The Grinnell College volleyball team will play in the Midwest Conference Championships this weekend for the first time since a qualifying system was implemented in 2005.
Grinnell earned the third seed in the four-team event and will play second-seeded Beloit College at 4:30 p.m. Friday in De Pere, Wis. Top-seed and host St. Norbert College meets fourth-seeded Ripon College at 7 p.m.
Grinnell enters the tournament after going 5-4 in league play and 14-18 overall, while Beloit was 8-1 in the league and 23-5 overall.
Grinnell played at Beloit on Oct. 14, losing in four sets by scores of 26-24, 19-25, 25-22 and 25-23. Claire Reeder '11 had 19 kills in that contest and Michelle Briggs '13 added 15. Olivia Wilks '12 dished out 53 assists, while Erin Labasan '11 had 16 digs.
For the season, Reeder averages 3.55 kills per set and Bonnie Kircher '12 has 2.19. Briggs averages 0.94 blocks, Wilks averages 8.91 assists and Carlie Beach '10 leads the team in digs with 3.67 per set.
Beloit's Mary Parker averages 2.95 kills per set, while Laura Toth averages 2.79 and Tess Jacquez 2.69. Caitlin O'Leary distributes 9.33 assists per set and Toth has a 0.99 blocks average. Parker is tops in digs at 5.36 per set.
The winners play at 1 p.m. Saturday for the title, with the champion earning the conference's automatic spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
MWC Championships Preview
