UC Clermont freshman Olivia Abner prepares to serve the ball for the Lady Cougars. The team has won five of their first 10 matches to start the season.

UC Clermont freshman Olivia Abner prepares to serve the ball for the Lady Cougars. The team has won five of their first 10 matches to start the season.

By Garth Shanklin
Sports Editor

The University of Cincinnati Clermont volleyball team began their quest to return to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association National tournament and despite having a young squad, head coach Josh Hamer said the team’s play has been solid.

“The team’s been playing really well,” Hamer said. “We’re losing sets by like two or three points. It’s matter of getting control of our mistakes, executing well on our side of the court. They’ve been playing hard and competing with every match that they’re in.”

Hamer added that other coaches have taken notice of how well the team has played so far this season.

“We’ve made big strides not only in the weight room but on the court,” Hamer said. “A lot of coaches think our roster is listed wrong, they see us making good decisions on the court and can’t believe we have as many freshman as we do.”

The team has played 10 matches to start the season and so far five of those matches have been victories.

The team started with a road tri-match against West Virginia Tech and Alice Lloyd. The Cougars lost to WVA Tech 14-25, 33-35, 22-25 but rallied for a 25-17, 25-14, 25-11 win in the second match of the day against Alice Lloyd.

Their third match of the season was a three-set loss to Edison State in their home opener, with all three sets being decided by four points or less. After a loss to Ohio Christian on Aug. 30, the team has ripped off four wins in their last six matches.

The victories came over Miami Middletown, Wilmington College, Central State University and Wright State Lake. In the team’s most recent match, they again fell to WVA Tech, but this time by scores of 21-25, 14-25, 25-22 and 18-25.

“You talk about growth, the last time we played [WVA Tech] we lost in three sets, this time we took them to four,” Hamer said. “We were two points away from taking them to five. I really like where we’re at, I think we’re about to turn the corner.”

When the team rounds the proverbial corner, they’ll find themselves face-to-face with difficult competition.

Originally scheduled as a tri-match, the team’s contest at Kent State University – Tuscarawas is now a quad, according to Hamer.

“We’ll play three matches: 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.,” Hamer said. “We’ll face two USCAA teams on Saturday in KSU and Rochester College along with Pittsburgh Titusville, which is an NCAA Division III school. That’ll be a challenge, having three matches in one day with only 11 players.”

It doesn’t get much easier from there. One week later, on the weekend of Sept. 23-24, the team travels to Berea College in Kentucky for the North-South Battlefield Classic, where they’ll face more USCAA competition.

“We’ll play last year’s national champion on Thursday [Florida College] and two formidable opponents on Saturday who are top-12 in the USCAA as well,” Hamer said. “Starting Saturday we’ll play more USCAA teams, we’ve only played two so far.”

In order to come away with wins over top-notch opponents like Florida College and Rochester College, the Cougars will rely upon their older players to continue providing leadership and performing on the court. One of those players, junior Sydney Beckelheimer, finds herself ranked second in the nation in digs, behind Rochester College’s Stephanie Oliver. Oliver has played in 19 matches so far this season, and has accumulated 355 digs. Beckelheimer has 292 digs in just 10 matches this season.

UC Clermont’s next home match will be held at the Student Activities Center on Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. against Sinclair Community College.