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Motivation times two
Seahawks volleyball prepared for CAC
Friday, Sept. 11, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Photo by BILL WOOD
St. Mary's College senior Jen Lamar, seen here last season, will use season's past as motivation for this year.
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Distraught, bummed and emotional were all words used to describe the end of last season for the St. Mary's College of Maryland volleyball team. Each word used accurately as the Seahawks fell to Salisbury in the Capital Athletic Conference championship game, 3-1, its second loss in as many years to Salisbury in the title game.
For returning senior middle blocker Jen Lamar and returning junior outside hitter Katie Obal, the memories from last season — and lingering memories from both losses — still remain vivid in their minds.
"I was distraught," Lamar admitted. "We have come close two years in a row, and the same team has taken away the championship two years in a row. … I feel as though if we prepare well enough this year that we can definitely do well."
"We were pretty bummed that we lost," Obal admitted. "But right after that, we were all saying that [this season] we were going to come out and try to win it this year. Our goal is to make it to the championship game again."
This year, though, those three words have been all molded into one bigger and better word, motivation. The 2009 Seahawks, along with sixth-year head coach Morris Davis, will aim to use the emotions of that championship-game loss to fuel this season.
"Emotionally, it was tough," Davis said of the emotions after last season‘s ending. "It's just a matter now of moving on from that and not looking back in the past. We don't think about what we could have done, should have done, or would have done, we just moved to the future."
"Last season's ending is definitely the force that is driving me, and this team, to do well," Lamar said.
The Seahawks finished last season 27-7 overall with a 7-1 conference record and were to be led this season by senior setter Jenn Feldmann.
However, during the offseason, Feldmann tore her ACL and is thus sitting out this season.
Feldmann still may provide her own support as she, herself, may prove to be a motivating force from the sidelines during practices and from the bench during matches.
"It's so hard as a player to watch from the sidelines and not even be able to practice," Feldmann admitted. "…I think our incoming freshmen are each very strong and our returning players are very competitive, and I think we are a very competitive team."
And when asked if she would be at every game, Feldmann added swiftly: "Oh yeah."
The Seahawks are currently 1-4, and despite losing in essence five key players from last season's team, Davis recognizes the challenge awaiting the Seahawks, but doesn't shy away from it.
"Losing pretty much five starters from your previous season, it is a big impact," Davis said. "…I don't look back and say I have lost some players. When I walked into the gym during the preseason, I didn't mention anything about the lost players.
"The only thing that we talk about is what we are going to do with the kids that we have. I walked in and said, ‘Hey, here is our team, let's get to work.'"
Even with the infuse of players, Davis and the Seahawks are not worried about the jelling factor, and in fact all remain confident that once the team becomes one unit, things will take its proper form.
"Once we start getting our connections going and fusing all of the new players with the returning players, I think we are going to really kick it into gear," Lamar said. "Our cohesiveness has never been better. … I think that is going to amount to really good things for us."
St. Mary's College volleyball
Head coach: Morris Davis (sixth season)
Last year: 27-7, 7-1 (CAC runner-up)
Athletes to watch: OH Claire Kodan (Jr., All-CAC, All-Region),
MB Jen Lamar (Sr.), OH Katie Obal (Jr.)
Key personnel losses: S Jenn Feldmann (Sr., injury), OH Katie Ewing (All-American, All-CAC, All-Region), MB Becca Tursell
(All-CAC), S Megan Graydon, L Jackie Reid
Strengths: Davis likes the team's cohesiveness thus far through the season and has gone as far as to say this has been one of the most cohesive teams he has had in his years at the helm. The girls, on all accounts, get along well with each other, which could translate to great teamwork on the court and amount to another successful season.
Weaknesses: Davis believes that a point of concern, rather than a weakness of this year's team, is the experience and youth of the team. The sixth-year head coach believes the team is very talented but has made some young, simple mistakes.
He believes that the simple mistakes should disappear by midseason and that the team will do just fine in its attempts to return to the conference championship game.
Coach's comments: "I always say that my expectation is to step on the court and win. … If we can eliminate some of our mistakes we should be back in the [conference] championship match again this year. … We have to take that step, though, of eliminating mistakes on our side. Once we can control what is happening on our side of the net, I think we will be better off."
Key matches: Sept. 15 vs. Marymount, Sept. 25-26 at Franklin & Marshall tournament, Oct. 28 at Salisbury
