For the SFU women’s volleyball team, the 2013 season has already been wildly successful compared to their 2012 campaign. They’ve doubled their win total (from four victories to eight), including three within their conference. But are they satisfied? Not quite yet.
The Clan have struggled with consistency and maintaining momentum so far this season, a fact highlighted by their 3–5 record within the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC).
When they can’t keep that momentum going their way, they struggle. Last Thursday against the first-place Alaska Anchorage University (AAU) Seawolves, the Clan were swept by scores of 25–21, 25–22, and 25–14.
SFU led the first set 10–2 at one point and led the second by a 16–9 score before AAU came storming back. And after giving up the first two sets, and their momentum, the Clan lost their competitive groove, falling behind 7–2 early in the third set, a deficit they could not overcome.
“We started the game off with great energy but we couldn’t hold on and lost our mental focus when they got the momentum on their side,” said sophomore Alanna Chan post-game, having led the Clan with 12 digs in the contest.
SFU has struggled with consistency and maintaining momentum so far this season.
But when things are going their way, and they have needed breaks on their side, the Clan have shown a killer instinct that the team has sorely lacked in seasons past. Two days after the loss to Alaska Anchorage, the Clan turned right around to beat another Alaska-based team, the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks, in straight sets.
It wasn’t an easy victory, by any stretch. The first set totaled 60 points, and after a back-and-forth affair eventually went in SFU’s favour, 31–29. There was never more than a three-point lead for either side, and the score was tied 16 times. It’s no secret the Clan have struggled in close games in the past, but they are finding ways to get on the right side of the ledger. The final two sets were slightly less wild, with SFU winning them 25–20 and 25–18.
Junior left side Kelsey Robinson led the Clan offensively with 16 kills and, after the game, hammered home the value of momentum. “Once we won the battle in the first set the momentum was on our side,” she said. “We’ve just been working really hard on our defense and blocking all week and I think it paid off in this game.”
The Clan have done well bouncing back from defeats, winning games after losses three times this season (four, counting their nonconference schedule). But, the team has yet to post consecutive victories in the GNAC and, sitting two games below .500 within their conference is hardly an enviable situation.
There’s definite progress being made, but progress won’t satisfy a program that’s long been starving for positive results (Editor’s note: Other things that are notoriously hungry: zombies, werewolves and vampires). A few more wins ought to do the trick.
