The William Jewell volleyball team hosted a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) foes in conference match-ups over William Jewell College’s Fall Break. On Fri. Oct. 10, Jewell hosted Maryville University, and on Sat, Oct. 11 the University of Missouri – St. Louis traveled to Liberty.
The Lady Cardinals, whose record sits at 2-15 (1-10), have endured a difficult season, but are looking to build on their success and failures in head coach Carolyn Raynes’ inaugural season. Kaylee Marquardt, junior, spoke on the team’s year.
“Coach Raynes is awesome. She’s such a great asset to our team. She is the most positive person I’ve ever met. It really motivates the team in tough situations,” Marquardt said.
Raynes is focusing on building team chemistry, as nearly all of the first-year players have seen the court.
“The experience the [first-year] girls are getting will go a long way in developing a strong team in the future,” Marquardt said.
Friday evening, the Lady Saints (9-6, 6-4) were victorious over Jewell. The Lady Cardinals were taken down in three sets by the scores of 18-15, 15-25 and 15-25, as Maryville was in control from the beginning.
“Maryville came to play,” Marquardt said. “You could tell they were fired up from the beginning of the match. They were tough to compete with.”
Kelsey Wagner, junior, led the team with five kills. Grace Miller, first-year, recorded four kills. Leading the team in assists was Amy Lindhorst, sophomore, with 11, and Lesley Iron, ssenior, collected 14 digs.
Jewell played the next afternoon against the Lady Tritons. The match yielded similar results, as UMSL narrowly took the Lady Cardinals down in three sets with the scores of 23-25, 13-25 and 26-28.
“It’s tough knowing we came so close to winning. We were all determined, and we wish could have come away with a win on Saturday,” Marquardt said.
Marquardt led the team with 11 kills, 15 digs and two blocks. Overall, the team collected nine blocks and 37 kills. Despite recent losses, the team’s spirit remains elevated.
“Every gameday, we watch film on our opponent to see what their tendencies are, and it really fires us up,” Marquardt said. “Coach also always has a game plan beforehand that pumps us up. She’s really motivational.”
The Lady Cardinals will plan on fighting and improving, even through adversity. They resume action this weekend in the GLVC/GLIAC (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) crossover tournament.
“It’s always exciting to play new competition, and see how [the GLVC] stacks up against another conference,” Marquardt said.
The meet begins on Oct. 17 in Aurora, Ill.