Oshkosh Captures First MIVA Title in Front of Home Crowd (3-29-10)
After a slow start to the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Championship, the UW-Oshkosh men's volleyball team regrouped to win its first title in team history on Saturday and Sunday (March 27-28) in Kolf Sports Center.
Hosting the event for the first time, home court advantage proved to be a significant factor during play on Sunday as the Titans did not lose a set in defeating four opponents in route to the crown.
UW-Oshkosh (44-4) entered the tournament as the fourth ranked team in the nation, but with its recent Las Vegas Open tournament title and the MIVA championship crown there is little doubt that they will be the top seed heading into nationals. The NCVF national championship will be decided April 1-3 in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Titans started pool play on Saturday with wins over #3 Ohio State University, 25-17, 25-15 and Ohio Northern University, 32-30, 23-25, 15-10, a loss to #15 Michigan State University, 25-17, 14-25, 15-13 and a win over Central Michigan University, 25-18, 25-17.
Led by the 24 assists by Nate Sederberg (Sr. - Racine), UW-Oshkosh produced 27 kills against the Buckeyes. Aaron Wayne (Sr. - New Berlin) added eight digs and three service aces.
Bill Meidenbauer (So. - Waukesha) had a tournament high 13 kills against the Polar Bears. Tyler Boddy (Jr. - New Ulm, Minn.) added 10 kills, Danny Hessling (Sr. - Greenfield) nine and Dan Ruys (Jr. - Darboy) six on only seven attempts. Sederberg dished out 39 assists, Wayne piled up seven digs and Meidenbauer added six digs and three blocks.
Offensively the Titans amassed 49 kills, but were hampered with 15 service errors and 18 hitting errors.
Despite 27 assists and six service aces by Sederberg the Titans could not overcome the Spartans. Meidenbauer led the team with eight kills and Ruys put down seven kills and added five blocks. Again UW-Oshkosh was hurt with 15 service errors.
Sederberg had seven kills, 14 assists and five digs against the Chippewas. Zach Johnson (Fr. - Mequon) added six kills and Andrew Schinner (Jr. - Mequon) dished out 12 assists and added three digs.
UW-Oshkosh started bracket play on Sunday as the third-seed overall after taking second-place in their pool. The home team steamrolled Illinois State University, 25-12, 25-17 and Ohio Northern University, 25-18, 25-12 to reach the semifinals for the second consecutive year against #1 University of Illinois.
The Titans serving came alive against the Redbirds as they totaled nine service aces, including four by Harris Jorgenson (Fr. - Burlington). Sederberg piled up 18 assists and seven digs and Boddy put down seven kills on eight attempts.
UW-Oshkosh overwhelmed the Polar Bears in the quarterfinals with 36 kills, or 72 percent of their points. Meidenbauer had ten kills, Ruys seven and Boddy five as the Titans hit .615 in the match. Wayne scooped up eight digs and Sederberg had 26 assists.
Last year, the Titans lost to the Illini in the semifinals of the MIVA championship before beating them in the semifinals of the national championship. In a series that has gone to the deciding set on most occasions, UW-Oshkosh was able to sweep the Illini, 29-27, 25-19.
The University of Illinois came out aggressively serving to open leads of 7-2 and 13-8 before Harris Jorgenson (Fr. - Burlington) rattled off five straight serves to tie the score at 13-13. From there both teams traded points until the Titans took the first set after a hitting error by the Illini. Boddy and Meidenbauer led the offense in the set with six and five kills, respectively.
UW-Oshkosh maintained control of the second frame after securing a 13-8 lead. The advantage ballooned to 23-16 after a service ace by Meidenbauer. The Titans claimed the match after a missed serve to set-up a showdown with Michigan State University in the finals.
Meidenbauer finished with 11 kills and Boddy seven. Sederberg ran the offense with 24 assists and Wayne provided five digs. Meidenbauer had six of the Titans 10 kills in the second set, with the middles only attempting one hit in the frame.
"Our serving and blocking really put a lot of pressure on the University of Illinois," said head coach Brian Schaefer. "We didn't have an attack error after the first set and relied on free points they were giving us. Typically we have to average about 15 kills a set to pull out wins against a great team like them, but in this match we benefited by a lot of their hitting errors."
There was little doubt that this was UW-Oshkosh's day as the Titans dominated the Spartans in the finals, 25-23, 25-13. The Titans held a 24-19 lead in the first set before giving up four points to make things interesting. After squeaking out the first frame, the Titans hit on all cylinders to claim the MIVA championship.
Hessling was a perfect six for six in kills to lead the Titans. Sederberg chipped in 19 assists and three service aces, Ruys provided four blocks and Wayne added five digs and two service aces.
"The last couple of weeks have been a lot of fun," said head coach Brian Schaefer. "I think our lackluster play on Saturday was just jet lag from our Las Vegas trip and being on spring break. The guys turned it around on Sunday and head into the national tournament with a lot of confidence."
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