Villanova women鈥檚 volleyball pauses competition in season with big hopes from teammates
VILLANOVA, Pa. (BVM) — The Villanova women鈥檚 volleyball team won their first match of the season which was against Coppin State on Feb. 11. But the university announced last week that the team was taking a pause due to.听
鈥淲e are ready to compete and kick some tail,鈥� head coach Joshua Steinbach said prior to the first match of the season. 鈥淲e are excited for everything; practice, the matches and being back in the game environment.”聽
But going into this year, the Wildcats (1-1) knew it would be an unpredictable season since the fall semester consisted of limited training due to the pandemic. Villanova聽spent the fall semester practicing in small pods of four to five people, limiting the game time experience for these new freshman. The Wildcats were not able to practice together as a whole until the school鈥檚 return in January. This month was the first time the team played full regular matches in an entire year.
鈥淓verything has changed,鈥� Steinbach said. 鈥淏ut we are just taking days as best as we can. A lot of it is out of your control so the best we can do is to train everybody as best we can. We just have everyone ready so that we can act as normal.鈥�
Aside from changes due to COVID-19, the team is playing this season with several upperclassman who are stepping into the role as team leaders after five seniors graduated last May. The juniors and seniors who are navigating this unique season voiced their opinions before the season started.听
鈥淚 am very excited to have such a talented class of freshmen,鈥� junior Olivia Brown said. “They have been working so hard since they came in and they have been helping the team tremendously in many areas.鈥�
鈥淚 am really honored to have the opportunity to now act as a leader on the team,鈥� senior Sarah Allman said. 鈥淚 have always looked up to all the past seniors who have set the bar high in their leadership capabilities, so I am hoping to be able to meet those standards and leave a lasting impact on this program.鈥澛�
Junior Emily Curtis is also excited about being in a leadership role as an upperclassman. She said that 鈥渋t is a cool opportunity for the juniors to take on this role and to lead in such an interesting season.鈥澛�
The team is clear that they are committed to staying safe and making the most out of this season despite the uncertainty around the pandemic. The players were tested three times a week and took all precautions to preserve the season as best as possible with eyes on the Big East Volleyball Championship.听
鈥淲e are hoping to become the first class to participate in the Big East tournament for all of our four years at Villanova,鈥� Allman said. 鈥淭his would be a huge achievement for our class and would definitely set the tone for the future of the Villanova volleyball program.鈥澛�
Despite the restrictions, uncertainty and loss, the players and staff are trying their best to experience some sort of normalcy.听
鈥淭his has been an extremely frustrating year for all athletes,鈥� Allman said. 鈥淚 would say that our main hope would be to make sure that everyone enjoys this season, regardless of how COVID-19 impacts it.鈥澛�
鈥淭he seniors deserve to have one last memorable season,” Brown said.听
The Wildcats were predicted to finish second in the Big East in the preseason coaches poll. The Big East Volleyball Championship is still scheduled for April 2-3 in Omaha, Neb., and the Wildcats have high hopes of getting the chance to play again before then.听
