Marie Collop, Campus Carrier Assistant Sports Editor
The Berry volleyball team looked to start their season off with a tough test by hosting an invitational tournament. The tournament showcased two teams that received hefty votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason poll. The invitational tournament, which was held at Berry over Labor Day weekend, showcased DePauw, Emory, Lynchburg and Randolph Macon.
The game that would earn the most attention prior to the tournament was the rematch of the regional semi-finals last fall between Berry and Emory.
Head volleyball coach Mika Robinson said she feels that Berry belongs with these high caliber teams, and these are the kind of teams that she expects Berry to face week in and week out.
“Our real focus has been on how we can improve as a team and really even more long term than just this weekend,” Robinson said before the tournament.
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| Jason Huynh, Photojournalism Editor Senior Anna Keappler goes up for a spike against the Vikings’ first opponent on Saturday, Randolph Macon. The volleyball team faced four teams over the Labor Day weekend and finished with two wins and two losses. |
On Saturday, Berry faced Randolph Macon and DePauw. Berry opened Saturday with a loss to Randolph Macon, but came back with a win against DePauw later in the day. Standouts from Saturday include junior Emily Stromberg who compiled 34 kills on the day and junior Lauren Schmitz who had 79 assists on Saturday.
On Sunday, Berry faced Lynchburg and Emory. Berry defeated Lynchburg in three sets and lost to Emory in the same fashion.
Stromberg had a successful outing again against Lynchburg where she had a double-double with 13 kills and 16 digs.
“It’s not a bad start to the season at all, but we all believe that we have a ton more to grow and learn,” said Kiersten Hammock, the volunteer assistant coach and Berry volleyball alumna. “We believe that we can win all the time.”
Both Stromberg and senior Anna Keappler felt the same when asked about the tournament’s results.
“I think we definitely weren’t expecting two losses; we wanted to win obviously,” Stromberg said. “We got into some holes and couldn’t really work ourselves out, and I think that is something we will be able to work on this season and really improve.”
Keappler agreed with her.
“Our results were not exactly what we had hoped for, but it was the first weekend, so we have a lot to work up to as the season goes on,” she said.
Specifically, both Stromberg and Hammock said the team needs to continue to play at a consistent level and not let minor setbacks negatively affect the rest of their game.
The volleyball team acquired four new freshmen this season and this weekend was the first time that the team had to work as a unit to play teams other than themselves. Along with understanding how to play as a team, Hammock believes that the team needs to work on having more fun on the court.
“Personally, I would love for them to learn to have more and more fun because that’s why they are playing volleyball,” Hammock said. “Despite the fact that they may have just lost five points in a row or won five points, either one, I want them to learn how to have fun and not beat themselves up mentally.”
This weekend acts as a stepping stone for the team. The players have set lofty goals for the season.
“We have set various goals, and so I expect them to follow through on those goals because they set those goals as a team, not us as coaches for them,” Hammock said. “That’s the beautiful thing about setting goals as a team is that you get to uphold them as a team together.”
Robinson said the team wants to go undefeated in the conference and bring home the conference championship for the third year in a row. The team doesn’t plan on stopping there. They want to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA regionals and plan on making a deeper run than they did last year.
Look for the team to improve from last weekend in their upcoming tournament in Lexington, Ky., where they will face Covenant, Transylvania, Millikin and Juniata.