The 11th-ranked Wayne State College volleyball team is going where it’s never gone before.

 
The Elite Eight.

 
The ‘Cats went up to St. Paul, Minn., seeded seventh for the NCAA DII Tournament Regionals. The ‘Cats came home with three victories, including a huge upset over nationally top-ranked and first-seeded Concordia-St. Paul.

 
WSC started their weekend playing second seed Central Missouri on Thursday. The Wildcats won 3-1.

 
During the first set, WSC did not trail. They earned an early 7-2 lead over Central Missouri. After a strong UCM rally got the set to 18-15, the Wildcats were forced to use a timeout. WSC finished strong and won the first set 25-20.

 
“We were really balanced,” head coach Scott Kneifl said. “That’s kind of been the story of this team, when one person struggles we have the ‘next man up’ mentality.”

 
The ‘Cats trailed early in the second set, until WSC tied it at 16 with a block by Katie Hughes, along with a kill and block from Alyssa Frauendorfer.

 
Using two straight Frauendorfer service aces, the Wildcats won the second set 25-19.

 
“We have been getting a lot more blocks. Even when we aren’t getting blocks for points, we are getting touches on blocks,” Kneifl said. “Our blocking was key in our wins this weekend.”

 
The Wildcats led for the early portion of the third set with a 17-12 lead until Central Missouri scored nine points in a row to take the lead 21-17 and eventually fell 25-21.

 
The ‘Cats came back from the last set and won the fourth 25-18.

 
With the win, WSC moved on in the tournament to play Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) on Friday. The Lady ‘Cats had previously beat the Mustangs during the regular season and continued the streak.

 
After losing the first set 25-17, the Wildcats came back and won three sets in a row to finish the matchup with a 3-1 victory.

 
On Saturday the Wildcats faced off against top-seeded Concordia-St. Paul. WSC lost both matches against the Golden Bears during the regular season, but won this match, 3-0.

 
“We weren’t surprised by the level of play,” Kneifl said. “We had to go in and compete against three really good opponents. It really prepared us for that championship game, playing two great opponents the previous two nights.”

 
Concordia held a 6-2 lead early, but WSC came surging back to tie the score at nine all. The Wildcats went up 15-11 after a Golden Bear attack error. The ‘Cats finished the first set strong, winning 25-16.

 
The second set was a close one. WSC built a small 10-6 lead only to see it diminish. The Wildcats won the hard fought second set 26-24.

 
The Wildcats came out in the third set on a mission. They built a 13-4 lead. They kept the commanding lead, winning the set, 25-10, and the match.

 
“Our block was really good, our defense was phenomenal, and we were terminating. We were getting a lot of kills,” Kneifl said. “This team believed they could do it. They walked in and had to beat three really good teams back-to-back-to-back. Even the number one team on their home floor. We earned this. It’s something I’m really proud of, but we still have more goals ahead of us.”

 
Elizabeth Gebhardt led the team with 14 kills. Hughes posted her third double-double of the weekend with 13 kills and digs. Elizabeth Gebhardt led the team with 17 digs, while Leisa McClintock had 40 assists.

 
After the Regional Tournament, five Wildcats were named to the All-Central Region Tournament team. Those players were Gebhardt, Hughes, McClintock and VanGroningen as well as Frauendorfer.

 
With the wins over the weekend the ‘Cats move onto the DII NCAA Elite Eight. This is the first time in the history of the program that the WSC volleyball team has won regionals and gone onto the quarterfinals.

 
“It was as much fun as I’ve ever had as a coach,” Kneifl said. “The best thing was to see the girls’ faces when the last ball hit the ground, and we won the Regional Championship. Seeing our players celebrate, that makes it all worth it.”

 
The Wildcats will face off against Carson-Newman in Tampa, Florida at 4 p.m. on Thursday.

 
“We want to stay loose and go out there and just play and enjoy it,” Kneifl said. “I believe that is when our team plays the best.”

 
To cheer on the ‘Cats, go to:
http://www.ncaa.com/championship/liveplayer/player?gameId=1540382&date=2015/12/10