The University of Indianapolis volleyball team broke its seven game losing streak, defeating Missouri S&T in three sets on Nov. 2, which has given the Hounds a chance to push into the conference tournament.
Head Coach Jason Reed said he is looking forward to the next few weeks with the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament coming up on Nov. 21. He said this season has been full of runs. After just a few games, the Hounds broke out into a 13-game winning streak, losing only nine sets in these games combined. Since then, they had been losing until the game on Nov. 2, where its luck around winning against Missouri S&T. Coach Reed said the team is running into the issue of being scouted.
“Every weekend, especially at this point in the year, everybody knows what we’re going to do, just like we know what our opponents are going to do.” Reed said. “We’ve got to figure out how to overcome the fact that they know what we’re going to do and find a way to win anyways.”
The team has started to scale back these past few weeks in preparation for the GLVC championship. They are focusing on playing the game and working on individual skills rather than watching film and trying to prepare how to play other teams.
This team is still fairly young with a lot of underclassmen and room for growth. While there are two returning All-Conference players, setter Claire Morris and outside hitter Sophia Parlanti, a majority of the team is made up of freshmen and sophomores and all players offer something great for the team, Reed added.
“Everyone is pulling their weight on both sides.” Reed said. “If you stop one of our best players it doesn’t matter because everyone else is doing their job at such a high rate”
Reed said everyone on the team has an equal opportunity to lead. He said it does not matter what a player’s age or skill level is, they all have a voice and can lead at different times. He said he is proud of the space that he and the team have made.
“By creating an environment where everyone gets to chip in their best stuff whether it’s a play or a sentiment or a voice, we all get to benefit,” Reed said. The team has two games until it reaches the GLVC championship tournament on Nov. 15, where the top eight teams in the conference will compete for the title. The winner will have an automatic qualifying bid to go to the DII NCAA tournament on Nov. 21.
