After winning the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship and reaching their first NCAA Tournament last season, the volleyball team will soon be seeking to replicate that success.
The Owls ended their season last year with 25 wins and five losses, defeating Florida Gulf Coast in the ASUN title match before bowing out of the NCAA Tournament to Oregon. After the departure of six seniors from last season’s squad, they are now starting this season with nine returning players and six new freshmen.
“Everyone worked their tails off in the offseason,” said head coach Keith Schunzel. “We’re going to be a little different than we have in past years, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The depth of our gym is as good as it has ever been.”
The coaches are looking forward to assimilating the freshmen into the team and the culture of the program. These new players bring assets to the team that the coaches have been scouting for a couple years.
Those assets will need to be utilized for the difficult schedule ahead, as the Owls will have to face two new members of the ASUN conference, and the added pressure of hosting the conference tournament at the end of the season.
“It’s going to be a challenging and exciting season,” Schunzel said.
Players and coaches are focusing on staying mentally and physically fit for the season. The coaches are gearing up the players during the almost three weeks of practice before the season to keep their competitive edge all season long. Coach Schunzel has high hopes for the team.
“It feels incredible to be back and playing again,” senior Liesl Engelbrecht said. “Our first practice we practiced more technical, ball-control skills and then our second practice we competed and got after it a little more.”
The volleyball team begins their season with a three-game slate in Birmingham, Alabama starting on Aug. 24. They play Loyola-Chicago and McNeese State before they wrap up the trio of games playing host team Samford.
