The Voice - Student Newspaper

Volleyball sweeps 3-game homestand

By Matt Petersen
Sports Editor, The VOICE

Three matches into the season, Gauchos volleyball is already flexing its muscles as a conference power.

With a roster of mostly freshman and lacking a dominant middle blocker, Glendale has raced out of the gates with three straight wins.

The results have the team excited about its potential, but realistic about its need for improvement and chemistry.

Head coach Lisa Stuck sees the early portion of the season as a learning experience for the team. "I have a lot of young players playing right now," Stuck said. "They're kind of feeling their way, making the adjustment from high school and club ball to college ball and understanding that the game is a little faster now and that there's more demand on them as a player to have a certain level of performance."

"I think once we get a few more matches under our belt and we've played in a tournament or two that kind of thing will take care of itself."

Sophomore Brittany Clark has been the reason the Gauchos have been able to be so successful despite their inexperience.

In the third set of Glendale's match against Scottsdale two weeks ago, Clark scored or assisted on the team's first eight points, showing an assertiveness Stuck appreciates.

"She's a little more offensive-minded than she was last year," Stuck said, "which is good for us."

Clark has embraced her role as the team's leader and example.

"I need to make sure we keep up the intensity the whole match and just be the leader on the court," Clark said. "Just make sure if things are out of hand to calm everybody down and get them back in line."

Clark's stellar play earned her the season's first NJCAA Region I Division II Player of the Week honors. It's the second such distinction in her career.

Freshman outside hitter Leah Bradley has been a pleasant surprsie, using her impressive vertical jump to offset her size (5'8") and become a focal point on the offensive end.

"I've always been able to jump my whole life and I've learned where to put the ball, so that's just what I try to do," Bradley said. "When I have the shot, I just get up and swing."

That aggressiveness has been a point of emphasis from Stuck to the team. After two relatively easy matches against AZ Western and Scottsdale (they didn't lose a set in either match), Glendale faced their stiffest competition last Wednesday against rival Phoenix College, who eliminated Glendale in last year's playoffs.

A flat start led to their first lost set of the season, 19-25. Sophomore Amber Yazzie came off the bench and stayed in action the rest of the way, providing the offensive aggression that Glendale lacked in the first set.

After winning the next two sets, Glendale was unable to keep their poise in the fourth, losing in extra points, 24-26.

The fifth set was a desperate battle. Clark set up Yazzie and Bradley for the final two kills of the game, and Glendale remained undefeated for the season.