The men’s volleyball team is marching strong into the halfway point of the season. The team traveled to Fone de Luc, Wisconsin, to compete in a doubleheader this past weekend. Advancing their record to 10-3, the team won in almost straight sets, losing only one set to Marion University.
An immense part of their success is due to Fifth-Year Max Sellers. As a Fifth-Year, Sellers brings valuable experience to the team through his leadership skills and ability to play the game. His knowledge of the game, ability to read situations and guidance to younger players are crucial to the team’s success.
“Max is one of the best volleyball players I have ever met in my life—he is just absolutely crazy,” junior Tom Lamb said. “When you have someone like that who came back for a fifth year, it sets the tone that we’re here to win now—this is our chance. So [Max and the seniors] are really setting the tone for us, and they are paving a great path for the future of the program.”
It is important for the upperclassmen to try to focus on leading by example. When underclassmen can see what Sellers and the seniors are doing on and off the court, having a closer team and creating a positive team atmosphere is easier.
“That is my biggest mantra,” Sellers said. “Not being complacent throughout the season, like when we get a big win, but maybe it is against a team that we should beat. We have to make sure we are not thinking we are really good so that we keep pushing forward to be better. That is kind of what our model is.”
Along with excellent team leadership, there is also great coaching. Head Coach Mike Ducey has been described as a “non-yelling” coach. That is something that not all players can say about their coaches. Having a coach who is understanding and willing to work through plays instead of jumping down the athlete’s throat positively changes the game.
“I really like Coach Ducey because he kind of understands our players and where we are coming from,” sophomore Ben Georgia said. “I think he’s there as a very reasonably minded person, and he’s like, ‘here is how we can get out of this’ instead of, ‘what the heck are you doing out on the court?’”
However, the team was plagued by injuries early in the season. Despite those injuries, they overcame them and came out on top by mixing up the lineup. With such a high-caliber team, there is always a backup for the typical six starters—the lineup is switched occasionally. This helps when typical starters are injured, like Sellers, as there are always equally capable men on the bench.
“We have a lot of different players that are good at different things,” Sellers said. “So we have had a side of the six that are all starters, on the side of six that are very close to being starters, and we are playing against each other for really good competition for that part of it. I think we are finding what is working, and we are having a lot of people who have really improved recently.”
The team will enter conference play next week with this mixed lineup and improved players. With only two non-conference games left in the season, the team is preparing to wipe the floor in conference play. To round out non-conference play, they will play the Dominican University Stars on Feb. 20 before jumping into conference play on Feb. 22 against North Park University.
“Every single team in our conference is going to be a challenge,” Georgia said. “I look forward to the challenge.”
