Volleyball hits nationals

By Gabe Taylor

In only a matter of days, the men's club volleyball team had the opportunity to dash their unforgiving season record at nationals.

Santa Clara rallied from a rough showing in the first day, by switching up the lineup. The outcome resulted in the Broncos grabbing the next two games against George Washington University (2-1) and Liberty University (2-1).

"It was the same thing we have been seeing throughout the season, frustration and pretty much individuality," said Head Coach Phil White regarding the team's sluggish start.  

With two wins behind them, the momentum continued into the third day when the Broncos defeated Cornell (2-1) in the silver bracket, landing the team a spot in the quarterfinals.

"I was stoked to see an actual team starting to come together," said White.

But Santa Clara's shot at a tournament trophy took a dive when Florida Gulf Coast wiped away the Broncos' hot streak (2-1). Despite jumping out to a 7-0 lead in the first game, Santa Clara was quick to let the Eagles back into contention, allowing them to leap in front and emerge victorious in the first game. After battling to win the second game, the Broncos were unable to hold off the Eagles in the final game.

Nationals display the commitment of club programs across the U.S., with over 400 teams piling into the Houston Convention Center to compete in the tournament.

During the season, wins did not come easily. Santa Clara's conference record of 1-15 is something of an illusion, as Fresno Sate, who was ranked one of the top three in the nation, is one of the numerous powerhouses in the North Coast Collegiate Volleyball League.

"What it came down to was the mental game," said junior right side hitter Sam Dillard. "We had a lot of guys that when they messed up they would stay down until the very end of the match."

According to Dillard and White, the league is consistently labeled one of the toughest in the nation. White added that approximately six of the nine teams compiled in the NCCVL seized top-25 rankings in the nation.

A roster filled to the brim with rookies made it even more difficult for the Broncos to discover their roles and how they mesh together.

"There was a lot of inexperience as far as collegiate volleyball goes," said Dillard.

The Broncos took a slightly different approach this year that many teams are unfamiliar with. Junior White, who suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in both his freshman season and again during the first home game of his sophomore season, slid over to the position of head coach. The change proved to be a drastic one.

"It's hard to coach your friends, especially when you hang out with them off the court, and you're supposed to be somebody of authority on the court," said White about his new position on the team.

Teammates had to become accustomed to their friend and former on-court companion calling the shots. Learning to listen and act accordingly spanned the entire season.

"It's going to be hard for a peer to order around his own peers," said Dillard. "It's also hard to take orders from your peer. Especially in my case, he's my housemate and best friend."

With only three seniors departing, the team will see familiar faces next year. Many of those faces happen to be on bodies that top six feet and are "really athletic and pretty naturally talented," said Dillard.

Dillard, who will return for his final season next year, understands the positives of the lineup at hand.

"With better training and more drilling, we're going to be a really solid team."

Contact Gabe Taylor at gtaylor@scu.edu or (408) 551-1918.