The volleyball team has had one thing on its mind this year: winning.
“Last year, I felt like there was a lot of positive attitude, and everyone wanted to work hard, but this year there’s that expectation of being successful that is different,” sophomore outside hitter Bridget Fonke said.
Heading into this season, though, Head Coach Anne Kordes said that she was nervous that the team might not play to its potential during the “sure-win” matches.
“I wasn’t sure how this young team would handle the teams they should beat, but they took care of every match that they should have taken care of, and I’m proud of their maturity,” Kordes said.
Fonke said that this season has been about becoming mentally tough during all matches, especially the ones that go to a fifth, deciding game.
“At this point, we’ve finished working on our individual stuff, and now we’re focusing on putting it into the team aspect,” Fonke said. “We’re a pretty young team, so there’s a lot to learn about how to stay mentally tough and how to travel and play smart.”
The Billikens had a three-game losing streak in the middle of the season that could have set them back, but SLU responded with an eight-game winning streak that lasted more than four weeks.
“Northen Illinois was coming in as a strong team, and it was pretty incredible for us to go out and win that match after we had gone 0-3 against solid teams,” Kordes said.
Freshman outside hitter Megan Boken attributes part of the team’s success to its chemistry on and off the court.
“I like how everyone is comfortable with each other all the time, since that hasn’t always been the case with other teams that I’ve played with,” Boken said.
Looking ahead to the conference tournament, there is a chance that the Billikens will meet Dayton, the only team to give the Bills two losses this year during the regular season. Kordes said that the game is not going to be a surprise to either team.
“It’s not going to come down to any master scouting,” Kordes said. “We know they have a big, stong team, and we made close to 40 errors against them in our last meeting, and you can’t do that and win. We just have to tweak our performance.”
Fonke said that the team needs to stay focused even under pressure to be successful in the postseason.
“There’s a calmness on the court that experience brings, and if we just do our jobs, then it’s more about executing the plan,” Fonke said.
