Post by austinace on Dec 15, 2021 0:07:08 GMT -6
Valpo, who beat Evansville, made it to the NIT championship match before losing to UNLV.
...UE volleyball is coming off its winningest season since 1988 and its first postseason appearance in program history. Meanwhile, the women’s basketball team already has tied its most wins in the past five years and it’s only December...
The Aces (21-12) were fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference and qualified for the MVC tournament for only the second time since 2008. They also made the cut in 2019, which was Morales’ first season in charge...
Knowing we have 88 percent of our roster coming back – all of our starters and a Top 100 recruit – I think that postseason experience will help us a lot next year to make a run in the MVC tournament and hoping we can make the NCAA tournament,” Morales said...
Considering UE had an 11-year gap between merely making the MVC tournament, the Aces have already turned things around. They could be the most experienced team in the MVC next fall.
UE has every starter back and it used four freshmen in the lineup this fall...
Thus, there was little in-between time to improve – although the Aces made the jump from a 6-14 record to 21-11.
Outsiders are noticing the progress.
“More of the higher-level players are reaching out to me instead of me trying to convince them,” Morales said. “And we have respect from other teams now. Some Power 5 schools are inviting us to their pre-conference tournaments. They also prepare to play against us now. It used to be, ‘Oh, this should be an easy win,’ so it feels good to be respected like that.”...
UE had not reached the 20-win plateau since before it joined the MVC in 1994.
“Our girls’ mindsets have changed a lot in the last few years,” Morales said.
