After a long offseason, Clipper Volleyball is back in full swing and the ladies look toward having a great season as they work toward a second-consecutive postseason berth. Juggling recruiting, practices, preseason schedules, and everything else in between, Head Coach Tusalava Kuaea helped get the ladies up to mid-season form.
"My coaching staff and I helped the athletes build chemistry on the court by giving them the opportunities off the court to get to know one another," said Kuaea. "We had a fun and engaging team bonding that put each athlete in a position to be vulnerable and be their authentic selves to build overall personal connections. Also, with a roster of 18 players, we created and reinforced celebrating small successes, a positive growth atmosphere, and we ran fast-pace practices and drills that encourage players to communicate and work together towards a unified goal."
The preseason schedule was a grueling one as the Clippers had no home games from Aug. 23 to Sept. 17, playing 12 matches throughout Washington and Oregon. This long time on the road gave the team plenty of time to get acquainted with one another and grow the team's chemistry.
"The long span on the road definitely helped the athletes gel as one, on and off the court, and helped the coaches as well in getting to see who works best next to one another," noted Kuaea. "Preseason is my favorite part of the year sometimes because this is the time where athletes grow the most, especially my freshman who have transitioned out of high school and club, and are getting to experience a faster pace and overall level of play. Also, I've seen a lot of growth within my sophomores who are going into their second season and get to be in leadership roles, which brings the experience and knowledge that the freshman can respect."
As Kuaea mentioned, there are many chances for athletes to grow and become leaders within the squad. Kuaea spoke highly about all of her student-athletes, but she did give some shoutouts to some of her standouts:
About Sophomore transfer student-athlete, Brooklyn Thensenvitz: "There are a lot of standout players this season, but to name a few: my sophomore libero Brooklynn Thesenvitz is and will be a standout player here at SPSCC and throughout the NWAC. Brooklynn comes with a high volleyball IQ and was named a captain this season because of her consistent performance, discipline, grit, and positive relationships she's built with her teammates."
About Sophomore OHs, Katelynn Wakefield and Katelyn White: "My two outside hitters Katelynn Wakefield and Katelyn White come back for the sophomore season hungry for another post season appearance (ultimately an Elite 8 position) and they have made it known to their teammates what they need to do to get there. Wakefield is another captain for this season because her versatile skill set and she is a key 6-rotation athlete who makes a major impact on the team's performance. She not only understands the game and reads our opponents, but she is able to make quick decisions for herself and team to capitalize on opportunities and adaption during matches. White is another athlete that teammates and coaches trust to execute a ball from anywhere on the court. Her strong defense front and backrow, mental toughness, and work ethic is unmatched."
About Freshman Matagi Maugaotega: "Lastly, freshman Matagi Maugaotega is a setter who continues to grow every day, her athleticism and physical agility has helped her get into position quickly, and also perform defensive responsibilities at crucial times."
Once the toil of preseason was over, the Clipper Volleyball squad was raring to go once they opened up conference play at home, a luxury that was not afforded to them in a month's time. On Sept. 18, the ladies welcomed a strong Highline team into the SPSCC Main Gym and, unfortunately, were defeated in straight sets. Ever the resilient bunch, the Clippers learned from those losses and came back to win their next two games against Green River College and Pierce College, 3-1 and 3-0 respectively.
"After the season opener loss against Highline, the coaches took a constructive approach and went back to fundamentals to reinforce basic skills through targeted drills; addressed mental resilience through self-reflection and game footage to develop new strategies based off what we learned from the loss; we talked about adversity and being able to move on past mistakes; and overall, we needed to reevaluate and establish our short-term goals to help them stay focused and motivated to improve," Kuaea said about the team's performances. "By addressing these areas, it helped our athletes bounce back stronger and be more prepared for future challenges. This directly impacted our next two wins against Green River and Pierce."