UWM will face Cleveland State in the title match of the 2008 Horizon League Volleyball Tournament.
The Vikings just advanced with a five-set win over Valparaiso, winning 15-11 in the fifth set. Of course earlier today, UWM claimed a five-set win over Butler.
On one hand, seeing the sixth-seeded Vikings advance to the title match is an upset, as they leave third-seeded Wright State and now second-seeded Valpo in their wake. But, CSU is playing at home. And, don't forget, the Vikings were the league preseason favorite before struggling much of the year. They are also the defending league tournament champions and have now ended Valpo's year for the second-straight time.
UWM did sweep the regular season series from Cleveland State. The Panthers had to battle for a four-set win in Cleveland in October before claiming an easier three-set win in Milwaukee earlier this month.
I would expect quite the contest Sunday as the Panthers look for their seventh NCAA Tournament berth while the Vikings look for their second-straight postseason appearance. UWM is certainly playing some of its best volleyball of the season right now, especially on offense. Maddie Sueppel has been tremendous and Kerri Schuh has not looked like a freshman in the two league tournament matches so far. It's hard to believe UWM's two best offensive performers in the tournament thus far are a freshman and a sophomore.
As long as Continental Airlines cooperates, I'll have a live blog from Cleveland tomorrow. The flight is scheduled to get in at 10:30 am ET with the match at noon. Here's hoping the airline industry comes through!
