Terrier Volleyball sets its eyes on Regular Season and SoCon Championships
It’s another exciting Wofford Volleyball season as the veteran-led Terriers begin another campaign in pursuit of regular season and Southern Conference championships. Led by five seniors, —Bijonae Jones, Colleen Reilly, Taylor Gill, Lauren Miller and Alex Holland—the Terriers believe they are in prime position to have themselves in the running for a ring when all is said and done.
“As an upperclassman, it’s our job to remind them that we still have something to prove and why we’re trying to prove that to people,” said senior Bijonae Jones. “I also think that as a big group of girls, we’re super strong [and] we’re well-balanced.”
The Terriers opened the season with a competitive slate of opponents that made up one of the toughest pre-SoCon schedules in recent memory. They faced off against the likes of Purdue, Georgia Tech and Central Florida, none of which were played in the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The Terriers have historically performed well on their home court, as represented by two sweeps of Middle Tennessee State and Gardner-Webb in front of a raucous crowd and a painted-up student section.
Junior and fan favorite Catie Cronister said that the 2018 pre-season was “the hardest pre-season [Wofford’s] ever had,” but is also very encouraged heading into SoCon play.
“To put us up against fierce competition before we even get into conference play is awesome because the SoCon is such a competitive conference, so that really set us up to do well this year,” Cronister said.
Home-court advantage is sure to be vital for the Terriers this season as they look to feed off of the energy that their fans bring at every home match. As of September 30, the Terriers’ record stands at 9-8 overall, but that does not come by way of home or even neutral-site matches. The Terriers have come up short on the road so far this season, posting a record of 0-6 away from Spartanburg.
“On the road, we’ve kind of been missing that energy and we forget how it feels to play at home,” says Jones. “We have a pretty good record at home, [and it’s] nice to have fans there cheering us on and giving us that energy.”
The Terriers returned home on September 28 and 29 to face the Citadel and Mercer, respectively. They prevailed over the Bulldogs by a score of 3-1 and were victorious over the Bears with their third 3-0 sweep in four home matches.
Even though Wofford Volleyball continues to fight hard and chase a regular season championship, Greensboro, North Carolina is surely in the back of the team’s mind, as well.
“Goal number one is definitely to win the SoCon,” says Cronister. “We have all the talent, all the reason in the world to do it.”
Both Cronister and Jones cited senior leadership as a big key to making the team’s dreams come true, but the five of them are also a source of motivation for the team. Cronister says that the team is “trying to pull together to play for them,” which is evident in the team’s togetherness and cohesiveness on the court.
Jones: “One of our goals [is] to think step-by-step to try and get to that bigger goal. We definitely want to win a ring [and make] history and prove to people that Wofford means something.”
The Terriers returned to Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium for a four-game homestand that put them up against rival Furman, UNCG, Samford and Chattanooga. The Terriers went [Insert 4-match record] over that span, coming out with wins over [Insert teams] by scores of [Score 1], [Score 2] and [Score 3, etc.] respectively. They will be back on the road on Friday, October 26 to take on the Mercer Bears at Hawkins Arena.
Photo Caption: Seniors Bijonae Jones (Left), Colleen Reilly (Middle) and Alex Holland (Right) during an eventual 3-0 sweep of Gardner-Webb.
