Winless volleyball record is deceiving
Every sports team believes it has the potential to go all the way to the top. But when reality strikes, it can be a difficult pill to swallow.
For Central Michigan University’s volleyball team, the beginning of the year has not exactly been smooth sailing. In fact, the road has been quite bumpy.
The women started the season 0-6, failing to meet the early expectations the team set for itself at the start of the year.
One thing the team can rely on is the fact that they still believe they can and will be successful. There has not been any sign of giving up, nor has there been any sign of division within the squad, which is always a positive.
The true test of a team is how they react during high-pressure moments, and the Chippewas have yet to fold.
Head coach Erik Olson is keeping his team motivated and focused throughout the early losing spell. He has switched personnel and has been working on putting the women in the best position to make plays.
Now all that is left is execution.
The women have shown signs of progress, scratching and clawing in matches against Drake University and Wisconsin Green Bay. CMU also gave a clearly superior Butler group a run for it’s money.
Chippewas like freshman Jordan Bueter, Junior Angelique White and senior Danielle Thompson all show signs of promise. Once senior Kaitlyn McIntyre begins to catch fire, we could see this team take off.
Unfortunately, CMU cannot seem to stay out of its own way. The Chippewas have struggled with limiting mistakes, constantly shooting themselves in the foot at the absolute worst time.
Serving errors, lack of aggressiveness and lack of execution has doomed the Chippewas so far.
The Mid-American Conference schedule is still a couple of weeks away. If the Chippewas can right the ship before conference play rolls around, the season could still be salvageable.
As the Chippewas travel to play in the Evansville tournament this weekend, the sense of urgency should be as high as it has ever been.
CMU absolutely has to come out of the event with at least one victory if not two.
Falling to 0-9 could be irreversibly bad.
I do not think a MAC Championship is out of reach, and I know the Chippewas will definitely back me up on that.
