MARSHALL - Throw out all the stats, records and all probabilities because the postseason is here.
The SMSU volleyball team opens NCAA Division II Tournament action today against Metro State (Colo.) at 2:30 p.m. at Concordia-St. Paul in St. Paul.
SMSU grabbed the No. 2 seed in the Central Region while Metro State occupies the No. 7 seed.
"It's really going to come down to whoever puts together three good days of volleyball," said SMSU head coach Terry Culhane. "One through eight (seeds), anyone is capable of winning, especially in the game of volleyball. There is such a small margin of error."
The Mustangs finished the season 27-5 overall, 16-4 in the NSIC to earn their fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and sixth overall. The No. 2 seed is the highest seed that SMSU has occupied heading into the national tournament.
"It's great to be able to have the two seed," said SMSU setter Sara Graf. "We've been working hard all season to maintain that (seed) and try to move up higher, but once you get into the regional, the seedings almost don't matter. We know Metro is a great team and we're going to have to battle hard."
Metro State finished the season 18-8 overall and 16-3 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Mustangs haven't faced off against the Metro State since 1988, where the Roadrunners swept SMSU 3-0.
"We're just going to try to familiarize ourselves with their team and just do what we can do go in there prepared," said SMSU middle blocker/outside hitter Devin Diedrich. "We have also prepared ourselves in practice, by playing our game and doing what we do best."
After cruising through the season 21-2 and receiving a No. 3 ranking in the CBS College Sports Network/AVCA Division II national coaches poll, the highest in SMSU history, the Mustangs suffered three losses in a six-match span. The skid dropped SMSU to as far down as No. 8 nationally, but three straight wins to close out the season bumped the Mustangs to No. 7 as they enter the season's final tournament.
"We were in a little bit of a slump a couple of weeks ago, but now we're on our way back up," said SMSU outside hitter Laura Hegerle. "I think everybody is working hard right now and controlling the ball. I feel like everything is going really well."
In an attempt to revamp the team, coach Culhane shuffled the lineup and switched in freshman setter Cara Carson, providing the Mustangs a little more speed on the court.
"I think you can put any of us on the court and we would be able to play together," Hegerle said. "But Cara works hard and she is a good player. It's nice having another setter out on the court."
Since the switch, the Mustangs have gone 3-0 and enter the tournament with a full head of steam.
"We did that (the switch) because we thought it would be something that would make us better," Culhane said. "When you're talking about winning this region it can be one play here, one play there to win a game. We're comfortable with that and it has gotten better everyday."
With Carson rotating into the lineup and Diedrich in only her freshman year, SMSU carries some youth heading into the tournament. Seniors Hegerle, Kasey Loeslie and Sarah Quiram along with junior Graf have all played on the big stage, so their experience will be called upon to help the two freshmen adapt to the national spotlight.
"I just want to be a good leader," Hegerle said. "Being in this position before, I just hope to bring my experience in postseason play out to the court."
"I just look at it as another game, but we have to win," Diedrich said. "We need to go out there, play our game and do what we do best. We just help each other along."
If the Mustangs are successful against Metro State today, they will face off against the winner of the Minnesota-Duluth/Wayne State match at 12 p.m.
The Mustangs swept Wayne State (2-0) in the regular season and split with Minnesota-Duluth (1-1). SMSU and the Bulldogs exchanged three-game sweeps in their matches, but most recently, UMD handed the Mustangs their fourth loss of the season on Halloween night.
No. 1 seeded Concordia-St. Paul swept SMSU during the regular season and if the Mustangs are going to get out of the region, there is a chance they will have to face the Golden Bears in the championship match.
"Obviously if we get to play Concordia, then we've won our first two matches, so we've been doing something well," said Graf. "Hopefully, we keep on getting better and just prepare for a battle."
SMSU proved to have the ability to win against the No. 1 nationally ranked Golden Bears as the Mustangs served CSP a rare game-loss during the season.
"That was probably the best we've played," Hegerle said on the Mustangs winning game over CSP. "If we can play like that for a whole match, I think we can beat them."
But in order to face CSP, SMSU will have to win consecutive games in the regional tournament and in order to do so, the Mustangs can't afford to overlook any opponent in the opening rounds of the tournament.
"We can't worry about Friday or Saturday because if you don't take care of (today) it's over anyways," said Culhane. "We're focused in on (today) and that's all we need to be focused in on at this point."
