bench. The Oshkosh sports information director took the game ball and walked the memento downstairs for its eventual home in a trophy case. Then, without a public address announcement, it was on to game three.
Make no mistake, the record means a lot to the team. It's just that making history in September takes a backseat to a deep NCAA tournament run in November.
"This is just one little step along the way," Oshkosh assistant coach Ashley Fischer said. "I told the girls, 'Don't let it get to your heads' because what matters is if we have the national championship at the end of the season. It's an awesome accomplishment, but I think (the coaches) were confident that we were going to do it."
Oshkosh head coach Brian Schaefer said he never mentioned the potential record to his players.
"To be honest, the players probably didn't even know anything about it," he said. "So, after the match I told the team 'You just broke the record, and it's something you should be proud of.'
"(The record) says a lot for our program," Schaefer added. "It is significant and it's something that might not ever get broken. It's just a unique situation with us being a veteran team, the matches that we were playing and us being very good."
The 30-26, 30-15, 30-28 win over Beloit (8-7) was a team effort. Only three Titans played all three games and none of the 16 Titans who played reached double figures in kills. Leah Rosenbaum paced Oshkosh with nine.
"We kind of struggled in the third game with some hitting errors," Schaefer said. "Everyone was all over the place, but then we buckled down and made plays when we needed to."
Leah Stumpf led Oshkosh with 33 assists. Rebecca Masephol and Christina Cahoon were the Titan co-leaders with 14 digs.
The Titans trailed for just two points the entire match en route to outhitting Beloit .268 to .073 and tallying 54 kills to Beloit's 21.
The Titans will attempt to extend their game-winning streak Wednesday at Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe UW-La Crosse. Oshkosh goes into the match ranked No. 7 and La Crosse is No. 18. Oshkosh (17-1, 3-0 WIAC) has won 17 straight matches. La Crosse (12-2, 0-1) won its last match with a nonconference home sweep over Viterbo University (13-5).
Rosenbaum, who leads the Titans in kills, attempts and blocks, could miss the La Crosse match due to a hyperextended right elbow. She suffered the injury while making a pass during the second game against Beloit. Rosenbaum did not play in game three, and she watched Tuesday's practice as a precaution. Schaefer said the typical recovery time for that injury is three to four days.
La Crosse will be the first ranked team to face Oshkosh since the Titans dropped a four-game match to preseason No. 8 Carthage College in the season opener.
"La Crosse is good, and it'll be nice to see a team that's not going to roll over for a game," Oshkosh assistant coach Rick Kreiter said.
After setting the record while playing unranked opponents, Schaefer said the La Crosse match will be an acid test for his team.
"I'd be shocked if we swept La Crosse," Schaefer said. "And I'm still up in the air about how good we are."
Consecutive games won, NCAA Division III
51 Oshkosh, current
49 Washington University* (Mo.), 1995
48 UW-Whitewater, 2000
46 State University of New York-Cortland, 2003
44 Central College* (Iowa), 1999
Consecutive games won, NCAA Division I, II, III
105 University of Florida, 2003 (Div. I)
69 Long Beach State University* (Calif.), 1998 (Div. I)
59 Penn State University, 1998 (Div. I)
56 University of Arkansas, 1997 (Div. I)
55 Barry University (Fla.), 2003 (Div. II)
54 University of Florida, 2001 (Div. I)
53 Texas State University, 1986 (Div. I)
51 Oshkosh, current (Div. III)
* Team won NCAA championship