By Rachel Morse, Staff Writer
A hard conference schedule is a sign that volleyball season is in full swing, Coach Nikki Dieball said.
The team has competed in three tournaments, including the OKC-Southern Nazarene Classic from Aug. 26-27, where they won three of four games.
The team won one of four matches in the Embry Riddle Labor Day Tournament Sept. 2-3 in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The girls broke even with two wins and two losses in the Baker Invitational from Sept. 9-10 in Baldwin City, Kan.
Despite the tough season, the team has an advantage with returning players who made it to the national level last year, Dieball said.
“It’s good to have experience on our side this year,” she said. “I look for us to be national contenders.”
Dieball said she’s impressed by the team’s four seniors for showing leadership on the floor.
“This team fights hard and works hard,” she said. “As a coach, you really appreciate that.
“A challenge for any team is to come together and work as a unit.”
Senior Outside and Right-Side Hitter Taylor Rowton said nationals is not all she hopes the team will accomplish this season.
“Of course I hope we will make it to nationals, but I want us to grow as a team,” she said. “We work as hard as we can and leave it all at the end of the season.”
Rowton said the seniors will be a uniting force in the team.
“We went to nationals last year, so we know what it takes,” she said.
Dieball said she encourages students to support the team by attending matches.
“It’s exciting and dynamic, and stand support is huge,” she said. “Just be there, and that would mean the world to us.”
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