The Augustana women’s volleyball team has taken in a class of 17 first-year’s this year, more than doubling the returning roster of 10. Now, with a bench of 27, the squad is striving to show the conference that although they may be young, they are capable of greatness.
Freshman outside hitter Brook Fieldman enjoys the benefits of such a large team.
“One of the biggest advantages is that there is plenty of competition and talent. Having such a large freshman class helps us hold each other accountable. We’re constantly pushing ourselves to become the best players and teammates possible, ” Fieldman said.
Right now, the Viking’s record stands at 1-5, having just lost to Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday, March 24 at home in the Roy J. Carver Center.
During the first two sets, Augustana struggled to close the gap before IWU won with a score of 25 -13 in both games.
First-year Jaden Julius said, “I personally believe that losing will show you what a team is made of and that failure is a building block of success. We have responded in a really positive way to the adversity that we have faced this year and we are continuing to make strides toward our goals. ”
The Vikings did not let the results of the first two sets keep them down as they battled out the third game looking to earn the first win of the day. The match was led by first-year outside hitter Emily Schipper, who got two pivotal kills to first break the tie at 11-11, and the other to mark Augie’s biggest lead of the day at 22-16. Schipper then gained the match point with an ace, sending the team into set four with some leverage and a winning score of 25-20.
“I have seen my teammates grow exceptionally well. From our very first game, we were this very quiet team with a sense of almost being scared, to this team that is not afraid and constantly getting better. Our goal is to have a winning season,” Schipper said.
The fourth game had both teams executing great plays, the Vikings tallying multiple kills by Fieldman, Ja’nya Davis and Julius. Junior Olivia Doak* set her teammates up for success with 30 assists in the book.
Unfortunately, despite the Vikings’ next level performance that earned them the third match, Augie fell to the visitors after a neck and neck fourth game, with a final score of 25-23.
Although this was not the outcome they hoped for, the girls are only using it to continue to improve together.
“I anticipate a lot of progress and growth as we continue to face other teams throughout the season. Because we’re such a young team, we’re still trying to find our groove. We need to work on building chemistry as a team, and that will only improve by playing other teams that will challenge us,” Fieldman said.
The volleyball team has another shot at getting the win this Thursday, April 1, when they travel to compete against Carthage at 5pm.
*Olivia Doak is a member of the Observer staff
Photo Above: Augie Freshman Emily Schipper(OH) smashing the ball to score a point during the volleyball game at Carver on Wednesday 24th March. Photo by Aakash Manandhar.