by Taylor Cotie

It is that time of the year, and no I do not mean football season. Volleyball season has officially started for the Greensboro College women’s volleyball team. These ladies have been pushing strong and have played a total of nine games so far. The team has a current record of 4-5. The girls hit the road to Roanoke, Va., where they played in the Maroon Classic on the campus of Roanoke College. The team faced off against four great teams and finished the weekend by going 2-2.

The first day the team competed against both Ferrum College and Hollins University. Even though they went into four sets with Ferrum, the team ended up taking the win in the fourth set. GC gave it their all against Hollins as they swept them in three whole sets. Going into the second day, they faced strong teams, playing against Methodist University and Randolph College. GC went to five sets with Methodist and did not win that game, but they played strongly throughout the whole match. After the tough loss against Methodist University, the Greensboro volleyball team
pulled through to play their last game of the weekend. The team took Randolph into four sets but lost to them in the fourth set.

I talked with GC’s own head volleyball coach, Kevin Troup, and assistant coach, Ethan Moore, about how they felt the team performed at the Maroon Classic over the weekend.

“The team showed a lot of adversity and was very determined in the matches over the weekend,” responded Troup. “We did well both days,” Moore said. “The first day we had a little more focus than the second day. The team got down during some of the matches, but we battled back and there were a lot of positives for some individual players and as a team as well.”

I also spoke with them about how they feel the team’s performance this weekend will stack up to the conference competition and both coaches had a lot to say.

“There are some positives,” Moore said. “I think we can take moving forward but there are also things that we are going to have to perfect and make better in order to compete due to the competition level of the conference, from top to bottom, being much higher than it was last year. A lot of the teams that were near the bottom last year are reformed and very good.”

“We have to minimize our errors and can not make as many hitting errors as we made over the weekend,” Troup said. “The two teams we faced on Saturday were good teams; they are disciplined teams. So, we have to be more disciplined, and we have to make better decisions and better choices in game situations and not allow teams to go on big runs.”

I also spoke with senior Katrina O’Neill and asked her what she was most excited about entering her final season.

“This season, I am really excited to show what I have learned over the past three years I have played here, as well as continue to learn and grow in my abilities,” said O’Neill, a huge contributor to the team. “I am excited for game days with my team and building relationships with the freshman that have come in this year, as well as continuing to grow the lasting friendships I have made being on this team for the last three years!”

The ladies have been working hard throughout practices and in the weight room and preparing for the tough competition that they will be facing this season. The Greensboro College volleyball team is preparing for its first conference match on Sept. 21 at Salem College. After that, they will be back home in Hanes Gym for a doubleheader on Friday, Sept. 23, against NC Wesleyan College at 3 p.m. and Pfeiffer University at 7 p.m.