Junior setter Haley Baker serving up in the Green and Gold game. Following the game, the volleyball team played  three official games where they faced consecutive 3-0 defeats. The Lady Lions are looking to build chemistry in some invitationals before conference play starts on Sept. 21 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Sarah Hess/The Lion’s Roar

The volleyball team began their 2017-18 season with a consecutive three game loss. The impact of these outcomes has not disheartened the players, but has instead become motivation for them to persevere through the season with teamwork and camaraderie. 

The traditional Green and Gold match where the Green won 2-1 was the team’s opening season scrimmage match. They also played their first three official games last week, which ended with the Lady Lions losing every game.

The Green and Gold match is a scrimmage where the team is split into two groups that compete against each other. Head Coach Jim Smoot coached the Green team, which won 2-1 against the Gold team coached by Assistant Coach Alison Chevalier. Middle blocker Savannah Alcazar who led Green with 14 kills explains why she believes this scrimmage is a smart way to start off their season. 

“I think it is good to go into the season seeing how everyone stands, how we work together and how competitive we are against each other,” said Smoot. “If we can bring that competitive edge against other people we’ll be set.” 

Smoot describes how he felt the Green and Gold match went. 

“Well, since I won and my assistant coach lost, it went perfect,” said Smoot. “I was really pleased with the overall play. The effort was great. I was really impressed with the offense, and the defense was great. We’re happy, but we’ve still got some things we have to work on.” 

Smoot goes in-depth on what improvements need to be made from what was seen at the Green and Gold match. He emphasized on the shooting of the ball and placement of the shots.

“I didn’t think we were very good at off speed shots,” said Smoot. “A lot of times, you go up and tip the ball right where the defense was standing. So, we’ve got to work on that and recognition of how you can score when you’re not just going up and hammering the ball. That and maybe a little blocking. There are still some holes in the block.” 

The starting lineup for the 2017 season has been a difficult decision for Smoot and Chevalier. They began running stats at the last few practices of the summer to gather unbiased information to help decide the starting lineup. The Green and Gold match was also the ideal setting for the coaches to see how the players would perform in an official match setting.

The first match of the season was against Samford University on Aug. 25. With a loss of 3-0, the Lady Lions went on to play Murray State College later in the day and again lost 3-0. The following day, they played against Ohio University and continued their losing streak with a final score of 3-0. 

With a rocky start to the season, redshirt sophomore right side blocker Elyssa Purcell has hopes for the season with the level of talent she sees for this year’s team. 

“I definitely think we’re going to be a lot better than we were in the previous years,” said Purcell. “We just have a lot more talent this year, and our defense really has picked up from the previous years.”

One of the key elements that both coaches and players attribute to this year’s team is the camaraderie that each player has for the team and sport. 

“I feel like we jell together,” said Alcazar. “Our chemistry is really good, a lot better than the previous year I’ve been here.”

Purcell loves the dynamics of their team both on and off the court. 

“I love this team, I love this group of girls,” said Purcell. “You know last year it was kind of little cliques here and there, but I think everybody this year gets along. We all love each other. We hang out outside of the court, which I think is really important” 

Smoot explains his expectation for his team this season. 

“I think the goal with our team off the court is to maintain the great camaraderie,” said Smoot. “It’s really pretty unique. I mean, I’ve coached for a long time, and this is one of the best teams I’ve seen that has the strongest bond in that area. I want to maintain that and have a lot of fun but still work really hard. On the court, our main goal is to make the conference tournament and secondary to win it.”

With the team’s camaraderie and high hopes for a good season, they continue into the BGSU/UT Invitational. The Lady Lion’s next opponent will be the University of Toledo on Sept. 1.