Hard work comes in many forms, whether that is going to the gym to improve muscle density, studying for hours to get the perfect score on a test, or working overtime to cover a month’s rent. It’s not an easy journey to take, as all collegiate students do in one aspect or another. For club women’s volleyball, they made it all the way to nationals this season and that taste of being so close to the championship made them want to work harder and bring home the gold next year.
“It’s always a privilege to get to attend the national tournament,” club president Josie Starin said. “When I found out that we qualified for nationals, it was amazing, and actually getting to attend was even better.”
Starin explained how breathtaking it was to see over a thousand clubs come together for the love of volleyball. Even though the team won, that does not mean they were perfect. Starin‘s focus for next year is to see growth in both skills and diversity in tournaments that the team hasn’t played, which are newer and more competitive.
“The next goal is to do better than we did the season before,” Starin said. “We are a club that is filled with talent and passion. I want us to use that to get even farther than we did this past season.”
The women’s club volleyball currently has its A-Team qualified for nationals due to the limited spots, but the club hopes the B-Team will get to nationals. The tournament is expensive and hard to get into.
As for club co-vice president Emily Worthman, despite being happy with the team’s performance, she felt that there was room for improvement.
“Nationals went really well, though we could have done better,” Worthman said. “It was short but a really good competition in which the B-team was able to help out.”
Worthman explained how she had to step up her leadership role in order to make hard decisions. Through those hard times, she was able to rely on her teammates to help her get into the mindset to play on the court.
“We have some teams that we butt heads with throughout tournaments, especially Milwaukee since it’s a mix of personal and competitive disagreements as well as actions on the court,” Worthman said.
Regardless of what teams they get along with, the team still tries their best to get a win out of their tournament and play their hearts out, no matter the outcome.
“Since I am a senior, I did hope that we would go further than nationals,” c0-vice president Brianna Dahl said. “The season went well and the program has improved drastically since I was a freshman.”
Dahl’s personal goal this season was to branch out more, have a good experience and for the underclassmen to have a better experience than what she experienced her freshman year.
“The national tournament was emotional for me as this was my last time doing it,” Dahl said. “Once the third set was over, I was in tears. I felt so sad yet so grateful for this experience.”
Through this tight bond, the team has learned nobody’s perfect and it’s ok to make mistakes.
Rose Moliter is also a senior and part of the B-team. Though they didn’t go to nationals, Moliter shared her experience.
“We managed a state win this season, which was awesome to experience,” Moliter said. “We were able to show up at the national game and be supportive of the A-team.”
When Moliter gets into her headspace for games, she reminds herself and the team that it’s one point at a time.
“A personal goal for me this season was to make a good impression,“ Moliter said. “There weren’t many seniors my freshman year, but now I am closely bonded with the team as a senior. It’s been amazing seeing how they improve during games and grow as people.”
This club is closely knit together and shows a lot of care and compassion towards one another. A lot of their favorite moments were about the state or the national game because of how surreal it felt to be present in that winning moment.
“One of the best things you can do in college is put yourself out there and try new things, like club sports,“ Starin said. “I didn’t actually know if I wanted to join club volleyball and was very scared to put myself out there. But I wouldn’t have had the same college experience if I hadn’t joined. I wish everyone would take that leap of faith and explore different experiences and options.”
