When you enter a new league such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) — a league featuring some of the best collegiate athletes in the world — as the Clan did three years ago, there will be a learning curve. In SFU’s first few years in the world’s largest collegiate sports league, that curve proved steep for several SFU teams.
After three years, though you might not expect to be world-beaters, you’d at least expect progress. But in the case of women’s volleyball, after three dismal seasons in the NCAA Division II, it’s tough to say there’s been much — if any. But now, armed with a new coach and a new atmosphere, the squad might finally be trending upwards.
To say the team has in fact regressed might sound harsh, but it might not be untrue, especially when looking at the numbers alone. In their first season in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC), the Clan posted 4–14 conference record. In the two seasons since, the team has won just two games total, going a combined 2–34 in GNAC play.
Six conference wins over a span of three seasons was enough to instill a major change in the Clan locker room. Former head coach Lisa Sulatycki stepped down at the end of last season, marking the first step in a change of direction for the team.
The next step was the hiring of Gina Schmidt, a native of Beaverlodge, Alberta, to replace her.
Schmidt, who had a decorated career as a player with Oregon State University, spent the past five seasons as the top assistant coach for Div. I’s University of Montana Grizzlies. That wealth of experience, particularly NCAA experience, is something the team had sorely been lacking, and something she hopes can help her new team.
“The NCAA is different from the Canadian system [CIS] in a number of ways so obviously my background as a player and coach in the States has been helpful stepping into this position,” she said. “I am already familiar with many of the players in our conference from my time recruiting for Montana and, as a result, I know the kind of athletes I need to recruit to our program in order to be successful. I think if we can expand our recruiting efforts and I can pass on some of my experiences to the current players in our program, we will be heading in the right direction.”
That said, she’ll be the first to tell you that “heading in the right direction” does not mean an immediate turnaround. Far from it.
“There is no such thing as a quick fix when it comes to building a program or changing the culture of a team [or] organization,” she admits. “However, I believe that there are a lot of pieces already in place here to allow for the rebuilding process to happen sooner than later. But as with anything, it is a process.”
So far, it’s been quite a slow one, but Schmidt is someone who hasn’t been in many losing locker rooms throughout her career (her Grizzlies team won nearly 60 per cent of its games with her on the coaching staff). A new, winning attitude stemming from its new, winning coach might just suit this team well. And it might just turn that process into progress.
Schmidt, in talking about why she chose to come to SFU, says all the pieces are in place for that to happen.
“I saw this position as a great opportunity. From the outside looking in, SFU is a great school in a great location and the athletic department has had a lot of success in several sports. I figured there is no reason that SFU can’t have that same sort of success in volleyball.
“I only had a few weeks to work with my current team before school got out in April,” she continued, “but I’ve really enjoyed being back in the gym with them this preseason. I think we have great group of girls and I’m looking forward to the season ahead.”
Of course, only time will tell how this team fares in 2013, but for the first time in a while, it’s safe to enter the season with a little positivity. There’s still a long way to go, as Schmidt will tell you, but for now, we can confidently call it a work in progress.
