Spring Break
Team hopes to gain experience from up and down season
Dustin Sander
Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: University Sports
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When volleyball season started in late August, the Bearcats' main goal was to finish in the top five in the MIAA.
The MIAA is a volleyball powerhouse, with five teams ranking in the top 15 nationally. So, if the 'Cats were successful in getting in the top five of MIAA, they felt they had a legitimate shot at making the NCAA regional tournament, another goal of theirs.
"There was some drama going on inside the team throughout the season," sophomore Iesha Haskins said. "That is when we realized we probably wouldn't accomplish those goals. It was a really deflating moment for our team. We had the talent and had the drive, but it became like quicksand and got real hard to stay afloat."
Head coach Anna Tool thinks they might have underestimated the team's experience level at the beginning of the season. She hopes the team will use the unaccomplished goals from this season as a driving force into next year.
The team can head into the off-season knowing it made improvements and played best down the stretch, Tool said.
Some of the positives brought away from this season were individual improvements made throughout the course of the season, Tool said.
Sophomore Sara Falcone went from not being in the starting line-up to being a constant threat on the court as a hitter and blocker.
Freshman Alex Hanna saw a new role on the court as well.
"She is a true freshman," Tool said. "She never played left side in high school and made the shift from middle to left side. As the season went on, she got better and better and better just in being familiar with her position and confident in it."
The one constant player in the 'Cats line-up was sophomore Amber Ryan.
Ryan started more matches than any other person on the Northwest roster, 31, and played in every match the team was in all year. She led the team in kills, blocks, points and service aces.
One person Tool is looking to contribute a lot is Haskins, who is fairly new to the game of volleyball. This year proved to be a good foundation for Haskins experience and the team only expects her to expand next year and play a vital role on the court, Tool said.
"My main focus is being more consistent when we are out of system," Haskins said. "When things are in system and going as planned I do just fine. When things get thrown out of order, I had trouble responding, and that is what I am focused on during the off-season. I really want to become a leader out on the court."
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