Scots Volleyball Builds Teamwork, Even in Defeat

Miles Rochester – Sports Editor

This past weekend, the College of Wooster women’s volleyball team took to the road,
traveling to the University of Mount Union to participate in the highly competitive Mount Union Invitational. First game jitters circulated the Scots’ bus as they prepared to compete against the formidable hosts of the tournament.  

A deciding factor of many volleyball games is a team’s ability to work as a group, but
unfortunately in the Scots’ first match, this sense of togetherness was nowhere to be found. Sydney Fitzcharles ’23 noted that “it was evident everyone on the court was not working as a cohesive unit, but rather six individuals.” Frustration bubbled over as the Scots lost in straight sets to begin their season with a loss, but with two more games to play the next day Having a short memory was crucial to moving on from this loss. 

Despite the result of the first game, every single Scot had been in this situation before.
With no first years on the roster, Wooster possesses a uniquely experienced squad. This
comparatively small roster has its benefits and shortcomings. One member of the team
expressed their concern regarding the health and longevity of the team saying, “we do not have the depth in every single position that we did last year. That depth would be able to carry us through the conference tournament if one of our key players got hurt.” However, bringing in fresh faces to the roster introduces a new set of difficulties such as getting acclimated to new players, team building and the feeling of having to start from scratch. According to the players, Coach Sarah Davis consciously made this roster decision and displayed genuine excitement for the team being able to pick up where they left off after last year’s postseason success. The long season will prove to be challenging for the Scots but if they can make it through unscathed, the team will reap the benefits. 

While the volleyball season can be long and taxing on the body, the length of the season
also allows teams ample time to figure out how to build chemistry and find their form. According to Fitzcharles, immense growth was noticeable during the second day of the tournament, in which Wooster first took on a 17th ranked Otterbein. In this match, multiple members of the team felt as if a deeper trust in each other was starting to bloom. Even with the improvements in teamwork, trust and communication, Wooster came up short, losing to their opponents 3-1. The second match of day two and the last match of the tournament against Alma College ended with the same result. 

 The losses on day two sparked dialogue amongst the athletes on the topic of complacency in the context of winning sets versus matches. Fitzcharles and Trinity Harmon ’24, summarized this conversation, saying that “we felt that winning the set during the Otterbein match made us content, even though there was a whole match to be played.” They also noted that “almost always, if you allow yourself to give in to that feeling, you’ll end up losing.” The team decided that none of them were content with the results of this weekend and moving forward they will strive to be more disciplined. 

A defining characteristic of a successful team is their ability to weather unfavorable
results with a positive attitude and growth mindset. This mindset was certainly present in the Scots’ disappointing, but pivotal weekend away. 

Members of the Wooster community will have the chance to see the Scot women’s response on Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. when they face Capital University at home. Harmon declared that “we will come out at our first home game with a fire lit underneath us, and a chip on our shoulders. The Scots are hungry for a win!”