When it comes to determination, Pacific’s volleyball team has it down to a T.
A slow start to the season maybe, but these ladies have their eyes on victory and have a plan on how to get there.
“One of the goals we have as a team would be to make it to co-season and to just leave this year as one of the best seasons that Pacific Volleyball has ever had,” said senior Kami Kugler.
It’s been a learning curve not only with a young team that consists of 15 underclassmen out of a roster of 19 players total, but also for a second year coach who is still adjusting to a new program while establishing a team that will compete for a conference title.
“I really enjoy building the team and getting to know these young athletes. I enjoy watching these athletes not only grow in sports, but also as students and as young people,” said Head Coach Kip Yoshimura.
Sophomore Marie Rewick also keeps an optimistic outlook on the overall season.
“We all bring our own unique talents to the court and we all seem to be on the same page as far as what we want for the end result, its just a matter of coming together and performing our best as a team,” said Rewick.
These lady Boxers traveled to Colorado as a part of their preseason. While the Boxers went 0-4, they saw two fingernail-biting five set games.
One of the teams that also participated in this tournament was Colorado College. Colorado College took home the win for that tournament, but the Boxers did not make it easy on them.
“True potential was revealed,” said freshmen Tiare Kaopua.
“In Colorado, we were able to see glimpses of what the team can look like when it’s at the top of its game,” said Kaopua.
Sophomore Emily Farnham said that Colorado was a tough tournament for the volleyball team but it really showed what Pacific was all about.
“Even though we only went to three sets, Colorado College was definitely the hardest team to compete against,” said Farnham. “It really showed us what we were capable of as a team.”
Regular season play started when the team returned home from Colorado. Their first match was against Northwest Christian University.
In the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC), NCU is an NAIA team with a current conference record of 5-3.
Pacific ended the game with a loss, but went home with 47 kills and more confidence than before.
“They’re defense was really good and they used their back row a lot which just so happens to be one of our weaker points,” said Farnham. “However we, as a team, did a good job defending and ended up surprising ourselves. Even though we didn’t get the win, we were able to see that there’s more potential in us than we knew of.”
Currently, the team stands at a 2-9 record, but that’s not slowing down these ladies one bit.
If there is one thing this team has more than talent, it’s a sense of family within their team. The chemistry is unbreakable amongst this team.
“There was an immediate click between the team,” said Kugler.
While the team last year got along well, there is just something different about this year’s team in that personalities matched up better and easier than before Rewick and Farnham both said.
The season has just begun and nothing but positive attitudes lie within the team.
“Attitudes can make the difference between a win and a loss,” said Kaopua.
“The team is full of unique talent across the board, and once the team comes together they can be successful,” said Rewick.
Yoshimura is also looking forward to the rest of the season.
“I have high hopes for the end result, we just have to start taking the right small steps forward and keep moving. I think we’re going to end up surprising a few teams on campus and leave a lasting mark this season,” he said.
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