By JACLYN BURKE
Student Reporter
Northwestern Oklahoma State University Volleyball is facing challenges as they adjust to a new coach and battle through the most difficult part of their season.
Change is not always an easy transition, especially for athletes. “A new coach brings a new coaching style and a new volleyball system. It takes time for the team to learn all the nuances of the system,” Northwestern head volleyball coach Fredrick Wagner said. He also said the team started off with a tough schedule, but he appreciates the team’s hard work thus far.
The team knows where they struggle the most and they “are ironing out the kinks and working to get better each day,” Wagner said.
Asia Pipkin, junior from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. said team chemistry is something they are still trying to get used to, but she believes things will start to look up for the team.
“We started the season with a new coach and new material to learn and adjust to,” said Carley Geer, a sophomore from Stillwater, Okla.
Although the team has been challenged greatly all season, Megan Hentschke, a senior from Granite Bay, Calif. said, “Once we finally get everything down, Northwestern Volleyball will be unstoppable.”
Despite the struggles of the tough first matches and getting used to a new coaching style, “the team understands what it will take to be successful in this conference and they are striving to improve every day,” Wagner said.
The players have kept their heads up and look forward to more successful meets in the future. Hentschke said, “We are working extremely hard to make each day better than the last and this will hopefully transfer into our games.”
Pipkin said they need to build together as a team. However, she also has some personal goals in mind. “I’m going to improve more on my kill zones, focusing on a high hitting percentage and being consistent for my team,” she said.
Volleyball is a sport where it is vital for the players to be well rounded because no one skill is more important than any other, Wagner said. “In volleyball we need every skill. If you can’t pass the ball then our offense will suffer. If you can’t block the ball then our defense will suffer,” he said.
The team also focuses on attitude, effort and enthusiasm. Wagner said, “If we have those three things then the performance part will come.”
The team runs drills to improve mentally in the middle of a play, Wagner said. “We also scrimmage with a focus on a certain mental aspect of the game that we are working to improve,” he said.
The team looks forward to matching Southwestern Oklahoma State University at home on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m., which is also senior night, Fredrick said. “Playing SWOSU at home is always the most exciting because we always get the biggest crowds,” Hentschke said. Geer said, “They are our rivals, and it is always good competition when playing them.”
The Rangers come home on Friday and Saturday to take on conference foes Southeastern Oklahoma State and East Central.
Friday the match will start at 7 p.m. and on Saturday, the match will start at 3 p.m.
Both matches will be in the Percefull Fieldhouse.