A Positive Weekend of Growth

As outsiders (people more focused on results rather than the process of progression) may look at this past weekend as a disappointment due to the match record finishing up 0-4 to start the season. Those of us that are a part of the program and were fortunate enough to watch the weekend of play got to see a team really find their rhythm together during the second day and gain more confidence then any win over lesser competition could ever give. I am extremely happy with the effort, supportiveness, and leadership from everyone on our roster this weekend. The mental toughness that was shown from one day to the next was outstanding and a great foreshadow for the remainder of the season.

We scheduled this weekend to be tough and to see where we could potentially fit in with the national spotlight. 3 of the 4 teams we faced were either in the NAIA Top 25 or receiving votes to get in the Top 25 list. The 4th team has been a 30 win team 3 of the 4 years and formerly in the Top 25. We found out that we can play at a higher intensity level on a consistent basis and can potentially beat some very good teams within the national spotlight.

Our first match on Friday was against Indiana Wesleyan. We came out in the very first set and made great runs of points in the early part of the game and had the momentum for a vast majority of the set. Near the end of that set we faced one of the top jump topspin servers in the tournament and we struggled to keep her serve controlled to run efficient offense. We finished that set losing 22-25 and had 4 more total errors than IWU, the difference in the set. We talked about the difference in errors during the break and I think it changed our mentality in a way were not looking for. We came out in the next 2 sets playing timid and not wanting to make mistakes and our aggressive nature suffered. For the first match of the season and the first time playing against outside competition, we found out right away that we have two different speeds of play and that we don't want to be in the second one ever again. We are better when we play aggressive and fast.

Our second match on Friday was against #17 Bellevue. After watching them struggle against a Top 10 team right before our first match we had a sense of confidence that we could compete with them and potentially steal a set. However, Bellevue decided to make sure that they didn't have the same performance they had in their first match and played out of their minds defensively. We threw everything we could at them from different attack angles to different types of shots and they just dug every ball possible. We had some bright moments with some runs of points on our side that came from solid defense and good team play. When it was all said an done Bellevue flexed their muscles and proved why they were the #17 team in the nation.

Heading into the second day we may have been a little shell-shocked still from the finish of day 1. We played Jamestown first and came out sluggish. We forgot that there always need to be a certain thought process going on as we are on the court. Everything was chaotic and in complete panic for the first 2 sets of the match. During the break between the 2nd and 3rd set, we talked a lot about getting ourselves mentally reorganized and getting back to our aggressive style of simple play. The 3rd set was a complete 180* style of play from the previous matches outside of the very first set of the tournament against IWU. We played with wonderful communication and with PURPOSE. We stuck with our plan of correct positioning defensively and with a smooth offensive rhythm. We took the 3rd set to give the match a different feel and the 4th set was a battle until they went on one last solid serving and blocking run of about 5-6 points to finish off the match. We came out of this particular match learning so much about ourselves and finding the understanding of what level of energy it takes to compete at the national level.

The first 3 matches were tough matches and probably the greatest learning lessons for our team. We had to see that just going through the motions and not having a specific purpose for our movements and decisions would be detrimental to our potential success. I must say that this team full of fast learners.

Our 4th match was against a very powerful swinging, nearly every swing was as full power as they could swing, in Black Hills State. We played with PRIDE, PASSION, & PURPOSE from the very first serve of the game. Our challenges from the first 3 matches completely paid off for this match. We had a simple defensive plan and found ways to be balanced offensively and keep BHSU confused as to where we would attack and what pace we would attack. We held a 2-1 set lead heading into the 4th set, it was a battle and a back and forth set with each teaming sharing the momentum at least 4-5 times. They stole the 4th set from us (potentially due to a major scoring discrepancy in the first part of the set) and heading into the 5th set the match was up in the air. No team had a distinct advantage or the momentum. It was a great chance for us to get our first match win of the season. However, BHSU had a crucial 2 point run at 12-10 to push them to match point. We had our own 2 point run to get close but couldn't complete a block or dig against their top attacker for match point. We played wonderfully and actually gained more than just what a win could have given us.

I am going into this next week of practice feeling confident about our next tournament and upcoming matches. We have proven to ourselves that we can play consistently at the highest level of energy and focus. The season now truly starts with a complete understanding that each day we will get closer to being the high quality team we talk about being. It won't be easy but it will be worth all of the hard training and adversity that will challenge us everyday.

Great job ladies, the record to this point doesn't show what we truly accomplished. Our process will pay off, I think it will this upcoming weekend.

- Coach V