Janie Boschma

Four days ago, the UW-Eau Claire volleyball team’s post-season future rested on little more than a hope and, maybe, a few prayers.

The Blugolds’ chances at getting into the 2007 national championship tournament came into question Saturday after the team dropped a pair of back-to-back upset losses to UW-Platteville and UW-La Crosse during the WIAC tournament. The losses dropped the team to fourth place in the eight-team tournament and nearly ended the Blugolds’ hopes of receiving a berth in this year’s NCAA bracket.

The late-season collapse didn’t spell post-season elimination, however, with Eau Claire receiving an at-large bid on Monday for a spot in this year’s national tournament lineup, where it will be accompanied by four other WIAC teams.

“It was a bit of a surprise,” senior Lissa Martinez said the day after the bid was announced.

“We were all just hoping and praying that we would get that shot,” she said.

UW-Whitewater received an automatic berth in the national tournament after claiming first place in the WIAC tournament on Saturday. Platteville, La Crosse and UW-Oshkosh rounded out the conference’s five-team lineup in this year’s bracket.

The massive WIAC representation in this year’s tournament surprised coach Kim Wudi, who applauded the conference for its toughness and competitiveness.

“There’s no team in our conference that we don’t have to prepare for,” Wudi said. “We can’t take anybody for granted.”

The University of St. Thomas (Minn.) will host Eau Claire in the opening round of the tournament tonight at 8:30 p.m. The two teams split a pair of matches this season, with St. Thomas claiming a 3-0 win Sept. 8 and Eau Claire winning a close 3-2 match Oct. 16.

Wudi said the Blugolds’ win over St. Thomas boosted the team’s confidence and the victory marked a turning point in the season.

“I feel the girls are very confident; they know that they can beat (St. Thomas),” she said. “It’s going to be a great match and we have a great shot to come out on top.”

Wudi said that momentum from a successful season will not play a huge role in how the team prepares.

“Right now, this is a new season and nothing really that we’ve done . is really coming into play right now,” she said. “We realize that we’ve been given a chance to have a second season and we’re going to make the most of it.”

NCAA First Round
The Blugolds are set to play the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) tonight at 8:30 p.m.