After a slow start that left the potential on the court, women’s volleyball has been firing on all cylinders. The Loggers have won three games in a row, and it does not seem like they will be slowing down anytime soon.
It took some time, especially with so many new faces on the roster, but the team’s chemistry is palpable and they has found their identity.
“I have never played on a team that is so close. We have so much fun pushing each other every day and I can’t wait to see each of my teammates faces when I walk in the gym every day,” first year student Kayla Thaller (Olympia, Wash.) said.
The talent on the team is pushing through this past week, and they won’t be stopping anytime in the future.
“We are much deeper in talent than any team I’ve ever played on. The competition we get to experience in our gym every day is incredible and a huge advantage for us,” Thaller said.
With eight freshman on the roster, many are making an impact, including first year student Katie Rice (Glendora, Calif.).
“I signed way later to play here than athletes usually do, because I wasn’t sure I wanted to play, but I’m so glad that I did. All of my teammates are amazing and the fact that I get to help us in conference is an amazing feeling,” Rice said.
Since there are so many first year students participating, the team has needed leadership from their upperclassmen, and has definitely received it.
“Our upperclassmen have really had a positive impact on our team this year… They took it upon themselves early in the year to get us acclimated to campus. They are girls that truly care about their teammates, and its very refreshing to see,” Rice said
Resilience has played a key part in the season overall, and most recently it was seen in the win over Lewis and Clark on Sept. 28. Down 2-1 in the fourth set, the Loggers’ rallied to win 25-22 and then went on to win the fifth set 15-9.
“I was really proud of how much confidence we showed…It would have been easy to fold,…but we fought back against their home gym energy and made confident swings and serves. The only way to learn how to be a winning team is to dig in under and make winning decisions, and they did,” coach Massey said.
Junior Emily Convery (Portland, Ore.) led the way with 17.5 points total and had a kill rate of .29 while Rice had 9 points and a .30 kill rate. Convery has made a huge impact on the season, in addition to senior Nicolette Reynaud (Los Gatos, Calif.).
“They have literally been center pieces for us this year and are both very dynamic hitters and blockers that we started building around since day one,” Massey said.
The games are starting to get more important, and with a conference record of 3-1 the team has gotten off to a good start. On Oct. 3 and 4, there were two huge conference games on the road against Pacific and George Fox.
If the team can win both of those games, they could find themselves on top of the conference.
But there is one game they are paying special attention to. On Wednesday, Oct. 8, the team plays Pacific Lutheran, their rival.
“We have a long rivalry with Pacific Lutheran …and are at pretty much a draw with them over 19 years,” Massey said.
That game will be played at home and counts as a conference game so the campus will be be buzzing.
The season is nearing the middle, and we could see the Loggers competing into the playoffs if their recent streak continues.
