The women’s volleyball team immediately got the crowd excited by winning the opening point against Calumet College of St. Joseph last Thursday night in their first home game of the season. Even though the set ended in a loss, the Archers, captained by Juniors Rachel Hurd and Audra Lehman, took the match by winning the next three sets.  

Anticipating this upcoming season and analyzing her players' performance, head coach Jean Penfound noted that the team's strengths lie in their quickness, cohesiveness and the depth of the players’ abilities that allow for specialization.

With all of their starters returning and the addition of new talent, the team has quite a few strategic options. The team is comprised of seniors Emily Sparks, Sara Thomas, Samantha Foster and Christina Classen; junior Kelsi Schaefer; sophomores Elizabeth Crist, Katie Duehring, and Mary Chambers; and freshmen Sarah and Kate Sparks.

The team was ranked third in their region last season and the hope is for an even stronger finish this season. While the team desires to win this year, Coach Penfound stated that, "Ultimately, we believe that volleyball is the medium through which we can demonstrate our testimony." In preparation for this goal, the team makes a point to pray for the opposing team before every match.

Contributing to the excitement of the competition was the phenomenal student attendance and participation, which Coach Penfound noted as the largest she had seen. President Nyquist was in attendance, keeping the promise he had made in chapel. Throughout the evening he clapped and cheered with the spirited Archer fans. As the season progresses, may Solheim continue to sound with stomping feet, encouraging shouts, and bucket drumming (if you were there, then you know what I mean) spurring our lady Archers to victory!

Article by Elizabeth Brough. Courtesy of the Moody Standard, Volume 75:1, September 15, 2009.