Junior Katie Richard’s set sends a volleyball arcing high into the air, pushing through the palpable energy of Sherwood Athletic Center. It’s 29-28, match point for Whitman College against conference foe Willamette University.
Even the young boy in the green Led Zeppelin shirt who has been using the Sherwood seats as his personal jungle gym all night has taken his seat in front of me, eyes glued to the ball as it pauses at its apex before its descent towards the 12 players on the court, hundreds of people in the crowd and an atmosphere charged with anticipation. The Whitman players begin to dart towards the net, deceiving, positioning, feigning –– playing the games within the game.
As the ball falls towards the left post of the volleyball net, the roar of the crowd rises as people spot senior All-NWC Second Team outside hitter, team captain and human cannon extraordinaire, Alex Graves, bolting towards the left side of the net, closing in on the descending volleyball. Graves rises to meet the ball, arm cocked, staring down two Willamette blockers. Spike. Kill. Sherwood is in a frenzy as the Missionaries celebrate win number three on the season and another step forward in what has become a season of redemption for Whitman volleyball.
“We worked really hard to get those wins at the end of last season and all the returners are carrying that work ethic into practices this year. I think the new girls see that and are all putting forth just as much effort, so we’re getting a lot done,” said Graves.
So far, it has paid off, as the Whitman volleyball team already has their third victory just five games into the season –– reaching that win count didn’t happen until the seventeenth game last year. Despite a league preseason poll that had the Missionaries in last place at the beginning of the season, expectations are high and a desire to prove people wrong is even higher.
“We definitely expect to win. We have all been putting in long hours of hard, focused work, and we are going to see that pay off. I think we have already surprised some people in the conference,” said senior opposite hitter Brea Robirds.
Arguably the deciding factor of the 2009 campaign will be the emergence of a skilled first-year class that consists of seven players from across the country, with representatives from Hawaii to Massachusetts. Under the guidance of Coach Carolyn Papineau, in her third year at the helm of the program, and the leadership of the five returning players, the Missionaries hope to turn this youth movement into a winning one.
“We’re a young team but we’re deep. The new girls bring a lot to the court both in personality and skill level so we know we have the tools to go a long way. So far we have seen very solid offensive play from freshman Corie Brewer and solid defense from Rachel Shober,” said Graves.
Perhaps the only concern with a team heavy-laden on talented first-years would be the overall dynamics of the team, but the volleyball team has not had to face that problem to the slightest degree.
First-year player Rachel Shober, despite being worried about this initially, said, “The thing that defines [being a first-year on the team] most for me is our commitment to each other as people and teammates. We just all get along really well.”
With a tremendous level of team chemistry, a strong class of first-year players, experience from Graves and Butts, and a competitive fire to prove their naysayers wrong, the Whitman Missionaries women’s volleyball team is posed to take the Northwest Conference by storm. Whether they do or not is yet to be seen, but if the stones start flying and the volleyball giants start dropping this season, don’t be surprised to see the Whitman women’s volleyball team holding the slings.
