No. 16 IU just misses NCAA Tourney bid

IU coach Amy Robertson already knew her team's fate.\nAs the majority of her Hoosiers gathered together to watch the NCAA Tournament selection show Tuesday on CSTV, Robertson knew her squad had just missed the postseason cut. After all, she served on the committee that selected the teams.\n"She would have had us practicing if we had a chance," junior midfielder Meredith Brown said. "But the end of the year meeting was already scheduled. We all had hope when we watched the show, but we kind of knew what was going to happen."\nBrown said she felt the IU women's field hockey team was most likely the last team not to make it into the Division I NCAA Tournament. Despite being ranked as the No. 16 team in the nation, the Hoosiers (14-5, Big Ten 4-2) failed to make the postseason tournament that fields 16 teams.\n"All year we were in the top 15; we beat Ohio State and Penn State, and we were better than a lot of the teams that did get in," junior goalie Haley Exner said. "It hurts. We could do so well in that tournament if we just got the chance."\nThe Hoosiers had a strong campaign for an NCAA Tournament bid.\nAfter losing in their season opener to the University of Virginia, the Hoosiers rattled off 11 straight victories. The Hoosiers also beat an undefeated No. 5 Ohio State squad and had impressive victories over No. 6 Penn State and No. 14 Iowa. All three of those Big Ten teams made the NCAA Tournament despite losing to the Hoosiers.\n"Our win against Penn State was probably the highlight of the season," Brown said. "After the game, it was such a great feeling. I think I hugged every single girl on the team, including the coaches."\nAlthough the Hoosiers have significant depth, they will be hard-pressed to replace some of their departing players.\nGraduating from this year's team are All-American forward Lydia Schrott, backs Morgan Miller and April Levins and midfielder Rachel Telian. Starting freshman back Fenna Geuskens will be returning to her native country of Holland to continue her studies, Brown said.\n"Lydia is an op scorer and hard to replace, and Morgan is, in my opinion, the best back in the Big Ten," Brown said. "Losing everyone is so hard, and they are irreplaceable. But I think the right people will step up in their place."\nLooking back on the year, Exner said she has learned some valuable lessons that she will take with her into next season.\n"We can't take any team for granted. Next year, we need to be the team that plays strong every game... We have to go in and remember how it felt against Michigan State," she said.\nThe Spartans were the kryptonite to the Hoosiers' success. Despite a sub-par record, Michigan State defeated the Hoosiers twice in two weeks, including a first-round loss in the Big Ten Tournament that turned out to be the Hoosiers' final game.\nDespite ending the season on a sour note, the Hoosiers hope to take their losses as a learning experience and view the season as an achievement.\n"It was a successful season," Brown said. "We had the same record as we did last year; we just didn't make the tournament this season. We don't have accolades, and we don't have any tournament bids, but I think this year is going to be very unforgettable because of the chemistry we had. It's indescribable. Sometimes there are more important things to remember than a tournament bid"