The men’s volleyball team celebrated its six seniors and three fifth-year players with a special ceremony that honored their hard work and dedication to men’s volleyball over their years at Augustana. The team also celebrated its seniors by winning a shutout against North Park University. This win was crucial for the team as it set its playoff positioning for the postseason.
With the regular season winding down, every set and every point matters, and the team rose to the occasion, making senior night one to remember both emotionally and competitively. As emotional a game as it was, the guys were able to use their emotions to their advantage to get the shutout. They turned their emotions into productive and focused energy.
“I think we all do a really good job at zoning in and doing what we need to do,” senior Garrett McNelis said. “Understanding we could be emotional, but we have to turn that into something productive and into a mental focus–we are all locked in. We all just really wanted to make sure we are all just honed in on that idea in general.”
By zoning in on the game and coming up with a shutout, the seniors were able to leave their legacy on the court. The seniors have done a lot for the program–they have had a significant physical and mental impact on the court, especially for the underclassmen who are relatively new to the program. They have also taken initiative and led the program to where it is today.
“It is going to be tough when they leave,” sophomore Ben Georgia said. “It makes a big difference, especially because they make such a big physical impact on the court. We have a lot of room for improvement, but we’ve done a lot of good work, and you know this, the seniors have kind of led that mindset change and how they’ve changed it from an individual mindset to ‘we over me.’ So the seniors really implemented that change and helped our program.”
What made this game even more impactful was the emphasis on playing as one. For such an emotional night, the team was able to come together. They focused on directing their energy on their team and not themselves. This is where the motto “we over me” originates.
“We kind of talk about mindset and volleyball and how we move on from points, and how we can better the team,” Georgia said. “When you have a ‘we over me’ mindset, you encourage your teammates, and when they make a mistake, you know, you just shrug it off.”
Sadly for Augustana, the Vikings lost 3-0 to sixth-ranked Carthage College in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) tournament semifinals to end their season. Despite starting each set on top, scoring runs from Carthage made it hard for the Vikings to convert on the leads. Though the team ends the season with a record of 12-14 overall, junior Jordan Schneckloth can recognize this season’s positives.
“The team has grown exponentially closer since we’ve built team culture unlike anything you’ll see in college sports,” Schneckloth said. “Despite injuries, the young talent on our team stepped up big this year, proving that no matter the situation, we can compete with the best of the best. We’re more motivated now than ever before, chip on our shoulders and everything.”