Women’s volleyball aims to improve after latest tournament results
Photo Courtesy of California Lutheran Athletics
After a strong start to the season, Chapman volleyball has fallen to a 5-4 record. They suffered defeats to the University of Puget Sound, Covenant College, and Linfield University in their Cal Lu Fornia Invitational, all with scores of 3-0.
The first and second sets against Covenant came down to the last few points, with the match closing out at 26-24 and 29-27. In both the second and third sets against Linfield, the Panthers fell by scores of 25-23. According to head coach Mary Cahill, the team struggled with serve reception and execution at the service line.
“Winning one of those sets would have really changed the momentum,” Cahill said. “We’re a lot more consistent than what we showed this week.”
Despite the off weekend, the women’s volleyball team refuses to let one tournament define their season. Every loss reveals a new hurdle for the team to clear, and it’s only preparing the Panthers for what matters most — conference play.
The team has competed in three tournaments and has yet to play on their home court. The first two tournaments went smoothly, with the team only coming up short against the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a score of 3-0.
These matches gave Chapman some good recognition — sophomore business administration major and middle blocker Ava Bradbury was named the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Defensive Player of the Week after recording 17 blocks and 13 kills in four games. She is currently ranked third in the nation with 1.41 blocks per set in Division III. Senior psychology major and middle blocker Olivia Harrison was also named to the Pacific Coast Classic All-Tournament Team with 30 kills, nine blocks, and one ace.
Junior economics major and libero Clara Cronin leads the team with 138 digs and 12 service aces. As the team’s defensive backbone, Cronin says that confidence and trust are what matter most when connecting the pass to the set to the hit.
Although volleyball is a physical sport, mental resilience is what often dictates a match’s fate. Most of the time, the toughest opponent is on your side of the net and in your own head.
During the game against Linfield, junior accounting major and starting setter Sammy Chambers went down with a sprained ankle in the first set. Sophomore health sciences major Kelsey Magley stepped in to run the offense.
The Panthers have run a 6-2 offense, where there are six hitters and two setters, with both Chambers and Magley, and have also run a 5-1 offense, five hitters and one setter, with only Chambers. Magley’s ability to step in as a sophomore showcases the team’s depth and their drive to pull ahead.
“Having one of your leaders on the court go down is definitely tough,” senior public relations, advertising and entertainment marketing major and opposite hitter Keira Sarni said.
Since then, the Panthers have been working on serving and passing during practice in preparation for SCIAC play. Cahill said that the University of La Verne will be the team’s toughest opponent, as they are ranked second in the nation, as well as Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, who are ranked 17th.
“We kind of understand how they play and what their biggest weapons are,” Chambers said. “Ultimately, I think what we’re focused on is controlling what we can on our side of the net and limiting errors.”
The Panthers are scheduled to face off against the University of Redlands at home on Friday at 7 p.m. to kick off conference play. Last season, Chapman had one loss against Redlands with a score of 3-2 and one win with a score of 3-1.
The team has displayed immense talent and skill, but that’s not all that it takes to come out on top.
“Our greatest strength is (our) heart,” Cronin said. “Our team chemistry and team perseverance bring Chapman volleyball to life; that’s what Chapman volleyball is about.”