By: Cat Martin
In a matter of one season, Wofford’s volleyball team went from a win loss record of 13-22 in 2014 to a record of 16-18 in 2015. Not only did they undergo this change in statistics, but they also experienced a change in their entire coaching staff.
With new head coach Lynze Roos and new assistant coaches Nick Thomas and Kamryn Sherman, the volleyball team looked to make major advances in performance this season.
The team finished with a total of 1613 kills and 1513 assists. Sophomore Bella Santoro helped lead the team with 346 kills along with sophomore Molly Mayo’s 1334 assists. Freshman Colleen Reilly ended with a total of 123 blocks, and Jessica Graham finished her senior season with 605 digs while setting the record for most career digs in Wofford’s history. During her four seasons playing for the team, she accomplished 1921 total digs.
Sophomore Ellie Tallman says that the talent of the team began to show this season.
“We made a big improvement, and the chemistry on the court was a lot better,” she says. “Seeing what we can do this year and what we did do, I have high hopes that we can do anything we put our minds to. We have the talent and are getting better every year.”
To end the season, the team suffered a four-set loss against the University of North Carolina Greensboro in the quarterfinals. Despite this loss, the team is already preparing for next season.
“We need to work on becoming mentally stronger whether it’s a point or a drill. If we can get a hold of being mentally strong in some situations where we are down, I think we can do some really great things for Wofford volleyball” says Tallman.
Another factor this team has to look forward to is its age. The team has been considered a young team for the past two years. During the 2015 season, the roster consisted of three freshman, seven sophomores, one junior and two seniors. As the team gains more experience and matures into a team of mostly upperclassmen, the expectations are for this team to continue its improvement in the 2016 season.
