Conference One: Teams with Something to Prove in the Spring Season
With Conference One having its Finals a couple of weeks ago, the Fall season is now in the books. While some teams surprised us all during the round-robin competition and tournament play, some left a lot on the table. Luckily for them, they’ll have a chance to prove themselves again in the Spring season. Here are the three teams with the most to prove this spring.
Oregon State University
Oregon State cruised to a perfect round-robin play. They found themselves entering the final tournament as the 2nd seed. They were one of the favorites to win it all with tournament play starting, but they immediately lost to Texas A&M University in the second round of the playoffs. Next year, they will have an opportunity to come back and prove what they could have proved this year.
UW-Madison
The top-seeded University of Wisconsin-Madison came into the tournament ready to show that 5-0 during the round-robin play was not just a fluke. They, however, lost to eighth-seeded Western University in the Quarterfinals. Western University was one of the more underrated teams in the tournament, but UW-Madison still underperformed from their level of play. They could be a huge contender for the Spring season.
UC Irvine
A team that has had a ton of success in Conference One in the past, the University of California-Irvine didn’t make it out of the 2nd round this time around. UC Irvine was undefeated entering the tournament after leading the pack of a very strong group. They immediately faced off against the eventual runner-up, the University of Alberta. Though it is not embarrassing to lose to the University of Alberta, they did not live up to the expectations set before and should be a heavy competitor in the spring with the added motivation.
