Emily Leighton | Staff Writer

The Buena Vista University (BVU) volleyball team has an overall record of 7-6 so far this season. With many games left to play, this team is doing everything they can to do well.

Sophomore outside hitter Jade Schaap is looking forward to seeing this team grow and she hopes to continue to help her team as much as she can. Schaap was named to two All-Tournament teams the first two weekends of play.

Schaap was named to the All-Tournament team at both the Washington University tournament and the Bethel Invitational tournament. Playing with many top-ranked teams such as current 6th ranked Washington University, eighth ranked Carthage, and 14th-ranked Elmhurst, this is a huge accomplishment for the BVU volleyball program as a whole.

“Since coming here, I have grown a lot in the game of volleyball. I have become a better athlete and a smarter player. Being on the team here at BVU, I have learned what it means to not just be teammates, but to be family. By being a family, the playing turns out much better,” Schaap said.

Schapp also currently leads the team in kills with 180 and kills/set with 3.75.

Assistant Coach Micah Rhodes is beginning his fourth season here at Buena Vista. When it comes to Schaap, Rhodes is very impressed and happy.

“Jade was very deserving of these All-Tournament team selections, so it’s more about being happy her efforts were rewarded than anything else. I am obviously proud of her for being highlighted, as she carries a large part of our team’s offensive production on her shoulders. Her all-around game continues to improve—her blocking, her defense, etc. That is what I’m most proud of,” Rhodes said.

Moving on to the next games and the upcoming practices, Rhodes has the team focusing on a different part of the game.

“This past week, we’ve focused very little on volleyball and more so on playing together as a team; enjoying each other’s company and having fun playing the sport we all love so much. Finding a team’s chemistry and what will give us a spark heading forward, that’s been at the forefront of the program. The players come in for individual sessions with me throughout the week, so that’s been beneficial in improving their individual skills without taking away from the team’s time,” Rhodes said.

Schaap is participating in this portion by working extra hard on herself to better the team.

“It’s a goal of mine to be a physical leader. Not allowing myself to have off nights and days, and to always be ready to work every point, every practice, every play,” Schaap said.

Both Schaap and Rhodes are excited for the rest of the season and ready to take on the next teams.

“I am so excited for the rest of this season. We still have a couple things we need to work on to make the playing flow better. We need to keep working hard and improving, but I am very excited for this season with this group of girls,” Schaap said.

Be sure to come out and support your Beaver volleyball team at home against Coe, Tuesday Sept 22 at 7 pm.

Photo by Charlie Webster