Video Blog: Don Gromala on trips to Buffalo and Akron, and the chase for the MAC Tournament

The Golden Flashes head coach discusses the team's win over Central Michigan and looks ahead to matches at Buffalo and Akron as well as the chase for a Mid-American Conference Tournament spot.

Video Blog: Don Gromala previews Ohio University and Central Michigan

Head coach Don Gromala previews a continued homestand that includes matches with Ohio University on Oct. 30 and Central Michigan on Nov. 1.

Video Blog: Don Gromala looks back at first MAC road win and ahead to Northern Illinois and Western Michigan at the M.A.C. Center

Head coach Don Gromala looks back at a weekend that saw the Golden Flashes capture their first road win in MAC play, then ahead to hosting Northern Illinois (Oct. 24, 7 p.m.) and Western Michigan (Oct. 25, 7 p.m.)

Being able to respond is all about focus, energy and decision making

By Don Gromala

Head Coach

This is obviously a big weekend with this being the last weekend on the road in the first-half of the conference season.

It has been a grind, and we knew it would be that way. When you are on the road three out of four weekends, you know it is going to be tough. But we have had a very good week of practice and we are excited to see that carry over when we go to Toledo on Friday and Ball State on Saturday.

Attention to detail was a point of emphasis for us this week as we work to keep getting better. We have talked about a lot of little things, but now we are focusing on game planning and execution, especially on offense.

We have worked on some different ways to give us opportunities to score points. There are some things we did this week that we think will help us as we look ahead to the weekend. We will face two very different teams. Ball State is a little more physical while Toledo is similar to us in that they have a lot of different options and ways to score points and maybe stress us out.

Each team has its own unique way of doing things that we will have to defend. Toledo has some good middles along with an outside hitter who has had some good performances recently. As long as we are serving well and being disciplined with our defense we will have plenty of opportunities to score.

Ball State is going to be a grind. They are at home. They are a tough serving team. They are playing well right now. They are very disciplined in most of the things they do. They are very low-error, and we are going to have to match that. We have to keep the points long and hope we will take advantage of the chances we get in every long rally.

This team’s M.O. has been that it is somewhat streaky, but we do respond. We responded earlier this year when we had five straight losses and then came back with back-to-back wins against Akron and Buffalo. We play well with our backs to our wall. That’s the moment that presents itself. We have been in these moments before and pushed through.

Being able to respond is all about focus, energy and decision making. Our focus has been there all week in practice. Our energy has always been there. Now it is just a matter of decision making.

A bit banged up, but ready for a physical road trip to Bowling Green and Miami

By Don Gromala
Head Coach

We are coming off of what was obviously a very good weekend after taking care of business at home.

We knew the Akron match was going to be a battle. The match with Buffalo was also very much what we expected, so it was good that we executed the way we needed to get the wins and meet those expectations.

Our serving was very solid and consistent all weekend long. We did some things to stress out the opponents. It wasn’t all about the aces, but we we were able to get people out of their offensive rhythm which made them easier to defend.

Our block came back, but we knew we would be blocking better with the type of offenses we were facing. It was nice to see that get back into play.

Looking ahead to this weekend coming up, we will be facing some teams that will be a little more physical. They might bring some different challenges for us. Miami runs a 6-2, which is tougher to defend because it is one additional hitter to defend for three rotations. Bowling Green is also coming off of a very strong weekend. They lost both matches at home in five sets, but they lost both in five to good teams.

Serving is going to be important against both opponents, but I think passing is going to play an even bigger role for us considering we didn’t pass particularly well this past weekend. We passed well enough, but we will have to pass better because these teams are a little more physical at the net and we’ll need to have more options offensively.

We are at Bowling Green on Friday at 5 p.m. and then at Miami University on Saturday at 5 p.m which is an earlier schedule than we are used to in the MAC.

We are trying to focus on that first match, though, because if we can get a good win on the road at Bowling Green it would bring a lot of momentum over to that next day.

This has been a tough week of practice for us. We are a little thin with our practice depth because we are a bit banged up. That has limited us to the amount of things we can do. But in those small segments of time, I think we have done a nice job executing the things we need to achieve and have accomplished a good flow offensively and defensively. Hopefully that carries over to the weekend.

Learning from last week and a look ahead to Akron and Buffalo

By Steve Bailey

Assistant coach

Both Ohio University and Eastern Michigan played very well in our games with them last week. Ohio perennially a team to beat in our conference, obviously, and they did some very good things and played us pretty tough with their home crowd. Eastern Michigan did a good job of keeping themselves in control. Whether we were serving tough or making changes in our defense, they did a very good job of playing a consistent, clean game. We just weren’t able to do the same thing and that’s why they came out on top.

Because of that, this week in practice is going to be focused more on us and what we need to do in terms of ball control and movement to put ourselves in a better position against Akron and Buffalo. Akron is playing very well. They had a very good weekend, and Buffalo is 12-4. Both teams are very good, so we will have to bring our A game to go 2-0 at home.

Akron comes to the M.A.C. Center at 7 p.m. on Friday. Having a big crowd for that Wagon Wheel Challenge point will help us. Our team really does well with a lot of noise. Most of the teams we have played this year said we do a really good job of bringing high energy and being very loud already. Our kids feed off of that, so I think being in the atmosphere for the Akron match will be good for us. The energy level will already be there, and if that is a good match it can slingshot us into Saturday at 7 p.m. for Buffalo. It would be nice to get a good crowd for that as well because we need all of the home court advantage we can get against these two teams.

Akron doesn’t run a very complex offense and they don’t do anything out of the ordinary. Ron does a very good job with them of being very simple, very basic, but executing at a high level. They hit high. They hit hard. They don’t make many errors. To beat them, we have to make sure we don’t make many errors on our side and control the ball better. If we do that, it will be a good competitive match.

Buffalo is very similar. All three teams, Akron, Buffalo and Kent State, are really very similar. They all have two good outsides. They all have a good middle and a pretty solid setter. It’s just a matter of who puts their players in the best situations.

We have a good, friendly rivalry with Akron. As coaching staffs we get along pretty well. We have all known each other through the recruiting world. Our staffs interact and can hang out with a competitive banter going back and forth. We understand that with our schools being seven miles apart there is going to be a natural competitive rivalry. But it is a healthy competition where both teams want to win, both want to say we have a hand in that Wagon Wheel Challenge. 

Winning in the Kent State-Akron rivalry obviously also helps with recruiting. We are both recruiting the same kind of kid. There are probably three or four kids out there who have offers from four or five MAC schools, including Kent State and Akron. If we can say we beat Akron that’s a bonus for us on the recruiting side.

Ready to start the MAC season at Ohio University

By Steve Bailey
Assistant Coach

I think we are in a very good place right now as a team.

Our new additions, the incoming freshmen, are playing an impactful role.

This is going to be an interesting year in the Mid-American Conference. Every team is playing well as we get ready to start conference play. Thursday will be a very good test to see where we are in the MAC.

Ohio University is a great team. They are 7-4 after playing a very tough non-conference schedule. It is similar to us in that we have played a very competitive preseason where we have done some very good things, getting better defensively, getting better at blocking, and now we are trying to get our offense to catch up. We think this could be a very good season for us, and we are looking forward to seeing what this weekend has to hold.

Ohio is a very simple team in that they are very good at the basics and don’t do a lot of crazy things. They pass very well. They have excellent attackers and they play very well defensively. We are going to have to play a near-perfect game to come out on top. For us, that means taking care of ourselves, focusing on our side of the net and not worrying so much about what they are doing so that it is a clean match on both sides.

No place like home

Note: The Kent State volleyball team competed in a tournament at Towson University this past weekend, providing senior outside hitter Tinuke Aderemi-Ibitola with an opportunity to play near her hometown of Ellicott City, Md.

As the long 6-hour drive down Towson began, I started to play ridiculously cliché songs on my iPod like, ‘Coming Home’ by Diddy, while I contemplated in my head if this is how LeBron felt returning to play in Cleveland (obviously not, but I still like to think me and him have a connection now).

It was hard for me to contain my excitement and contain the huge smile on my face to a gentle smirk, so I decided to fall asleep. We arrived at a hotel in Timonium, just 25 minutes away from my house, I couldn’t wait for the next day to play and see all of my family and friends.

Throughout the three games over the weekend, I would look up in the stands to see so many familiar faces. My parents, older brother and sister, high school volleyball coach, my uncle, parents of old teammates I played club with, random high school classmates, all came up to watch us play. It was unfortunate that our games ended in a loss, but you can’t stay mad for long when you walk out of the locker room and your brother is standing there with a half-deflated smiley face balloon connected to boxes of edible arrangements.

After all the matches were over, I got the rare opportunity, playing so close to home, to bring the team to the my house to eat dinner. After a short drive down to Ellicott City, I stepped out of the bus with an image of my father standing outside the front door, with the biggest smile I had ever seen, clapping, welcoming us home. We all walked through the house while some of my teammates stopped to stare at random baby pictures and old family photos, finally ending the tour in the backyard where we decided to play a game of ‘add on.’ The game ended pretty suddenly as Heather almost (accidentally) sat on a baby bunny in the heat of the game.

Luckily, the food arrived shortly after as silence fell across the backyard are we all scarfed down half chickens, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, cinnamon apples, cookies, brownies, until we couldn’t eat anymore. Soon after, it was time to head back to Kent. A few hugs and goodbyes later and we were off.

One more new lineup and another challenge with YSU here tonight

By Don Gromala

Head Coach

One of the the things we faced this past weekend at West Virginia that we had yet to see this season was a fast offense. West Virginia and Montana played a very fast set tempo to the pins. That stressed us out a bit. 

Offensively, West Virginia is the best team we have faced this year because of their system and the fact that their setter was very smart.

We grinded out some wins, though. St. Francis was close, and we battled back to win the last three pretty easy. We were down 2-1 to Montana, too, so it’s good to see we have that comeback in us.

Tonight is going to be tough. Youngstown State poses some similar stresses we’ve seen with double-quick offense and fast tempo. They have had a new staff come in and they have become a much better team over the last couple of years. They have some good wins beating programs like Virginia and Illinois-Chicago. 

Youngstown State poses a challenge because of the style of offense they run, so if we are serving too easy or losing too many points on our serve, it will be tough for us to defend them. 

It’s a Tuesday night so we should have our students here. Youngstown State will bring some fans, too, so it should be a good crowd.

We will have a different lineup again tonight. That will be our eighth different lineup. Last year we had two-to-four different lineups where this year we could have eight-to-10. Players are getting opportunities, and that’s good. 

Tonight is also a an opportunity for returning players to make up for last year when we struggled at Youngstown State. We will come out to prove we are a better team and to keep our home streak alive. 

This weekend we will go to Towson. That will be very similar to tonight where we will face some teams that have jumped out to a good start. Towson has only lost a couple of times. St. John’s has been to the Hawaii tournament, where they played some good teams and beat New Mexico, which is a very good program. 

Last week was tough with the scheduling of two matches on a Friday that were four hours apart. We do the same thing this weekend, and we play tonight. It’s a good opportunity to prepare for what we would see in the Mid-American Conference tournament when we could play four days in a row. 

We are also talking a lot about maintaining our focus. In our first segment of non-conference play we have started out strong. How are we going to finish this month with these last four matches? It’s a lot about mental focus and doing all of the little things right so that we don’t have to go back and retrain the basics before the MAC season starts up.

Improvements on offense during home tourney win and a look ahead to West Virginia

By Don Gromala

Head Coach

 

We had a great weekend with the wins over Morehead State, New Hampshire and Evansville. The level of competition was really close where we could very easily have gone 0-3 or 3-0 like last weekend, and we played very steady volleyball overall.  But right now we are not looking as much at the wins and losses. 

 

We thought we would play well offensively last weekend with the lineups we played. That happened through execution and players taking care of their business and doing their jobs. We still have some offensive areas to adjust, though. 

 

I thought we did a better job of defending the middle and right-side attacks, but we haven’t seen a strong outside presence from a team yet. Physically, West Virginia is going to pose some new problems for us this weekend that we have not seen so far this season. We may still try one more different lineup this weekend at West Virginia that utilizes a 6-2 offense.

 

We didn’t tinker as much with the lineups as we did the first weekend but we still gave players opportunities to get in. We have talked a lot about the depth we have and how that means everyone has to be ready. You may get your chance and it may come in the fifth set. You have to be ready to produce when that chance comes, just like Lauren Engleman did the first weekend vs Charleston.

 

The lineups we try at West Virginia may give more people an opportunity to play, but hopefully girls understand we are not trying to make everyone happy with playing time. It’s about what is going to make us better in a month and a half since we are getting close to the start of that Mid-American Conference season. 

 

In addition to getting better match by match this past weekend, I was very happy with the decision making of our hitters. We had a well-balanced offense, and we can still get better as all of our setters locate the ball a little more consistently for those hitters.

 

Serving is a little bit of a conundrum for us right now. We are making too many serving errors. You can have mistakes serving as long as you are scoring points off of them, but we are not scoring enough. We serve reasonably tough as a team and I think we serve smart, but we also have a strong defense which means we don’t have to score off of our serves. We just have to keep it in play and let our defense and counter attack do the rest.   We have options with our servers, and that is something nice even for something as simple as serving. With our middles, we can have either Bridget Wilhelm or Liz Reikow serve, and they are both tough. They have very different serves that pose different problems for passers. The same goes with Sarah Mills and Kelly Hutchison, who have different types of serves that can create different opportunities for us defensively.

 

We face West Virginia at noon on Friday, Saint Francis at 4:30 p.m. on Friday and then Montana at 2 p.m. on Saturday. After that we host Youngstown State Tuesday, Sep. 16, then go to the Tiger Invitational at Towson University next weekend to take on Towson, St. John’s and North Dakota.

 

After that, it’s right into the Mid-American Conference season at Ohio University on Thursday, Sep. 25. 

 

It’s hard to believe we only have two more weekends of non-conference. I’d love to try a few more things and look at a few more options before the start of the MAC season, but I feel like we are growing and we are building towards being an extremely competitive group. We have to make sure we don’t plateau after having a successful weekend though. The girls need to stay focused and keep pushing to make themselves better. 

 

Lessons from Charleston and a look at the Hampton Inn Golden Flashes Volleyball Classic

By Don Gromala

Head Coach

There is a lot going on with our team right now getting some stress from outside influences. It is life-stuff, and that can be good in that the player are learning that they have each other’s back and they are seeing that they are all here for each other. That is good because quite a bit can happen during the course of a season.

I think we are being helped by the balance between experienced players and newcomers. The older players have been through things the younger players haven’t, and the older players can help the younger players get through some things.

I think the retreat helped. That trip to Ohiopyle helped everyone get closer. The trip to College of Charleston was also a great thing. We had the opportunity to take a historical carriage ride through Charleston and with that we have talked a lot about appreciating where we have come from as a program. It was a good parallel between Kent State’s volleyball program and the city in terms of Charleston being burned down a couple of times and then rebuilt. It’s pretty cool that Charleston is still standing strong.

We have been working very hard on defense for the past few weeks, and this was a very good weekend for us defensively with holding our opponents to a very low hitting percentage. Defensively it is usually a little easier than offensively early on because people are getting used to playing with each other again and we’ve also been getting used to a new offensive system.

It was an interesting tournament in Charleston. It was what we were looking for with nothing too difficult and nothing too easy. The defense improved throughout the weekend. Mercer exploited a few weaknesses in our defense that we were able to work on and get better against Davidson and College of Charleston. We worked on that the first few days of practice this week, defending tips and roll shots. That’s kind of how Mercer beat us. It wasn’t aggressive stuff, which we should expect. If we are blocking well, teams are not going to be swinging aggressively on us because they don’t want to lose points against our block.

Offensively, we haven’t gotten into too much yet. We were so-so last weekend, but we had a shining moment in the fifth set against College of Charleston when we hit around .500, which is awesome. Hopefully our girls learned from playing smart offensively. Our hitters took risks when they should have, and our setters made some good decisions to get us one-on-one opportunities when we could get them.

With a freshman setting, it could take a month or so to really get firing. We are going to mix up our lineups again like we did this past weekend. We may start with an entirely different lineup this weekend in the Hampton Inn Golden Flashes Volleyball Classic because we know we have a lot of different options. We want to find out what really works best for this group. It’s not going to be based on wins and losses, but how the team plays together and what things we’ll need to compete in the Mid-American Conference. It’s a long preparation, which is going to be different for us. They have to be a little more patient this year as players with regard to playing time and what their role is on the team.

I’m enjoying mixing and matching things and seeing what the best fits are. We have a couple of different lineups, one that is good offensively and one defensively. Can we do two different lineups throughout the season? Probably not, but it would be fun to have that option because it is tough for opponents to scout. 

We’ll play Evansville at 1 p.m. on Friday, Morehead State at 7 p.m. on Friday and then New Hampshire at 6 p.m. on Saturday. It’s funny because this past weekend we wanted to play teams that bring some different things, which they did. Some teams ran a 6-2, some ran a 5-1 and did different offensive schemes focusing on different types of hitters. 

Evansville in game one will do some different things from what we saw this weekend. They run a faster offense, to their outside, to their right side, to their middle it is really fast. That will stress us out a little bit. We are a pretty physical team at the net. We are also athletic, but we haven’t seen that type of speed since last year when we played Southern Illinois. 

It looks like Morehead State is similar to us where we have an option for a lineup that has two middles in a three-hitter rotation so that you can run two quick sets at a time.

Evansville is similar to us in that they are trying to build their program up and they have a chip on their shoulder trying to prove some things. Morehead and New Hampshire have been to the tournament. They have been in big games. So when the games are close, they are not going to fall back into a shell. We showed a lot of that same resolve last week, and now hopefully we can do that again in front of our home crowd.

Tinuke Aderemi-Ibitola talks about preseason, outlook for senior season

By Tinuke Aderemi-Ibitola
Senior, Outside Hitter

Preseason has been going pretty well. I feel like there is a very good dynamic on the team. Everyone has been working hard, and stepping up their game. There has been a lot of positive competition throughout preseason. Because the starting lineup is still yet to be decided, everyone is bringing their ‘A’ game to practice each day.

All the positive competition gets me really excited for the season. Being my last season, along with the four other seniors, we all have a drive to compete and be the best. Coming back after getting our first taste at the MAC Tournament since we have been in Kent, has us hungry for more.

These couple preseason matches to start the year, although they don’t count towards our MAC record, will be more than beneficial to us as a team. It will be great to finally play against some people other than ourselves, so we can put all of our competitive energy towards a real game. It will be fun to see where the season goes, and for us to showcase all the hard work we do in practice.

Team Reatreat, Day 3

By Payton Moore
Sophomore
Setter

It is the third day and of our retreat and I am eating a breakfast that is not burnt or tarnished in any way. 

Today will be good, I say to myself, and I am right. 

The team gathers in the living room for a quick meeting discussing team rules and shortly after describing our head pieces or accessories of some sort that remind us of our childhood or a fond memory. Alexis whips out a pair of dog-ears and Dalmatian-printed sunglasses with a hanging snout to tell us how she thought she was a dog as a kid, Brittney shows off her sparkly headband in remembrance of earlier volleyball tournaments, and Don describes to us his “Mala” hat, throwing it back to when he once wanted to start a surf-inspired clothing line using the last four letters of his last name.

Once finished, we are packed into minivans and on the road to a local landmark, Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Falling Water” house. The famous house sits on top of a waterfall and is an incredible sight for all of us. We took turns walking around the house and then began our journey back home where we piled out of the vans groggily but not forgetting the bonds and connections established in just a few short days.

Although our grand plans would have been made easier with a little less rain or burnt eggs, it only symbolizes our enduring perseverance for making the best out of a not-so great situation. The team pushed through fiercely cold rafting, 5-foot tall loft ceilings, and tough one-on-one talks. Everything about the last few days solidified our new goals for the 2014 season. Against the odds, we didn’t give up – we made success out of mild failures and had a hell of a time doing it.

Riding high on the rapids on Day 2 of the retreat – a challenge with some symbolism for Kent State Volleyball

By Payton Moore

Sophomore setter

Sitting next to Sarah, we simultaneously make a disgusted face as a cloud of smoke encircles the kitchen we sit in. We have managed to burn eggs to a brown and black marbled crisp. It is only the start of the long day we have ahead of us.

Our team woke up for a light jog that turned into a sprint against the elements as the rain became heavier. Kim instructed us to sit in the grass and start with a circuit of ab workouts that left most of us soaked and confused if it was from sweat or the rain. We finished up our crispy breakfast and prepared ourselves for the next big adventure on our schedules – our five-hour expedition whitewater rafting down the Ohiopyle River.

Climbing int cars with anxious looks on our faces, I couldn’t help but become utterly terrified of what lay in front of me. I’m not the fastest swimmer, and like my mom, water has always made me scared. Not to mention it was 60 out and pouring rain.

Into the rafts we went despite the downpour, and as I called out to the others, “20 bucks says I’ll be the first one in the river,” I clutched on to dear life to my paddle and hurriedly got the hang of directing the boat and spotting out racks to Kaylee, our captain.

Kim referred to our boat as most improved for obvious reasons – we nearly got stuck on every single rock on the first rapids.

It took two guides yanking us this way and that to continue the journey, and finally we were out … But not for long.

It only took one more rushing rapids to have me flying off, miserable and soaked, clutching onto the raft with dear life. I had to quickly collect my bearings and get back into the rhythm we set before I flew off.

We continued down the river with Kaylee flying off next, sprawling onto a rock and gaining her composure quickly to continue directing us. For us, that was the hardest part – having our captains or key lead figures not able to see imminent danger and stepping in calmly to direct others.

The rafting adventure left us soaked, a little scraped up and more sore than we thought possible. But despite the pouring rain and cold wind, later in a meeting, every single one of us declared how much fun we had against all of the odds. We discovered ways to look past the twists and turns the river threw at us and continue with “swag”, a happy smile and physical superiority. 

Although we agreed we’d have enjoyed it a smidgen more with 80 degree weather and blasting sunshine, the rain only added to the adventure, making things more slippery and unstable, like the fine line we balance whenever we play matches.

The river symbolized more than just a crazy adventure … It was everything we needed to know and master before Kent State Volleyball makes its official return to domination.

For more pictures from our team-bonding retreat, visit our Facebook page by CLICKING HERE.

Team Retreat to Ohiopyle: Day 1

By Payton Moore

Payton is a sophomore setter from Battle Creek, Mich. and Lakeview High School. 

As 18 taller-than-average girls piled into four mini vans, I thought of the song “Against All Odds” and how I’m astonished it wasn’t written by one of us. Adversity is our best friend and for the next three days we would fiercly embrace the term.

I virtually kissed all the people I don’t text goodbye a silent tear dripped down my face as 4G turned into a heart-stopping NO SERVICE.

For the next three days, our phones, TV access and former-known lives would be handed over to our three coaches for a team-bonding whitewater rafting experience in southern Pennsylvania.

Upon arriving in the 18-person (or so we think) house, I was reminded of summers spent up north fishing and hiking with my family in northern Michigan. The trees loomed over gravel-sprayed roads with our hanging branches and the river offered up some pretty relaxing views. 

A few of us claimed the best bedrooms. A few of us found the hidden corners and crevices of the new home. Drew discovered a plush plaid robe and refused to take it off for the remainder of the night. Others surrendered to nature and the Adirondack chairs out back. The select few remaining teammates clamored to the “loft” – an attic with six-foot-tall ceilings and eight tiny beds. Cozy, to say the least.

As groceries piled in, Don explained that the 18 of us would be making dinner. Never in my life have I ever seen someone burn boiling water, but we did it. We managed to crisp up pasta noodles while boiling them and make garlic toast too soggy, but we (Steve) made some tasty chicken and (Jenny-opened) bagged salad. Tasty.

Our evening activity was announced as Steve’s Minute to Win it. We divided into groups of three and began our first activity consisting of tennis balls and hula hoop. I immediately got way too excited because if this thing had anything to do with either of the two in their true state, my team would be absolutely winning as I placed second in the state finals for doubles tennis and can out hula-hoop a circus performer. Adversity, my friends, will teach you otherwise.

We were instructed to “hut, hut, hike” the tennis balls through the hoop and I was up first. I felt proud as I stepped away with two successful balls through the hoop as Bridget succeeded 12.

The next activities involved a set of sexy vintage pin-up cards, cotton balls, water balloons and Oreos. I’m pretty sure our team only lost because I couldn’t stop laughing and frequently had to excuse myself from the activities, and because Drew’s attempts at cheating failed her miserably.

For the next few hours we huddled around a campfire and toasted s’mores while discussing a few light topics, and a few heavier ones.

Steve asked us “who is your celebrity crush?” and the responses varied between Clooney, Hemsworth and Levin.

“What’s your biggest fear” followed with snakes, my house burning down, and dying before discovering bigfoot.

On our bucket lists were traveling the world, illustrating children’s books and skydiving. 

But what really made us all think was one final question – “When you look back and talk about our season, what do you want to have said we accomplished?”

Some of us truly grasp what we wanted to say, as this was no easy question. Just one day and I believe we developed a good base as to where we want to be come November.

Photos from Preseason Retreat

After a morning practice on Sunday, our team left for a team-bonding and white water rafting trip at Ohiopyle in Pennsylvania. Here are a few photos from our first day. 

Norberg Looks to Use Experience at European Global Challenge to Springboard Sophomore Season

The Kent State volleyball team will kickoff preseason practice for the 2014 campaign Saturday morning at the M.A.C. Center. Several of the Golden Flashes stuck around campus and took summer courses over the past few months.

Sophomore Drew Norberg was not among those players, however. The 6-0 middle blocker was awarded the opportunity to travel and compete at the European Global Challenge in Pula, Croatia last month. The South Lake Tahoe, Calif. native was one of nine student-athletes selected to represent the Northern California VolleyballAssociation (NCVA).

“I was so excited because I’ve always wanted to go to Europe,” Norberg said. “I got a text from my club coach. He said they were in need of a middle and told them about me.”

While the competition lasted just four days (July 14-17), Norberg and her NCVA teammates were able to take advantage of this opportunity and spent nearly two weeks in Europe.

The team flew to Milan, Italy, where it spent a few days training and sightseeing. Then it was on to Lovere, Italy to spend time in the Alps in addition to more sightseeing and practicing against the Italian Youth National Team. Following the end of competition in Pula, the team spent a few days in Venice, Italy before heading back to the U.S.

“Venice was probably my favorite place that we visited. It was just unbelievable almost with all of the water and everything. It was just so beautiful over there. All of the cultures were different and it was a really good experience.”

On the court, the NCVA team finished 7th out of 12 teams competing in the U22 division of the event. The nine-player roster included just two middles, which provided Norberg with a lot of on-court action to continue improving her game.

“I was pleased with how I played overall and think I improved really well in blocking and serves. I didn’t get that much offensive stuff in, but I definitely got to work on other things that I had wanted to.”

The experience also allowed her a first-hand glimpse at the way the sport is played at the international level.

“The main difference is the tempo over there is a lot slower because they focus more on placing the ball and taking smart shots. They try to outsmart their opponents instead of just trying to beat them and be faster than them.”

When she wasn’t traveling abroad, Norberg spent much of her time back home working out and focusing on preparing for her sophomore season. Despite not seeing much court time throughout the year, Norberg continued working hard and came through with her best performance against Ohio in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament, totaling 4 kills and a .667 attack percentage. She received the team’s Most Improved Award following the season. 

“A lot of girls come in thinking they’re the best. They were the best at their high school, and I had that mentality as well coming into last year. I didn’t realize how much that I had to learn and how much I really needed to just start over. It was hard, but now I understand what the coaches want and how much I still have to learn and to improve on.”

“I played a lot of volleyball, so I’m in good playing shape. Blocking was a big thing for me. I know Coach Gromala wants me become a better blocker and has talked about working on my footwork in my approach and my block. So I worked on that a lot with my coaches back in California.

Kent State made great strides in 2013, doubling both its overall and conference win totals from the previous season, in addition to qualifying for the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2010. A national Top 100 recruiting class joins a team that lost just three players from a season ago, providing great optimism for the program.

“I definitely want to make it to the MAC Tournament again and wins a few matches. I’m looking forward to a really good, positive year and hope to give our seniors something to go out with. I was excited to see everyone when I got into town and can’t wait to get back into it."