Busy volleyball team anticipating success in ‘18

Busy volleyball team anticipating success in ‘18

By Maddie Toles
Sports Writer

The LCC volleyball team got off to a good start this season, securing wins in their first three matches.

The streak ended with recent losses to Carl Sandburg College and Muskegon Community College Aug. 26 and 28.

The schedule for the women started out busy, but sixth-year LCC Head Coach Emily Quintero said she is confident they will be able to finish strong.

Last year's team ended with a record of 16-18.

Quintero said she is confident about physical health for her team, stressing that this summer's training schedule gave the women an idea of what to expect, and prepared their bodies for the rigors of the season.

Returning to the team for their second seasons are Hannah Whiteman, Alayna Mantei, Erin Cooper, Silvia Strieff, Morgan Daily, Madison David and Mya Brooks.

This year's roster has a total of 13 players. Newcomers are Nicole Winter, Maya Ferland, Mackenzie Winger, Sophia Strieff, Mollie Winger and Allison Couturier.

Despite it being early in the season, Quintero said she is already seeing strong leadership from sophomores Whiteman and Silvia Strieff, as well as freshmen Sophia Strieff and Couturier.

These women are also feeling confident about the season's outlook, emphasizing the great team chemistry that is starting to develop.

"These last couple games are not reflective of how we are going to finish the season at all," Silvia Streiff said. "We are really strong this year and I think we will do a lot better, but we need to figure out how to mesh more."

Sophomore Hannah Whiteman had a similar opinion.

"I think these last three games were a little bit of a reality check and I believe we are all willing to work harder," Whiteman said.

The team plays each opponent twice this season. Quintero said she hopes her team learns to control the pace of the matches.

"It's a very quick tempo and we need to make sure we're executing what the tempo is, not just going with the flow of what the other team sets," Quintero said. "We need to set that standard."

LCC's next home game is Thursday, Sept. 6 in the Gannon Gym. Action starts at 6:30 p.m.