Last Tuesday, our volleyball team showed what SNU athletics is all about when they overcame a 0-2 set deficit and defeated a talented UCO team. The ladies got off to a slow start as UCO was able to win the first and second sets, with scores of 25-22 and 25-19. Despite this, the Storm were able to win their way back into the fight, winning set 3, 25-21, and set 4, 25-23 with momentum that was felt throughout the entire team and crowd alike. In the fifth and final set of the match, SNU was faced again with adversity, as UCO got off to an early lead. The storm didn’t let this affect the way they approached the rest of the round, for they were able to win the set 17-15 and defy the odds they were faced with early in the match.
When asked what types of things were said amongst the team to keep composure throughout the chaotic match, Kaley Brubaker, a star setter for the team, said, “A constant topic of conversation during the game was to control what we can control.” She credited a lot of this to her coaches who helped light a fire within the team when they needed it most, as well as the student section, saying “We wouldn’t be able to do anything we do without our student section and support systems. They help give us something to show out for.” Brubaker also believes that this win will help the team when facing future adversity, saying, “We were able to prove to ourselves that we can compete with high-level teams,” adding that, “when we are gritty, disciplined, and consistent, we are tough to beat.”
Although a match as entertaining as SNU’s comeback rally against UCO is hard to live up to, it is only a glimpse of what the team is capable of. As Brubaker mentioned, an energetic student section can make all the difference for the team, and showing up for them on gameday is something that should be on every student’s calendar. The team’s next home game is Friday, September 15th at 5:00 p.m. against Southwest Baptist, with a game against Drury at 2:00 p.m. the following day. Show up, show out, and support your SNU volleyball team as they look to put together another great year for the program!
Photo by Ezekiel Elin on Unsplash