The WolfPack volleyball team is all business. At midseason the WolfPack have a 20-3 record and are still ranked No. 1 nationally. Both the preseason hype and the early season pressure have dissipated. The team has grown from being a collection of talented individuals into a cohesive unit focused on the fundamentals of volleyball, striving only to play up to the standards they have set for themselves. From outward appearances the WolfPack appear to be every bit the juggernaut they were touted to be. But is Coach Toby Parker pleased with the progress they’ve shown?

“Emphatically yes,” Parker said.

Indeed, the WolfPack appear to be peaking at the right time. They have won 20 sets in a row during a stretch that has seen them sweep No. 5-ranked Rock Valley on the road and score dominating wins at home against College of DuPage and Western Tech.

The WolfPack have been particularly devastating defensively at the net where their size advantage makes it nearly impossible for opponents to get the ball past the block. Sophomore Danielle Crawford and Freshman Mikayla Nigl lead the team in blocks and make it difficult for smaller opponents to generate their own offense. But Parker doesn’t think it is the WolfPacks’s blocking at the net that is key to their defensive prowess.

“It’s our backcourt defense and our defense behind the block,” Parker said. “ Sometimes when you’re back there it’s hard to see the ball until it’s right on you. I think there has been a tremendous improvement in our backcourt defense.”

With just a few weeks remaining in the season the WolfPack are right where they had hoped to be. Now, the only remaining question is whether or not they can get where they need to go – the national championship game.

“We’re not playing our best volleyball yet and that excites me,” Parker said. “ I think our best volleyball is still ahead of us.”