Three teams are in action this weekend as they enter the post season for the SCAC Conference tournament.
Men's Soccer
SU finished conference play with a record of 7-6-1, earning the third seed heading into this year's championship. The Pirates advanced to the championship match in the 2013 tournament before dropping a hard fought match (1-0) to top-seed Trinity.
The Priates' offensive attack is led by Andres Carreño-Mendes who has recorded eight goals on the season, while adding two assists.
Nine of the Pirates' players have recorded at least one goal this season, including sophomore Michael Olivares who has recorded three and freshman Christian Lopez who has marked two this season.
After starting the season 0-5, with three of those losses coming to top 25 teams, Southwestern rebounded with four straight wins in conference play to right the ship.
The Pirates will face Schreiner University in Friday's second quarterfinal match scheduled for 1:30 pm in Seguin, Texas. In their two meetings this season, each team picked up a victory on its' home field by the same 1-0 score.
In the Pirates' win over the Mountaineers, Southwestern was able to earn a 19-9 shooting advantage and Carreño-Mendez put up the eventual game-winner in the 70th minute.
In the second meeting between the teams, the Pirates' defense held the Mountaineers to just one shot on goal, but it proved to be the only one they needed.
Women's Soccer
Southwestern enters the conference tournament in the No. 5 seed after finishing the regular season with a record of 5-12-2, 5-6-1 in the SCAC. The Pirates were seeded second heading into the 2013 tournament and ended their semifinal match against Texas Lutheran in a 0-0 double-overtime draw, the Pirates won the shootout 5-4 to move on to the championship match against top-seeded Trinity University, but fell 5-0.
The Pirates marked 10 total goals this season Sarah Bevins, Ana Gutierrez and Mackenzie Millican each marked two scores this season to lead Southwestern. Four other players were able to score, marking one goal apiece.
Bevins and Guittierrez each marked two assists, while senior Carol Bentley led the team with two.
Junior Katherine Rodgers posted 77 assists on the season, which ranks third in the SCAC, putting up a .726 save percentage and adding in three shutouts.
In Friday's quarterfinal match, the Southwestern Pirates will take on the Austin College 'Roos. During their two meetings this season, each team has picked up a win on the road.
At Austin College, the Pirates picked up their first win of the 2014 season under interim head coach Jamie Meshew. Bevins and Gutierrez each put up goals in the game, including a golden goal in the 108th minute for a 2-1 win.
AC earned a win in Georgetown with a lone goal in the second half. The winner of the quarterfinal match will face the Trinity University Tigers on Saturday.
Volleyball
The Southwestern Pirates earned the second seed in the SCAC Championship after finishing the conference-season with a record of 12-2, falling only to No. 1 seed Trinity University. The Pirates went into the 2013 tournament as the #3 seed, making their way to the championship game, but fell to Trinity in a five set thriller.
The Pirates' defense has been a staple at the top of the NCAA Division III statistical rankings, and currently hold the top ranking in both team total digs and digs per set with marks of 2389 and 21.52, respectively, The team's dig total is over 200 ahead of the next team and fellow SCAC member, Trinity.
Outside hitter Kaitlyn Foster leads the Pirates with 536 digs, which is the fifth best in the SCAC. Libero Chandler Lentz follows Foster up with 388 digs of her own, averaging 4.79 digs per set.
The Pirates' offensive attack ranks 34th among 419 teams in kills per set and 15th in total kills. Southwestern is also second in the nation in both team attacks per set, averaging 41.37, and team total attacks with a mark of 4592, just one attack behind the leader, Dubuque.
Foster also leads the team's offensive attack with 286 kills on the season, averaging 2.58 per set. Middle blocker Olivia Drummond isn't far behind with 218 kills, with a hitting percentage of .229.
As the No. 2 seed, the Pirates earn a first round bye and will pay their first match against the winner between Austin College and Colorado College at 6pm in Sherman, Texas. They defeated both teams in the regular season, sweeping Austin 3-0 each time and earning a five-set win against