Against the Titans the Pioneer serve
receive was still an issue and limited attack options were counterproductive
to scoring points. UW Oshkosh took the match by scores of 25–18, 25–13, and
25–21. Each set had the Titans push a six- to eight-point lead, and the Pioneers could
not score bunch points to come back. There was no NI hitter in
double figures, and seven service errors complicated the ability to get any kind of
consistency.
On Saturday, NI hosted another
conference opponent in Concordia University. Justin Delizo, a senior captain,
commented, “Coach Herron warned us about falling to apathy and complacency. We
needed to come out and play hard regardless of who is on the other side of the
net.” The Falcons were at the beginning of their competitive schedule. These
teams met two weeks ago at the conference play-date, and the Pioneers held the
better play by winning in three. “Today we wanted to play well after two straight
losses against the teams above us in the conference. Apathy is the worst injury
an athlete can have. It comes without symptoms, but the consequences always
have negative results,” summarized Coach Herron.
Set one had NI enjoy a 13–8 lead.
With Andrew Schilling serving the Pioneers pushed a lead up to 23–17 score.
Micah Herron put away a ball to get set point at 24–17, and then a CUW serve
error gave a 25–18 win to NI. Set two was close up to a 15–14 margin for NI.
The Pioneer’s defense stiffened, and a 21–14 lead was held. A Micah Herron ace
followed by an Andrew Summers kill helped NI take the set, 25–19. CUW showed
resolve and took a four- to five-point lead in set three, going up by a score of 21–18.
After an NI timeout the Pioneers came within one at 20–21. The NI offense
began to click, and a 24–24 tie was earned on kills by Herron and Cummins. CUW
blocked two straight Pioneer swings to take set three, 26–24.Set four had Coach Herron commit to a lineup
that would produce an even attack. With Andrew Schilling setting; Justin Delizo
and Micah Herron passing and hitting outside; and Andrew Summers and Isaac Cummins
at the MH position, there was stability in the system. NI gained a 19–12 lead that
was increased to 23–13 on solid defense by Delizo and freshman Josh Netz. A Travis
Jacobs ace and a Herron kill put the match away, 25–13, in the fourth set.
The Pioneers have one more home
contest against Ripon College on Tuesday, February 15, at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, February 19,
the Pioneers will travel to UWGB for the second half of the conference play-date
tournament. They will battle UW Oshkosh and UWGB that day for the regular
season championship.