Even though the Wildcats did not need a win to secure a spot in the Western Athletic Conference tournament, they went ahead and got one anyway. 

In Thursday’s game against Grand Canyon University, the Wildcats won three sets to one and hit .242 as a team. 

Head Coach Ijeoma Moronu Alstrup has told her team all season they need to control what they can control, and Thursday’s game was no different. 

“We want to take our own fate into our own hands,” she said. “And the best way we can do that is by getting two wins.”

One player who took the game into their own hands is Nieko Thomas, redshirt junior from West Hills, California, who has had several outstanding games recently. 

“I’ve built such a great connection with the setters,” Thomas said. “And I’m finally able to prove what I can do and I just feel a lot better about how I play.”

Thomas finished the match with six kills on 15 attempts. She also had nine blocks out of the team’s total of 10. 

Moronu Alstrup said it has been very important to take control of the match from the very first point each time, and doing so has helped the team win more often, especially in its game last Saturday against Southern Utah University. 

“I think that we took better control of the match from the very beginning,” she said.  “I think that’s probably the most consistent we’ve played throughout the first two sets.”

Thomas said the win against SUU was a confidence boost for the team, but also for the fans and supporters of the team. 

“We’re getting so much better every day, but it’s hard to show people that when we’re not performing in-game,” Thomas said. “It was very rewarding.”

Bryley Steinhilber, senior outside hitter from Kennedale, led the team in kills in Thursday’s match with 19 in the four sets. 

Thomas said it was important for the team to just go out and play how they know they can in order to win the game.

“You just kind of play volleyball. Just go and play. Just do your job,” she said. 

Moronu Alstrup said preparing for Saturday’s match will be very similar to how the team prepared for GCU. 

“Both teams run a 6-2,” she said. “So we kind of have to prepare for both teams in the same way.”

The Wildcats will look to defeat the California Baptist University Lancers on Saturday at 5 p.m. for their last game of the season to try and attain a higher seed in the conference tournament. 

The WAC tournament will take place on Nov. 21-23 and will be hosted by the University of Texas at Arlington.