By James Howey
Sports Editor
Going 3–1 in a tournament is a great weekend for most teams, but for the Cavaliers, the expectations are much higher. The Cavs moved to 25–3 on the season but suffered a disappointing defeat. Head coach Jennifer Ei was hoping that the team would perform better against Des Moines, whom the Cavs beat 3–1 at home, but this time, in Des Moines’ home floor, the Cavs lost 3–1.
“It gave us a nice wake-up call because we had been going through the motions thinking we were just going to beat everybody,” Ei said. “We had to refocus our attention and where we want to be.”
One of the squad’s big-time threats in Maren Mair sat out most of the weekend with an ankle injury.
“I thought Michelle did a great job in stepping up in her position, but her absence is definitely noted. People look to try to stop her,” Ei said. “Her absence makes a difference for our team, how we flow, how we put the ball down, and we may be in rallies a little longer, or losing them versus her putting the ball away.”
The Cavs hope to have Mair against Independence tomorrow night for senior night, and the weekend for a challenging Kansas City Kansas Community College tournament.
“She’s getting treatment with the trainers and seeing how it goes,” Ei said. “So I think it’s going to be a day-by-day thing and hopefully that’s not too intense and we’re going to have her out longer.”
Sophomore Anna Bell thinks that the team definitely needed a kick to get going down the stretch of the season.
“I think we needed it, honestly, to open our eyes and to come in and work harder every day,” Bell said. “In order to go to nationals and reach our goals.”