Volleyball may have its ups and downs throughout a match that can affect the momentum of the game; however, the Bruin teams overcame both the difficulties of mental preparation and consecutive points from their opposition, Saint Paul Lutheran High School, yesterday, Sept. 27.
After a resounding victory for RBHS on the first JV game of 25-2, they soon followed with a loss of 25-21 against the SPLHS girls. Even though they lost their momentum after the first game and ended up losing the second, the JV team finished strong, winning overall after securing a victory in the third game with a score of 25-12.
During the switching time of the second game, Robin Sherman, head coach of Varsity Volleyball, took the time to explain to her players how important it was that they always keep their minds strong and focussed, using the JV girls as examples of what can happen if you do not.
As the varsity girls geared up for their games, Sherman made sure to also tell her team that they could not base how well the match would go on how the JV game went. She said that setting a tone of “it’s going to be an easy game” would make it that much more difficult to keep playing their hardest.
“I walked to my players and said, ‘Here’s the deal. Regardless of what happens in this JV match, you guys better be ready to play because these girls aren’t going to hand it to you,’” Sherman said. “So we just have to be mentally tough all of the time.”
After this talk, the Varsity girls took the floor, winning back-to-back games at 25-16 and 25-17 respectively, keeping their focus throughout the game. One way that senior Jenna Bartok sees as a way to be into the game is through the team’s enthusiasm and effort in celebrating the smaller things.
“Definitely teamwork is a really big factor but a really good component that we need is energy,” Bartok said. “Any time we get a point or a good ball or ace or kill, we need that energy.”
Through the changes in momentum during these volleyball games, Sherman thought the hardest parts were when the team began to be in the lead by a few points and finishing out the game.
“Sometimes when you get far ahead in a match, its hard to keep it together and do the things you know how to do,” Sherman said. “When we get ahead a lot, then it was really that mental focus to keep with that momentum.”
Momentum can change quickly in volleyball according to Sherman, and it is essential that the team maintains their momentum to increase the length of their run while decreasing the opponents’ run-length.
“Just four points in a game can make a huge difference in the momentum of the game,” Sherman said. “We’re really trying to keep the runs of these other teams under four.”
The challenge of making a steady increase in points at tonight’s game was prevalent and always in the back of Bartok’s mind. She focused on maintaining a more balanced approach instead of large drops in momentum.
“Coach has always talked to us about not having big hills of getting a bunch of points and giving a bunch of points,” Bartok said. “It’s really crucial to find that balance point of little ups and little downs but constantly at a more flat point.”
By Justin Sutherland
