Rocking Steady

The challenge for athletes and coaches, then, is to find a way to function productively somewhere in the middle.

 

It’s not that energy and enthusiasm or dealing with disappointments are bad. They’re the ingredients, after all, that from opposite ends of the emotional spectrum can fuel the drive toward that elusive destination called excellence.

 

Living totally in the extremes, however, is counterproductive.

 

Take volleyball, for example. Played well, it’s a fast paced, passionately contested, physically demanding sport where players are constantly and instinctively communicating, reacting, hustling, leaping, and diving, often on a split-second’s notice.

 

They get short breaks between points and sets to catch their breaths and collect their thoughts, of course, but when the ball is in the air, the action is high-octane and non-stop. That said, what might appear frenetic and nerve-wracking to some is exhilarating to those who play the game.

 

Watch Collegiate’s varsity volleyball team in action, and you’ll likely be taken by what appears to be an uber-energetic air. Exactly, says first-year coach Diamond Welton-Boxley, but there’s a caveat.

 

“Our energy is really good,” she said. “It’s contagious. When we’re on and we’re positive and we’re hustling, I think everyone just catches on, but when we’re down and in a rut, sometimes that’s where the energy is contagious too. So right now, we’re working on developing a consistent baseline of energy that we’ve set as the standard.”

 

How do Welton-Boxley, a former Virginia Commonwealth University standout, and her assistants Morgan Given and Jasmine Brewer facilitate that?

 

“With cheering,” she said. “Our team is working on some cheers to keep our energy high when we get into those ruts. Or saying, ‘Guys, we made a mistake, but that doesn’t define who I am as a player. That’s just one hard ball, and I’m going to focus on the next ball.’ We’re working on being able to shake off mistakes in the moment, resetting our mentality, and getting ready for the next point.”

 

Two-and-a-half weeks into the regular season, the Cougars stand 6-3 with an always-competitive League of Independent Schools matchup with St. Catherine’s on the docket today at 5:45 p.m. in the Jacobs Gym.

 

The graduation of three veteran starters (LIS player of the year and first-team All-Metro selection Gracie Gordon, Kyla Coffey, who now plays for Radford, and Abby Mayr) from last year’s 24-5 team that won the LIS regular season title and reached the VISAA quarterfinals and the addition of six players adjusting to the speed and tempo of varsity action have given the Cougars a new look.

 

“This is definitely different,” said sophomore Lily Rollison of her promotion from the JV. “It’s super-fast paced, and the games are more intense. Every second, something new happens. It’s super team oriented, and that’s good.”

 

Nine players comprise the regular rotation: setter Makenzie Weiss; blockers Clare Aman and Isabelle Braband; attackers Ashley Grace Johnstone, Caroline Zandler, A.V. Musick, Elle Domson, and Rollison; and libero Harper Murphy.

 

“We’re definitely a younger team than we’ve been for a while,” said Weiss, a junior in her second varsity season. “We’ve shown great resilience and made great progress the last couple of weeks just playing together as a unit.”

 

The Cougars have hardly maxed out, however.

 

“We need to improve our consistency,” Weiss added. “The more reps we get, the better we’ll get. It’s just technique things. Once we make those tweaks, we’ll be good.”

 

Through summer open gyms and the first month of the season, players have gotten to know each other and their new cadre of coaches as well.

 

“I’ve found with these girls that their tenacity and wit are out of this world,” Welton-Boxley said. “They’re crazy smart, crazy resilient. They’ve challenged me to think of more creative drills to challenge them. What really helps our team right now is that resilience and grit. I don’t have to coach hustle and effort. I know they’re always trying.”

 

Still, there’s been a learning curve, but in a very good way.

 

“We have an entire new coaching staff, and we also have new players,” Welton-Boxley said. “We lost some core players [from last year]. We’re going through a transitional period, but we’re tough competitors, and as the season progresses, the more we’ll start to jell and get better. I’m really excited to be working with this team.”

~Weldon Bradshaw