Author: Brenda McNary
On Oct. 27, the Oxy women’s volleyball team put up a fierce fight against the Whittier Poets and came out victorious. Team spirit and determination on the court were palpable as players cheered and growled for each other after every point.
With a 3-1 win, the game revealed the team’s skill and ability to work together on the court as players Gwynne Davis (sophomore) and Logan Boyer-Hayse (first-year) scored ten kills each and Kathryn Bockmon (junior) kept up a strong defense, racking up 14 digs over the course of the game.
Overall, the Oxy women’s volleyball team has played an impressive season this year, bringing its record up from an 8-11 overall win-loss record last year to 14-15 in this season, as of Oct. 30. In addition, the team has also played a greater number of games this year with 33 on the roster, as compared with 18 last year.
However, despite such improvements, the Tigers will not make it to the post-season. With the SCIAC conference tournament out of the Tigers’ grasp, the team stands strong, thanks to its focus on consistent practices and building a successful team dynamic.
Developing that team dynamic was not easy, as Oxy volleyball welcomed nine new first-year players this year, and had only a few returners. “I think our biggest challenge as a team was coming into the gym in August and almost starting from scratch to form team chemistry with so many first-years,” team captain Bockman said. “We have done a great job working together in practice as a team to overcome this disadvantage.”
To confront so many games this year, as well as build community, the team follows a strict practice regimen. “We have a pretty rigorous practice schedule under second-year Head Coach Mike Talamantes,” Bockmon said, explaining that the team practices around four days a week and usually plays matches around twice a week. “Coach Mike works extremely hard so that we go into each match completely comfortable and prepared,” she added.
In his second year at Oxy, Coach Talmantes has five years of experience as the head volleyball coach at Rosary High School in Orange County, in addition to years of experience coaching volleyball for various other schools. New this year to the coaching team is assistant Becca Willis, who has enjoyed a successful personal volleyball career.
With new players and new coaches, Oxy volleyball has been undergoing a lot of changes in the last few years, but all seem to be improvements as the team has challenged even its toughest historical rivals. “Beating Pomona-Pitzer for the first time in eight years of Oxy volleyball history was an amazing feeling,” Anna Kuzinski (first-year) said, recalling her favorite moment of the season. “It was great to show other teams that we are a strong team and definitely good enough to take on anyone in the conference.”
Kasey Rose (first-year) recounted a particularly impressive moment of the Pomona-Pitzer game where middle blocker Ashley Rosenbaum (senior) came in during the fifth game for two hits that decided Oxy’s victory in the last seconds.
As the season comes to a close, players are hopeful for the future of the team and the development of its players. “I am passionate about Oxy volleyball because of the great group of girls that I play with on the team. I think we really try to work hard and compete for each other, which is a great dynamic in both practices and games.” Bockmon said. “Next year, I hope to see another strong recruiting class and I hope we continue to improve and challenge the top teams in the SCIAC.”
The women’s volleyball team ended their regular season play on Tuesday, Nov. 3 in their last conference home game against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
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