Over the past two seasons, the Indiana Wesleyan women’s volleyball team has claimed back-to-back national championships, posting a 75-2 record in that span.
However, this year started out different than expected. The Wildcats faced a difficult start to their regular season during non-conference competition without their senior outside hitter and two-time NAIA Player of the Year, senior Eva Joldersma. They finished non-conference play with four wins and three losses.
“Starting off was tough because we had so many new people, and obviously Eva wasn’t playing. I think any year coming back with a new team it takes a minute to just click again and play unified,” senior setter Abbie Porter said.
With this new team, Porter and middle blocker Jessica Ickes have found themselves having to step into leadership roles, as they are both seniors on the team.
“In practice, we focus on setting standards and being leaders as seniors, and to everyone else I think that’s a big thing,” Ickes said.
Porter and Ickes also discussed “leaving a legacy,” and how they hope everything they have been through will stay engrained in the culture that they have helped to build.
A new team also brings new faces. While the team does feature its veteran presence, the Wildcats find themselveswith players being called to step into roles they didn’t expect.
Freshman hitter Shae Williams is one of these individuals. Williams found herself in a starting role when Joldersma went down.
“I think in the beginning it was a lot harder. I didn’t expect to be starting or expect to be playing a big role,” Williams said.
Williams mentioned how forming a familiarity and strong friendships with her teammates has helped her to succeedas the season has progressed. Williams said it has made things a lot easier. It seems that it has, as Williams currently ranks third on the team in kills at 153, and was named Crossroads League Attacker of the Week back in September.
Regardless of the rocky start and the many new faces, the team has found its groove in conference play. The Wildcats are currently 11-0 against Crossroads League opponents and are the number one team in the conferencestandings.
Despite the success they are achieving right now, the process remains the same. Porter mentioned that the team is focused on taking the rest of the season game-by-game and finishing out conference play strong before heading into the national tournament.
