Volleyball’s Disappointing Season Comes to an End
As this volleyball season came to a close, the Women’s Volleyball Coach Christine Walsh, “[The season did not go] as well as I hoped, not as well as any coach hopes, but with some of the struggles we had, we did pretty well.”
In last Wednesday’s game, Hudson Valley looked to win its second game in a row versus SUNY Delhi. However, the outcome was not in Hudson Valley’s favor. The Lady Vikings lost the first two sets of the match 13-25 and 16-25.
In the third set, the Lady Vikings rebounded to win 26-24. Coach Walsh used a unique coaching technique to slow down the Lady Broncos of SUNY Delhi.
“The couple of timeouts I used were to throw Delhi off their game,” she said. “If we run even with them, you start to lose your momentum.”
Kaitlyn Ward, Freshman M/OH and Liberal Arts major, described how the team felt during that set. “We got pumped during the third set. We just brought together, kept talking, didn’t let the ball drop,” she said.
The communication between the girls was a rare sight during the year. One of the main reasons is the shortness of the season that the NJCAA puts together.
“It’s really compact as compared to NCAA, so we have a limited time to get to know each other,” Coach Walsh said.
Kelsey Miller, Freshman DS and Individual Studies major, said that the lack of an understanding of each other between the girls was also a key component.
“It was a brand new team for everyone. We didn’t know each other’s flaws yet,” Miller said.
However, the Lady Vikings did not carry the momentum of their third set win and lost the fourth set 19-25. Ward led the way with 18 kills and 20 digs. M/RS Vanessa Addo, Liberal Arts major, added 11 kills and OH Amanda Robinson, Criminal Justice major, chipped in with 20 digs as well.
At the season’s end, it could be argued that Ward was the most valuable player on the team. She led the team in kills, with 146, as well as digs, with 166. Addo was second on the team in kills, with 71. Miller finished second in digs, with 154.
Coach Walsh is excited for the next season. “I honestly think we’re set up for a great season next year,” Walsh said.
She said she believes this because most of the girls are returning to the team. This will give her an opportunity to recruit for next year.
“I have plenty of time to recruit new and strong players,” she said. “We’re looking pretty good for next year. I’m actually kind of looking forward to it already.”
From a player’s point of view, Ward said she is mostly looking forward to next season. “I look for us to have a winning record,” she said.