Elmhurst College, CCIW rival, and the Augustana women’s volleyball team will battle on High School Night at the Carver Center on Friday.
The last conference game the Vikings played was against North Central College on Sept. 29, which they lost in one set to North Central’s three.
Bethke saud the team learned some harsh lessons after the loss to North Central.
“The loss to North Central hurt,” head coach Kelly Bethke said. “But we talked about the fact that we are 1-1 in conference, and we can still accomplish all our goals. I think we had as good a chance as anyone.”
The Vikings have been using the loss to North Central to examine the importance of each game.
“Our conference is tough,” Bethke said. “We did learn that if we don’t continue to play and to bring our A-game, we are not going to be successful.”
Being 8-7 isn’t what the Vikings had in mind, but they are keeping the record in perspective.
Junior and captain Hannah Lindaman is optimistic about the record the Vikings have so far.
“Just looking at our schedule we’ve played a lot of tough teams,” Lindaman said. “I’m not sure how many ranked teams, but definitely more than one. I think we appreciate the competition much more than the record. Sometimes it can be deceiving.”
The Vikings have been focusing on all aspects of their game, such as defense and working cohesively.
“I think just putting it all together, eliminating our errors because that’s the whole game of volleyball; whoever makes the least amount of errors wins the game,” Lindaman said. “We just need to eliminate our unnecessary errors and finish the rallies before they get out of control.”
Bethke said she is hoping to make the game memorable for those who attend.
“I hope we give the crowd a show,” Bethke said. “It’ll be the last time they’ll see us for a bit so I want to give them a reason to come back.”