But it is rather strange that the third time coach Mary Reese has led her Lady Leopards to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament, they will begin with a match against Blinn College, a team TC will play for the third time this year.
Despite the 13-hour bus ride to Council Bluffs, Iowa, to play the team from Brenham, Reese and the Lady Leopards (26-12) look forward to the match and, more important, pulling off the upset.
“It’s great (to play them again) because the second time we played them it could have gone either way,” Reese said. “We really had a chance to beat them, and now the third time is a charm.”
The Lady Leopards, seeded No. 13 in the 16-team field, come into the match and the tournament as underdogs with a lot to prove in the first match alone. Temple are winless against fourth-seeded Blinn (29-2) this year and also winless in three previous visits to the national tournament.
But in both cases, the Lady Leopards have shown improvement. Last season, they at least won a set in a national tournament match, something they hadn’t done in the previous years.
In their match at Blinn to close out the season, the Lady Leopards took a set from the Lady Bucs, the first set Blinn had lost on its home court since a five-set win over fifth-ranked San Jacinto in August.
“The first time we played them was early and we gave them a pretty good game,” Temple outside hitter Melissa Padgett said. “Then we took the set (in the second match) . . . it kind of woke them up. They realize they have to worry about us. I think it woke a lot of teams up - ‘Hey, Temple is better than we gave them credit for.’”
If the Lady Leopards are going to make some noise at the national tournament, Padgett will have to be a big reason why. Padgett was named the Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference’s Most Valuable Player for her versatility on the court. She has 458 digs, 310 kills, 66 blocks and 21 aces.
None of those numbers lead TC, but they are second- or third-best in every category. But more important than the numbers are Padgett’s leadership and confidence. She epitomizes the hard work ethic and the can-do attitude that Reese has tried to instill in her team. And it shows when she talks about facing Blinn.
“We were like, ‘Why not?’” Padgett said. “We want to play the best. We want to play the top-5 teams. If we beat Blinn then the likelihood is we play San Jacinto next and they are ranked No. 5.”
If the Lady Leopards win both of those, then it’s possible that they could get a third Texas team, Frank Phillips, in the semifinals.
“Yeah, go all the way to Iowa to play Texas teams,” Reese said. “But if that’s how we’ve got to do it, that’s how we’ve got to do it.”
Although Reese had a good idea that her team would start with Blinn, when the pairings came out she was slightly disappointed. After all, the Lady Leopards have made major strides under Reese, earning their first-ever national ranking this year and finishing at No. 18. And in years past, without a ranking, the Lady Leopards also drew the No. 12 or 13 seed.
“I felt like we should have at least been No. 11 this year,” she said. “But you know, there’s no team(s) above us that aren’t ranked. That’s just how it goes. It doesn’t matter who is across the net; we still have to beat them.”
The Lady Leopards, however, didn’t feel slighted at all. If anything, they were disappointed in themselves for not earning a better seeding.
“We didn’t take care of a few teams, so it’s our fault,” middle blocker Heather Lisenbe said. “We’re still going and we still have a job to get done.”
Lisenbe, an Academy product, leads the team in blocks with 137 and is second in kills with 319.
At 6-1, Lisenbe is the tallest player on the Lady Leopards roster and the only TC player at least 6 feet tall. That gives other teams a size advantage - Blinn has seven players who are 6 feet or taller.
That’s something that every Lady Leopard volleyball team has had to deal with. But it’s something they’ve never had an issue with.
“Skillwise, we have the skill to win it all,” Reese said. “Sizewise, on paper, maybe not. But paper can be thrown away, so I’m not worried about that. It’s harder for us to get a point because of size, but the girls don’t shy away.
“It’s just another person on the other side of the net, and so what if three or four of them are the size of Heather? You only have to battle one at a time. So it doesn’t really matter.”
In other words, Reese and the Lady Leopards don’t make excuses. They won’t go up to Iowa and say they couldn’t overcome a team’s size or overcome one dominant player.
With seven sophomores on the roster returning to the national tournament, experience should be a major benefit for a TC team that believes losing isn’t an option. The Lady Leopards have had their eye on the national championship since the first day of practice, and they know the time for talking is done.
“They got a taste in their mouth last year,” Reese said. “Now they are ready to bite into it. They have a lot to prove and they have built a lot of character this year in some high-pressure games.
“I am not satisfied just going. I can fly to Iowa on my own if I want to go. I want to win."
mhood@temple-telegram.com
