Blue & Gold Scrimmage to serve as dress rehearsal for opening weekend

By Don Gromala
Head Women's Volleyball Coach

I am really excited about our Blue & Gold Scrimmage tonight, which kind of serves as the culmination of our preseason camp. We will be setting up the benches, pulling out the bleachers and such in order to simulate playing a real match. Fans are welcome to attend to help create a game atmosphere. We will begin at 7 p.m. in the M.A.C. Center.

Putting the jerseys on adds an element of pressure, so we’re looking to see how our players perform with those conditions. We’re also looking to determine which lineups work best together. We have a couple that we like, but are still trying to figure out which units will put us in the best position to win matches. It won’t necessarily be the best six players, but group of girls who play the best together.

Overall, I think we had a great training camp. We started off with some team building activities. We spent a half-day at the Camp Y-Noah ropes courses and it was nice to see some of the new girls step out of their shells a little bit, as well as some of the returners who were willing to try something different and step out of their comfort zone.

Our focus at the beginning of camp was working on the fundamentals. We’ve added stuff day-by-day and moved into our systems. We’re doing some different things with our block and floor defense this year and have had to adjust some defensive techniques with the players.

This past week has been a lot of 6-on-6 action. We’re starting to work on responding to different situations. Overall, it’s been a great progression. We’ve had a couple of girls do some really great things that have impressed us. Our incoming players have adjusted well and nobody feels that they’re new here. I really like how everybody’s competed in camp in order to earn a spot in the lineup.

The team has seemed more comfortable throughout camp than last year. Since it was our first season at Kent State as a staff, we had to teach our system to the girls, but now it’s more of a habit and they don’t have to think about what they are doing. As we get better with the simple things that we started teaching a year ago, we can start getting more and more complex. It’s really exciting to see how far they’ve come along and we can’t wait to see how they perform against some new opponents!

Preseason practice setting the tone for improved 2013 season

By Kaylee Koller
Junior, Defensive Specialist

As we're finishing up the second week of preseason, the team has made a lot of progress.  We’ve had time to get acclimated to the longer days and get used to playing next to each other on the court again.  The incoming players are adjusting really well and the returners have been able to pick up where we left off in the spring. We have a lot of girls stepping up and setting a new pace for Kent State volleyball.

In our practices, we have been focusing a lot on defense.  We’re doing a lot better at getting touches on hard hit balls and being able to read where the hitters are going to swing to.  We’re being more competitive with each other and having longer rallies back and forth.  The coaches have placed a strong emphasis on hustle and as a result, our defensive mentality as a whole has improved.  

We’ve also been working on new offensive plays.  Our hitters are doing a great job being aggressive with their swings and connecting with the setters.  They’re finding new ways to score points and are taking smarter shots with the ball.   

Our team has spent a lot of time together outside of practice as well.  We recently visited the Mulberry Gardens Retirement and Assisted Living Center and spent time talking with the residents and had a great time playing a version of volleyball with them.  We also visited the Portage County Fair and got to interact with the people there.  Our team tries to reach out to the community as often as we can.

Overall, we’re continuing to improve as a team on and off the court.  We’re trusting in our coaching staff’s style of play and focusing on being better each day than we were the previous day.  We’ve set a lot of goals for this season and can’t wait to start competing next weekend.

Our team with residents at the Mulberry Gardens Retirement and Assisted Living Center.

Sophomore Bridget Wilhelm recaps the opening week of practice

By Bridget Wilhelm
Sophomore, Middle Blocker

We just finished our first week of preseason practice, which began last Saturday (Aug. 9).

My favorite part of the past week has been getting back on the court and playing with my teammates. We didn’t really realize how much we missed having time on the court with organized practice, and it’s just nice to have constructive work going on.

It has been a busy first week of camp. We’ve been having multiple practices each day and also spent a lot of time lifting. In practice, we’ve been working a lot on defense and tempo. The coaches want us to make a play on the ball and get it to our setters quickly.

This year’s team seems to have a better feel for each other. Last year, we had mostly new players and all new coaches. We’ve been able to pick up where we left off in the spring instead of starting from scratch. As a result, I feel like we’re all moving towards the same goal and have better mentality entering season.

Our coaching staff has also planned activities away from the court that have helped us get to know each other better. Last Sunday, we went to YMCA Camp Y-Noah, which was really fun. And then we had a movie night on Thursday and watched “Coach Carter.” It was a good time and it was nice to spend time with the coaches outside of practice.