Walking into the HPER center in the afternoon while the volleyball team is practicing can cause you to hear the sound of the players competing every day, fighting to get better.
To senior Kara Seidenstricker, ’16 , the reason they compete every day is that they “have high expectations for [themselves], and everybody is going to work hard to reach those expectations.”
Volleyball Coach Paco Labrador reiterated their reason for motivation, saying “every year, the team has the same drive to represent Wittenberg [to] challenge for a National Championship.”
Coming off a season that saw the team make its way into the third round of the NCAA DIII tournament only to lose to the eventual National Champions, Hope College, has the team circling the date on the calendar when they get to play Hope again: Sept. 19. However, Seidenstricker knows that it takes going “through the season one game at a time,” and focusing on each opponent every week. According to Kristina Fultz, ’16, the team is “very tight-knit. [They’re] all one big family,” and Seidenstricker reinforced that idea.
The biggest strength the team has comes with experience, said Seidenstricker.
“There are many returning starters, and [they] have a strong group of freshmen” to help them as the season moves through. Wittenberg women’s volleyball has been a staple of success over the years, and last year, with the team capturing its twentieth NCAC title, it’s been no different. With the team going an astounding 29-4 (8-0) last year, they look to build on that success, then to have a successful playoff push with the potential of a National Championship looming on the horizon.
Labrador said that “when the time comes to play in the post-season, [their] daily preparation will give [them] a chance to win,” and hopefully capture the championship.
The team opened its season on the Sept. 1 against Otterbein and won 3-0. Then on Sept. 4, it beat St. Thomas (Minn.) 3-0 to climb to a 2-0 record for the start of the season.
