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Miami Insider: Volleyball going for 3rd straight NCAA berth

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2:07 PM Thursday, November 19, 2009

Miami University’s volleyball players ended the regular season the same way they began it — with back-to-back losses.

Which worries coach Carolyn Condit not one bit as her RedHawks prepare for the Mid-American Conference tournament and what they hope will be a third straight NCAA tournament berth.

“I think we have a good chance of bouncing back because we have solid leadership and a solid offense,” said Condit, who has guided Miami to seven of its previous eight NCAA appearances while recording a staggering 470 victories in her 26 seasons in Oxford.

The RedHawks (16-12 overall, 11-5 in the MAC) are the No. 3 seed and have a first-round bye. They open tourney play in the quarterfinals at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, at Toledo’s SeaGate Centre against No. 11 seed Bowling Green.

Miami did not win a game in its two 3-0 losses at home last weekend, first to Ohio, the MAC East Division champion and No. 1 seed, and then to Kent State.

It has been that kind of year for the RedHawks. Nothing has come easy.

“Every match has been a battle,” Condit said. “But if we fight hard, we have a chance to beat anybody.

“We’ve been trying to mesh our young and older players and to get our chemistry going,” she said. “I’m excited about our chances.”

It will be vital for Miami to serve and pass well, Condit said.

“Those are the two keys. And our young backcourt will have to come up with some big defensive plays like we did two weeks ago when we beat Western Michigan,” she pointed out.

Western Michigan is the West Division champion and No. 2 seed.

If the RedHawks and Broncos (21-10, 13-3) both win Friday, they would meet in a rematch in the semifinals on Saturday at 7 p.m.

The championship match, with an automatic trip to the NCAA on the line, is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Condit will look to her veterans to get Miami to that match.

“We’ve been relying on senior Marie Leahy, outside hitter and our primary passer who is almost always on the court,” she said, “and it’s the same with senior setter Andrea Atteberry.”

Another key player is junior Michele Metzler, who ranks sixth in the MAC in hitting percentage and eighth in blocks. “She plays like a senior,” Condit said.

No. 2 in the CCHA

The hockey team’s two ties at home last weekend against Ferris State and its inability to win either shootout has placed the RedHawks in the unusual position of being the nation’s No. 1 team in all three major polls for the sixth straight week but only No. 2 in their own conference.

Sixth-ranked Michigan State sits atop the Central Collegiate Hockey Association standings with a 6-1-1 record (19 points).

Miami is two points behind with a 5-1-2 league mark.

Miami and MSU split a series in Oxford last month and do not play again during the regular season.

The RedHawks (8-1-3 overall) will try to regain some momentum when they play Friday and Saturday at Western Michigan (5-4-1, 1-4-1 CCHA).

Fast start for frosh

Courtney Osborn has set the bar high for herself.

The freshman point guard for the women’s basketball team has scored 38 points in her first two collegiate games, including 22 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the 3-point arc in Miami’s 91-67 loss to Arizona in the second round of the Iona Tip-Off Classic last weekend.

Osborn leads the RedHawks in scoring (19.0 points per game) and assists (six) and is tied with Maggie Boyer for the team lead in steals (five).

Miami will play its home opener at 2 p.m. Saturday against Wake Forest, which appeared in last season’s WNIT.

Also coming up

Men’s swimming and Diving: The RedHawks will be the host team at the Miami Invitational at Nixon Aquatic Center, starting at 9 a.m. Dec. 3.

Women’s swimming and Diving: Miami, which defeated defending Division III national champion Kenyon last weekend, will begin competition in the Miami Invitational at 6 p.m. Dec. 3.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.

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