Huovila’s Return Boosts Concordia’s Playoff Bid

The season was slipping away for the Concordia women’s volleyball team. The Eagles had lost seven consecutive matches and their chances of playing in the postseason were dwindling.

Then senior middle blocker Minna Huovila returned to the lineup. Concordia Coach Jody Wise said she doesn’t want to overstate the effect of Huovila’s return from illness and an ankle injury--she wasn’t the kill leader in either match--but the change was striking.

“In the second half of the season when she was on the court, we pretty much won them all,” Wise said. “When she wasn’t, we lost them.”

The timing of the return couldn’t have been better. Huovila rejoined the lineup Oct. 26 for a match with Southern California College. Tera Walker had 20 kills and 19 digs and Huovila had 11 kills and 10 digs. Concordia won, 15-1, 15-13, 15-13. In the next match at Azusa Pacific, Geodi Sunabe had 17 kills and 12 digs and Huovila had eight kills and 13 digs in a 15-13, 15-13, 15-9 victory.

The two victories probably assured the Eagles of a spot in the eight-team NAIA Far West Regional playoffs next week, Wise said. Concordia (10-18, 4-10 in the Golden State Athletic Conference) is ranked eighth in the region.

Ninth-ranked SCC (14-14, 4-9) will finish the regular season tonight by hosting Fresno Pacific (22-4, 11-2). An SCC upset would mean the Vanguards finish ahead of Concordia in the conference and would complicate the playoff picture.

Wise, who is part of a rating committee that will vote Sunday on which teams make the playoffs, says she is not sure the Vanguards would vault ahead of her team if they beat Fresno Pacific.

SCC Coach John Lee would certainly like to force that scenario and said he likes the Vanguards’ chances against Fresno Pacific, ranked fourth in the NAIA national poll.

Lee, in his first year as head coach after four as a Vanguard assistant, says SCC has taken Fresno to five games at home in the last two years before losing.

The Vanguards are counting on senior outside hitter Christine Heims, freshman middle blocker Noelle Sturgill and senior setter Karajean Stevenson to continue their solid play.

“I think this year’s team is better than last year’s,” Lee said, “so hopefully, something good will happen.”