by Savannah Singletary
Hitting the road September 1st, the Concordia lady Cougar volleyball team heads to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to compete in the annual Concordia Invitational Volleyball Tournament (CIVT). Concordia University Chicago (CUC) faces sister schools, Concordia University Wisconsin Falcons (CUW) and Concordia University Ann Arbor Cardinals (CUAA), during Labor Day weekend. With all three schools waiting to show who the best Concordia truly is, this tournament is a right of passage one could say about being a Concordia athlete. There have been no days off: go big, or go home. Our very own ladies of the court have been preparing for this season opener since last November.
Senior, Nicoletta Crowley, doesn’t even choose to fathom on the fact that this is her last CIT, “I haven’t put too much thought of it being my last CIT, I feel like I’m just working on enjoying every moment of the season with my team like I have every year in the past.”
When asked to speak on the groundwork that the ladies of the court have display so far, Crowley has nothing but praise to give. “I think our team’s preparation for this season is the best it’s ever been. We have such a great group of girls who came in ready to work and really want to make something happen this season. You can definitely tell everyone has been working not just from how we all came in for preseason but even throughout the summer in our accountability groups. We motivated each other and pushed each other to work our hardest no matter how far we actually were from each other.”
With a new season comes new members. Concordia University Chicago welcomed 11 new freshman to the team. Rounded out the program with three new setters, three new middles, a new outside and four new defensive specialists. Practically doubling the size of the returning players, bringing the 2018 team to 23 players.
Concordia University Chicago women’s volleyball head coach, Troy Campbell, has been elated by the team’s comradely made. “The transition for freshman has been made so much easier by returners who have reached out. Making them [freshman] an immediate part of our family. This is the way team cohesion has affected us the most.”
Concordia University Chicago was not the only team to bring in large numbers this year, CUAA had nine returners and 13 newcomers, allowing the team to triple in size. Meanwhile, CUW, has the smallest team of the three in the tournament with only 16 players.
Without Concordia University Texas (CUT) this year, as they participated with the aforementioned schools, CUC is looking to return to keep CUAA defeated and seek redemption over Wisconsin. Winning 3-2 over the Cardinals but losing to a sweep to the Falcons.
In last years CIVT, during match one, CUC demanded the court in sets one and three before finishing the match in set four winning 3-1 (25-19, 19-25, 25-15, 25-23) over CUAA. Not being able to match the same energy they had in the first contest, the Falcons made a clean sweep of the Cougars taking advantage of the lack of intensity shown. As stated before, the Falcons took the match 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-14) .
Learning from their past mistakes and building an even bigger, stronger, faster team, the Cougars have their eye on the prize. Last season, the 2017 lady Cougars just barely fell short of placing a spot in the NCAA tournament; placing 7th, due to losing to the rivals down the street: the Dominican Stars.
Preseason polls have predicted that the Cougars are to finish seventh once again, in the 2018 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC). Meanwhile, that places CUC six places behind CUW (whom are in first place).
Sitting in the Cougars practice, Campbell starts to rave about how this team is no longer a “maybe one day,” team but a “one day starts today.” N.O.W is a term that echoes throughout the north gym (no opportunity wasted). The 2018 lady Cougars have officially arrived, with a roar louder than ever.
