Author: Jack Ridenour

The Women’s Volleyball team has been on a roll. Not only have they surpassed their win total from last year, but they have also made school history. On Sept. 21, the Cougars won their first Presidents’ Athletic Conference volleyball game in Chatham history.
The 3-1 victory was against PAC opponent Waynesburg University. The team went up against not only Waynesburg, but also Geneva College. Despite losing to Geneva, the victory against Waynesburg was monumental for the program and the school, and led to a four-win streak.

Against Waynesburg, the team had everything clicking for them. “The team’s communication was at an all-time high, so our play was flowing well,” said Tessa Verner, a first-year right side and Nursing major. Communication has been key for the Cougars all season.
After the win, the celebration carried over from the court into the locker room. “It felt like all of our hard work finally paid off,” said Ava Iuliucci, team captain and defensive specialist. The victory not only put the team in Chatham’s history books, but also led to a series of wins after that. “What was even better coming from that win was the series of wins that followed,” the junior Policy Studies major continued.
“When we started winning I think we started to believe that we can actually win games and that helped the energy on the court and the sidelines.” said Lena Pieto, a first-year outside hitter and Business Management major. If the team continues to believe in themselves, they can continue riding this momentum wave as they get deeper into conference play.
The team’s improvement since the beginning of the season has been huge for their recent success. “I think we started out playing well but it got into our heads when we didn’t win the first couple of games, and that hurt everyone’s mindset a lot.” said Sydney Stevens, a freshman libero and Biochemistry major. “Then after we finally got our first win it gave everyone hope again and everything clicked. Now we are confident in our play and ready to win many more games,” she said.

With the newfound confidence in the Cougars, they are looking towards success the rest of this season. As they continue to move forward into league play, they will face better opponents each game. The team’s confidence will allow them to not be intimidated by the top teams in the PAC. The team can be highly successful if they continue to play with the mindset they have now.