St. Edward’s volleyball ready for 2020 season
AUSTIN, Texas (BVM) — While other teams may have spent a period of uncertainty and angst wondering about the return of collegiate sports, the St. Edward’s volleyball team has been readying itself for the restart of the 2020 season. Whether it be adjusting practice sessions or balancing social time with the stresses of work and school, the
Hilltoppers will be more than ready to serve up more wins for the program in the not too distant future.
In April, with the wide-reaching impact of COVID-19 still not entirely clear, St. Edward’s University’s Athletics department decided to discontinue six of its programs, explaining it as a “response to economic impacts of coronavirus.” The university’s volleyball team was not one of the affected programs, but the announcement still impacted the team. As expected, an eventual return to practices of their own was different than it had been before.
“For our sport specifically, it is tough to only have one or two people on the court and not be able to share balls,” said head coach Stefanie Holler, who has led the team since 2018.
“Now that we are in Phase 3, we are able to get more accomplished but are still unable to have full team practices. The first few weeks, we were strictly in the weight room, now we are able to get out on the court and use volleyballs, which has been awesome. We are working towards full team practice by the end of October.”
Junior setter Emily Tran explains how the team’s practices have been “broken up into three groups, where we only practice with six to eight girls at a time.”
Adjustments have been made to fit required regulations, and a return to normalcy will continue to be gradual. Tran describes how sanitizing and disinfecting between practices has become commonplace, while the team has had to work twice as hard to reap the rewards of restricted sessions on the court.
Holler and Tran agree that the team has dealt well with their alterations outside the gym. The challenges have varied from learning how to deal with adversity and not regularly see each other in-person.
“Team Zoom calls are great, but I know we are all ready to be in the same space together,” Holler said.
“We’re living in an odd time in the world, where everyone is adapting to their new daily routines. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t mentally draining for the majority of the girls, including myself,” Tran says. “As student-athletes with future career aspirations, a lot of us juggle having to work too. Before COVID, it was a common struggle for most girls on the team dealing with the immense amount of stress trying to get good grades, practice hard, and work 15+ hours a week. I think we are all still adapting to this new routine of ours, as well as trying to motivate each other.”
They also both identify the intimate nature of a team, of which a majority have now spent close to three years developing strong relationships. To successfully overcome such continuing difficulties, the group has spent quality socially-distanced time at the renowned Zilker Park in Austin and watched and discussed the latest shows on Netflix.
The team, which concluded the 2019 season with an 18-9 overall record, has also taken comfort in knowing that they are not the only team of people facing such struggles. In the sporting world alone, bubbles of participation and isolation from family members have become a new, required way of living.
“It’s humbling to know that every other sports team in America right now is battling the same things that we are. I feel that athletes have a bit of an advantage right now because they are so used to facing adversity and are used to having to find a solution to overcome a situation,” Holler says.
The conference has been divided into three divisions for this season, with each school playing their division opponent twice. St. Edward’s is in the central division, consisting of St. Mary’s University, Texas Woman’s University, Dallas Baptist University, Texas A&M International, and Texas A&M Kingsville. And for the Hilltoppers, they hope to compete in the conference tournament, scheduled to begin on March 24.
However, as better times lie ahead, the Hilltoppers are focusing on getting the season started. The Lonestar Conference is set to begin play this upcoming spring, as the Hilltoppers open their season at home on Jan. 26.
