Kelsey Ackerman | Sports Co-Editor
A few weeks ago, a sports rarity occurred. One athlete broke two records in a matter of two days, and both of those records happened to have been previously held by a single athlete. Then, even rarer, the new record holder showed up at the old record holder’s workplace to, you guessed it, play the sport they both love.
In early September, senior outside hitter Maddie Bardole broke her 16th and 17th program record as a member of the Buena Vista University (BVU) volleyball team. She is now the program record holder for both career service aces (120) and career digs (1357).
Coincidentally, both of the records were previously held by the same person. Samantha (Narveson) Wilson was the outside hitter for the BVU volleyball team from 2007-2010. Wilson’s records for career service aces (118) and career digs (1333) were both broken within a matter of days.
In Wilson’s time at BVU, she was an athletic training major as well as a key part of the Beaver volleyball team. She went on to graduate school at North Dakota State University and worked with their volleyball team. Wilson now re-joins the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) working as an Athletic Trainer at Nebraska Wesleyan University. This past Tuesday, the Beaver volleyball team traveled to Nebraska Wesleyan, a new member of the IIAC this year, for their first volleyball matchup.
Wilson feels a bit sentimental about her volleyball records.
“It was really cool to feel like I left something at a school that I put so much effort into. It was great because I really loved BVU, and I loved going there, and it was special to know that I somehow left my name there and something to remember me by,” Wilson said.
Wilson said it was bittersweet to find out her two records had been broken by Bardole.
“It’s good in the sense that a record is meant to be broken,” she said. “It means the coach is doing something right and the program is doing well. It is awesome that it held for six years, but it also makes me think ‘did I do everything that I could when I was there’.”
Wilson emphasized the importance of current athletes really focusing on giving it their all in the time that they do have left playing the sport they love so that they won’t have any regrets in the future.
Current head coach of the BVU volleyball team, Lori Slight, is not surprised at all by Bardole breaking these monumental career records so early in her senior season.
“One thing I have always seen in Maddie is her amazing ability to grow. This year we have a lot more depth, so I think it allows her to just relax a little bit,” Slight said. “When she plays loose, you see a whole different gear in Maddie Bardole with even more production, which has led her to breaking these records so early this year.”
Bardole came to BVU from a small high school, Woodward Granger. Her freshman year, she wasn’t sure what to expect coming into the BVU volleyball program.
“I had no idea what kind of impact I would make on the team or the program when I first came in. I never thought I would make the difference that I have, let alone break so many records. It has honestly just been an added bonus for me,” Bardole said.
While Bardole is excited about breaking these records, she still has even higher expectations for the Beaver volleyball team this season.
“It does feel great to break these records, but the main thing on my mind for myself and my team is winning a conference title. It is something I’ve wanted since my freshman year, and to be able to achieve that my senior year would just be the icing on the cake,” Bardole said.
Wilson does still hold one last record in the BVU volleyball books, with matches played at 121. Bardole follows not far behind at 113, ready to break one last of Wilson’s previous records in her campaign at BVU.
Bardole and her Beaver volleyball teammates will continue the path to their conference championship goal this weekend in Siebens Fieldhouse with a Friday night game against Wartburg at 7 p.m. and a Saturday matchup with Luther at 11 a.m.
Featured Image by Todd Donnelli
