Isabella Brown, Campus Carrier sports editor
The women’s volleyball team won their first official game. On Aug. 29 and 30 the women’s team won against Wartburg College, Wittenberg University and Transylvania University at the Transylvania Tournament. Along with the team being victorious with their invite to UW Whitewater the past weekend on Sept. 6, the past two weeks have been victorious for the volleyball team.
Caitlyn Moriarty, head coach of the volleyball team, along with Assistant Coaches Rachel Ford and Molly Bergion bring strong tradition to what they do. When recruiting for the team both the coaches and athletic department try to find perfect fits for the position that needs to be filled. With this they try to find where there can be improvement to keep the team on track to continue to build up into more of a powerhouse.
“I think that we have a real focus on one another,” Moriarty said. “And that’s just reflected in the outcomes that we’ve been getting.”
With the upcoming Mount Berry Tournament, the volleyball team has been focused on their next challenge. The players are very excited to be playing back on their home court. The team always hopes for students and spectators to come out to watch them play. Having people from the community to support them gives the team confidence while they play.
The new aspects of travel this year, have really challenged the players. The opportunity to travel to Kentucky and Wisconsin, has given the team new chances to bond through shared challenges on the road.
These challenges have pushed players out of their comfort zones. This has helped the team identify more areas of improvement in their game plans. With the ongoing support from the athletic department, the team feels well supported.
“We feel really blessed to be at Berry and to have such incredible support from our administrators and the community,” Moriarty said. “It allows us to play against some of the best teams in the country and host incredible tournaments. We feel really grateful and supported.”
Angel Mason, director of athletics, helps the athletic teams be on top of their games and academics. She provides support and oversight for both teams and coaches. Mason is very proud of the success of the team over the past years.
“The young women that are on the team are great students, great athletes, strong competitors,” Mason said, “So it’s a program that I’m very proud of, the way they challenge themselves regularly, setting standards as a team.”
These early season matches will help prepare the team for even tougher matches in the upcoming tournament. The encouragement that these athletes have for their hard work to their team help build them up into better players and students. Coaches try to make the environment for these players as empowering as possible so they can do better for themselves. This winning streak means a lot for the volleyball team. It helps motivate the players to play harder, stronger and faster than ever before.
The players are committed to becoming better than they already are, as well as playing in conference championship this year and securing another win.