Kendall Hazel | Contributing Writer
The Buena Vista University (BVU) volleyball team is off to a solid start so far this season. The Beavers had just come off a 3-1 weekend at the Gustavus Adolphus Tournament and were sitting at an 8-7 overall record. When the first national statistics came out on Sept. 16th, it was safe to say the team was more than surprised by what they saw; leading the nation in assists (706), digs (1,016), kills (754), and total attacks (2,184) was the BVU volleyball team. Head coach Lori Slight’s reasoning for these astounding numbers is simple.
“I think the key to our success is the team’s willingness to work and train hard. They are willing to come in and work individually and really work on learning the specific skill that is being taught. The team is open to learning new ideas and taking responsibility for their own improvement. It has been wonderful to coach this team,” Slight said.
It wasn’t just the team statistics that turned some heads. Several individuals stood atop the nation for the Beavers.
With 625 total assists, Freshman Laura Barry is in the top half of the nation.
In total kills, the Beavers go one and two. Sophomore and reigning IIAC Freshman of the Year, Maddie Bardole leads the nation with 282 kills. She is followed by freshman teammate and recent IIAC Defensive Performer of the Week, Jade Schaap (229).
Defensively, the Beavers rank high once again. Senior Jordan Henningsen, already named the IIAC Defensive Performer of the Week earlier this season, is 4th in the nation with 283 total digs. Up front, freshman Celie Kohls and Emily Mathews are tied with one another at 28th in the nation for total blocks (42).
Despite the attention from these impressive statistics, the team’s focus remains the same.
“We take it day by day, game by game, and point by point. If we do that, there are only great things ahead of us,” Schaap said.
The Beavers got off to a great start in their conference season with a dominating sweep of Central last Thursday, Sept. 18 winning in three sets. With a schedule that includes 22nd ranked Coe and a Wartburg team that is receiving top 25 votes, the Beavers know all too well the challenges that lie ahead.
“We all realize that we have a long ways to improve in our season, and we can’t wait to see the outcome,” Barry said.
The pre-season rankings had BVU picked to finish 6th in the conference, but in the eyes of the players, this means nothing.
“As long as we play our game and focus on our side of the court, we can play with anyone. We are learning to trust each other more and more every day,” Bardole said.
The Beavers travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin this weekend for a four game tournament in the IIAC-NACC Crossover.
Photo by Taylor Staab
