by Griffin Powell

With the fall athletic regular season’s coming to a close, it is in all collegiate teams hope to qualify for their conference tournament. For Greensboro’s women’s soccer and women’s volleyball team this has come to fruition. Both teams started off their seasons with challenging schedules playing against many tough ODAC teams and playing in many showcases. Both teams though have made their mark in conference play and have started to heat up when the time matters. GC women’s soccer and volleyball teams have worked extremely hard to get to the position they are in today to host a playoff game.

Greensboro women’s soccer amassing a record of 10-8-1 and being on a six-game winning streak, goes into the conference tournament as the third ranked team. The Pride are led by senior Amery Skinner, who has 12 goals which is second in the USA South as well as four assists on the season. The Collegian had a chance to talk with head coach Mike Johnston on how situations earlier in the season makes them better in the times that matter. He says, “We played a brutal non-conference slate, however, the team never wavered, and our leadership has been fantastic. The seniors have played an integral role on our program.” But in the USA South, every game can be unpredictable. Mike Johnston speaks on how he has prepared his team mentally and physically for the conference tournament. He replied, “We view every game as an opportunity to get better and I think we have done that. This team has been playing a great brand of soccer recently. We have spent a lot of time training and mimicking what we are likely to see in the tournament. Ultimately, through preparation and our player led culture, we look to make a statement in the tournament.”

Greensboro women’s volleyball is also hitting an upward trend at the right moment and sits at 19-7 overall and 12-4 in conference play. This impressive record puts them at fourth currently in the conference with two games remaining against Southern Virginia and Meredith College. The Pride’s volleyball team is led by outside hitter Kelci Brooks who has accumulated 247 kills, which stands at eighth in the conference, and Morgan Mayfield who ranks as one of the best liberos in the country amassing 572 digs this season. The Collegian got a chance to talk to head coach Kevin Troup about how early season struggles transition to the right moments he says, “My goal is to create a tougher non-conference schedule so when the USA South play comes around, we are prepared. Our league is very competitive and there are no easy games.” For the Pride, conference play has been more of a mental battle than a physical one. When asked about the mental challenges presented, he says, “We want to be playing our best volleyball in November. The hardest part as athletes is we treat each match as its own entity. We cannot get complacent and think any meeting will be an easy win.”

With seasons wrapping up for both teams, the Pride look to cement their strong finishes in the season and make a statement in their conference tournaments. While the Pride’s women’s volleyball team looks to finish strong with games against Southern Virginia and Meredith College.