Two more wins.
That's all it will take for the Jamestown College volleyball team to earn a trip to the NAIA national tournament.
Step 1: Beat South Dakota Mines tonight in the semifinals of the Dakota Athletic Conference postseason tournament. A win over the Hardrockers would mean a return to the title match, and another shot at the national tournament.
"I love this time of year," Jimmies coach Jon Hegerle said. "I love the playoffs. It's do or die, sudden death. So much energy goes with it."
Jamestown College ran the table during the regular season, finishing unbeaten against league foes. That helped wrap up home-court advantage at the Hansen Center, which can be a tough place for visiting teams to venture into.
ADVERTISEMENT
"It's tough for two reasons," Hegerle said. "No. 1, the enclosed space ... the close ceilings, the close walls. It can be tough for teams to get oriented in there. And it's so easy for us to get energy from our crowd."
The Jimmies (22-7) are unbeaten (9-0) in the Hansen Center this season. All nine wins have come via sweep. Over the last two seasons, Jamestown College is 19-1 in the cozy on-campus gym. The lone loss? A five-set heart-breaker against Black Hills State in the DAC tournament title game.
That's a big reason why one of the Jimmies' goals this year was to stay unbeaten at home. So far, so good. Two more wins and the goal will be accomplished.
"We've put ourselves in a good position to have a chance to do something special," Hegerle said.
"We're not looking past South Dakota Mines. They're a tough team. We need to get out there and compete again. We want to give ourselves a chance to continue playing."
The Jimmies head into the semifinal matchup having won 16 straight games, 15 in a row against DAC opponents. They've won 45 of 46 sets in DAC matches.
South Dakota Mines (9-18) is coming off a four-set quarterfinal victory over Valley City State.
"We're going to have to win the battle of serving and passing," Hegerle said. "That's something we always talk about."
ADVERTISEMENT
And the Jimmies know they need a win tonight to have a shot at the title on Saturday.
"They're a scrappy team," Hegerle said of the Hardrockers. "They're a young team and they'll keep on fighting. We have to keep pressure on them and match their intensity until the end.
"They're the kind of team that if you let down, they'll make you pay for it."
Shannon Fee ranks second in the DAC in hitting (.336) and Katie Zent is 10th (.249) for JC. Teammate Ali Edwards ranks 14th (.221) and is second in kills per game (3.55). Shannon Fee is fourth in that category at 3.30. Kayla Fee leads the DAC in assists (10.35 per game) and has been named league setter of the week six times, including the last four weeks. Samantha Revering is second in the DAC in aces (0.43 per game) and digs (4.29 per game). Shannon Fee is eighth in blocks (0.96 per game).
To advance again, the Jimmies will need to contain senior middle hitter Katherine Hanson.
"She's been a thorn in our side both times, so we'll have to stop her," Hegerle said. "And Madisen Lane and Rachel Pekarek, if those two get going, they're tough to stop.
"We're expecting it to be a battle."
Sun sports editor Scott Throlson can be reached at (701) 952-8462 or by e-mail at throlson@jamestownsun.com
