Pacific Index

Reaching the halfway point in the season, our volleyball team grinds to finish out on top

Over the past couple years, our women’s volleyball team has delivered strong performances, yet continue to struggle with receiving results; finishing on the lower end of conference standings each year. 

This fall season, our Boxers seemed to be changing that storyline. And, now, with five games left in their season the Boxers hope to push themselves to the top—or, at least on the correct side of a winning season. An overall record of 8-11 shows the strength of the players and their potential. However, for conference play, they currently hold a record of 3-8. 

“We have had a really hard schedule this year,” shares Mara Murphy, senior captain. “We normally play two or three games a week, but we have a lot of Tuesday games which is new to this season and is something that has been hard to adjust to.” Some weeks the team will have games on Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday. “Having three games in a week has been really hard,” she continued. The rigorous schedule and quick game turnarounds adds to the stress of their season.

 “One of our biggest struggles this year has been our health with injuries,” continues Murphy. “A lot of key players have gone down.” Injuries play a significant role in the success of the team, especially with only six spots on the court at a time. Unfortunately, missing key players on the court not only affects the performance, but the team morale and cohesion. Many players have been pulled up from the JV squad to step in and perform in place of their injured teammates. Thankfully, there’s a lot of depth in the team to make those rotations.

Regardless of the adversity, the Boxers remain optimistic while moving into the last few games of the season. “The morale has been really high and really good,” shares Murphy. Murphy has had an impressive season individually, and recently broke a school record. Hitting 1,096 career kills in their win against Lewis & Clark, Murphy broke Pacific’s previous record of 1,082 kills. Entering the match just four hits behind the now previous record, Murphy hit 18 kills to put her ahead. To top off the exciting night, the Boxers finished out the Lewis & Clark game with a win and the team broke their four game losing streak. Despite experiencing multiple losses this season, the team has remained positive and celebrates moments like these. 

Riding off of these hard-earned wins, the team tries to focus on their positives and move forward. “Our biggest strengths would be having a group that works really hard and that really wants to win,” Murphy explains. “We have bonded and meshed really well together, which helps us out on the court.” Regardless of the scores and results of the games, the team acknowledges their grit throughout the season and their ability to work together. “Everyone is working really hard and we have confidence that we will turn it around,” Murphy says with a smile. 

Senior Caption Danica Nelson shares how the team has been moving forward even after the losses. “I like to say that pressure is a privilege, but sometimes that’s not always the case,” she explains. “We have played some really good volleyball this season, it’s just that execution to finish out the game is what we need.” 

Nelson reached 1,000 career digs at the very beginning of the season and continues to push herself and her team as time goes on. She believes that they are capable of turning things around in a positive way for the last half of the season. “This is a great team to be on,” Nelson expresses with joy. “I love playing with this team.”

Next, Pacific volleyball hosts George Fox on Oct. 25 at 7 pm.