After a winning 15-15 record last season, the Lady Lions enter their fourth season with Head Coach Tristan Johnson. Last season the team also made it to the ASUN Conference Tournament for the second year in a row.
This year, Johnson set his expectation for the team to earn their way to this tournament, again, with a winning conference record.
Whereas half of the team last year were true college freshmen, only a quarter hold that title this season. Johnson said this kind of “experience” allows for more “leadership.”
A big focus so far has been on the kind of community and atmosphere the team has built. Junior Outside Hitter, Kendall Barnes, describes the atmosphere as a “sisterhood.”
“It’s very rare that you have a group that’s this close, but can also have the same goal, the same drive, and want to accomplish the same thing,” said Barnes.
Each player does their part to make sure the morale of the team is up. Even when that morale is shaky, Johnson has embedded into the older players the importance of “help[ing] them along that journey.”
“The best way to win is to eliminate ways you could lose. And so a big way to lose is drama, stress, [and] anxiety,” said Johnson.
The team began lifting and conditioning back in July to prepare for the upcoming season. This type of conditioning included running fully up the campus parking deck, as well as running hills, sprints and stairs.
The intense summer has allowed the team to focus more on the competition aspect of the sport.
What began in August with referring back to the basics of the sport has morphed into complete domination of the arena.
“We’re constantly in a state of competition. Whether we start out with 2v2’s or scrimmaging, it’s always competitive,” said Barnes.
Johnson mentioned the team’s work that has gone into the middle offense, especially with two returning middles and one freshman. Newly hired Coaching Assistant Taylor Holmes has put in a lot of work with the setters, middles and other hitters to ensure a strong offense.
Additionally, the team works endlessly off the court. The Lady Lions compete in the classroom to be the best students they are capable of being, and they also work hard to make themselves available in the community.
In July, the team received the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s Team Academic Award for the third year in a row. This award is given to teams that hold a “year-long grade-point average of a 3.3 on a 4.0 scale,” as stated on the avca.org award page.
The team was also ranked the No. 6 Division I volleyball team in the country for community service hours.
“We’re not just here to win volleyball,” said Johnson. “We want to be great students and great players, and also great people. I think culturally, that’s not something that we instill, it’s who we are.”
Next on the Lady Lions agenda is the Maroon & White Invite at Mississippi State on Aug. 30.
However, mark your calendars for the UNA Volleyball Classic taking place here at Flowers Hall on Sep. 12-14.
The Lions will play the University of Alabama on Sunday, Sep. 14 as part of this invitational. The match is highly anticipated, as the Lions beat the Crimson Tide for the first time last year since 1975.
