Setting up for a strong finish and return to SPIRE

By Ola Nowak
Senior, Setter

When I heard that I reached 3,000 assists, it was a nice surprise because that is something I don’t keep track of. A big reason that I have been able to accomplish this is because our team has gotten better from when I came here. Obviously, I couldn’t achieve this without my teammates.

I feel like a big reason for the success that we have had this year is because of how close we are as a team. The communication and chemistry on the team got better. We got to know each other better and we feel each other better on the court.

Defense has been something that we’ve done well to help us win matches. In the beginning of preseason, we emphasized defense mostly, and that’s what has kept us going. The big long rallies that we have from getting lots of digs gives us a lot of confidence. We saw how we can beat teams by making them tired because we are digging more balls than last year. Obviously, our hitters are doing a better job of putting balls way this year as well.

Last weekend was a little bit rough, but we are making sure that we pick things up to prepare and get ready for this weekend. We watched the film from last 2 matches to see our mistakes and try to eliminate them. Our goal is still to get to the MAC Tournament and we know what we have to do to get there.

Life as a freshman student-athlete (Part 2)

Today is the second of a two-part entry in which our freshmen discuss their first year as a college student-athlete. This year's four freshmen all came to Kent State from different states, spanning from Florida in the South to California on the West Coast.

Maddie Moxley

My time so far at Kent State has been a mixture of emotions and experiences. Moving this far away from home has been hard, but very rewarding. I feel like I have been coming into my own person because of it. When I get homesick, my teammates are always there for me. It has only been two months and already I have lost track of how many times I’ve thought to myself how lucky I am to have the teammates and coaches that I have.

Learning to manage my time with classes, tests, trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, and studying took some getting used to, but after the first week of travel and preseason I finally settled into my routine. I feel like I have everything figured out now and have been focused on school and volleyball.  

One of the most stressful things about the first two weeks was being undeclared in my major. Initially, I had no Idea what it was that I wanted to major in. After my first week of my Intro to Psychology class and a great conversation with one of our seniors, Hannah Herc, I finally declared Psychology as my major. I don’t think I would have been as interested in the subject had it not been for Hannah, but now I am ecstatic about my major and all of my future classes at Kent!!!

Bianca Cifaldi

I really like it here. I was super nervous coming in because I have a big family at home and knew I was going to get homesick. I was definitely homesick a lot at first, but it’s been a lot easier to deal with as I’ve grown closer with all of the girls. Friendships on the team grew very quickly. It didn’t take time for it to get not awkward and we all just kind of fit right in.

Our teams understands that we all do things a lot differently. Usually when you’re with a team, you’re with them for a longer period of time, but being new, you have to get used to everyone and how they react to certain things. I feel like this team does a really good job of it. We all celebrate different and are intense in different ways, but we all deal with it and feed off of it.

Usually I’ not really big in school, but I’ve taken it super seriously and I’m enjoying it. I feel like playing volleyball is helpful for me. If I was just a student, I would feel like I have a lot more free time to do whatever I want and wouldn’t be able to manage my time as efficiently. But being a student-athlete, I definitely take my time more seriously. When I have to be doing homework, I’m doing homework, and that usually doesn’t happen with me. But I’m getting the hang of it.

I definitely realized that I wasn’t in high school anymore when went I went to my lecture class for psychology and there were 400 students and it took me by surprise.

Looking back on an upset…and moving forward with eyes on MAC Tournament return

By Hannah Herc
Senior, Libero

Last night was unbelievable!!!!! I’m just really proud of my team. Beating a ranked team is what we’ve been working on since I got here. OU is always #1 in the conference and we’ve gone 5 games with them and lost in the past. Just beating them gives the team a whole new confidence, letting us know that we do have the ability if we work together to beat anybody.

I think the win kind of puts Kent State on the map. Finally, people are talking about Kent State volleyball and not just all the other sports teams we have. We’re finally being recognized, which is nice. Our crowds have been great this year, and I think that has really helped us. Having the support there makes us want to make Kent State proud. Their cheering and yelling gets the other team rattled and adds to the energy that we already bring to the court. It’s so awesome to feel loved!!!

Let the celebration begin!

Our team has grown a lot, even from Buffalo and BG matches. In both of those, we came out and won the first game and then lost the next 3. I think we were sick of that and really learned from it and were able to fight back last night and not let a bigger team that is supposedly a better team beat us down.

We’re focusing more on not getting caught up in the point and getting better every point rather than focusing on the end result. We just feel that if we work hard every point, and just try to get better during the game that it’s going to be the outcome that we want.

We have practice today, so we have to stay focused. We can’t let 1 win get to our heads because we still have a lot of MAC play to go. We need to go about today like it’s any other day and just focus on getting better to get back to the MAC Tournament. 

Kent State defeated #18 Ohio 3-1 for the volleyball program's
first ever win over a nationally-ranked opponent.

Life as a freshman student-athlete (Part 1)

Today is the first of a two-part entry in which our freshmen discuss their first year as a college student-athlete. This year's four freshmen all came to Kent State from different states, spanning from Florida in the South to California on the West Coast.

Drew Norberg

So far, my college experience has been awesome! I have really connected with my teammates and already made friends I will be close to the rest of my life. I love my dorm and my roommate. Being this far from home is hard, but I have been enjoyed starting a new life.

Volleyball has kept me busy and I love getting better each day. We have been on the road a lot so far and go somewhere different almost every weekend. It has been so much fun going and seeing new places and scenery.

Making the decision to leave home was difficult, but I’m glad I came to Kent State and am excited for what else is to come. Let's go FLASHES! 

Payton Moore

My college experience so far has been much less scary than I imagined. For some reason, I'm super directionally challenged and was worried I'd never learn the lay of the land, but the general flow of students from place to place usually helps.

I listened to what everyone told me and (a bit unwillingly) sat in the front for my first lecture. Kids who sit in the front seem to be labeled as brown-nosers, but it's those seats that allow you to actually see and hear what the professor is presenting. I've also discovered that I love my professors more because they care so much about what they're teaching. The only people in the room who may care more than the prof is the students (an unspoken plus).

In the beginning, I was a little nervous about dorm life. I immediately cried upon looking at my room after dragging five enormous brown boxes into my 11.5' by 17'. I was really overwhelmed because my parents unknowingly booked a two-week anniversary trip to Ireland before they found out I moved into my dorm that week! With help from people on the team, I moved in safely and my dorm is my happy place. I love it because it's a good place for me to study, have fun, and with the help of a mattress pad, a good place to sleep.

Practicing with the team has been beyond fun. It’s exciting to compete at such a high level. In high school, I was given little challenge and this is a big step up for obvious reasons. Everybody on the team is here for a common reason, and that's awesome.

I have so much fun with the girls and it's crazy that we all get along so well. The upperclassmen welcomed me with open arms and I have full confidence that any of them would do anything for us newcomers. The team gives more than just a new sense of competition - it gives me insight on what it means to be a part of a family.

I can't wait to see how the rest of my freshman year goes. I'm truly thankful for this opportunity and wouldn't change it for a thing... even if I've only just begun. :)