Every time the volleyball team takes the floor they say, ‘This is the day.’
And when coach Denise Van De Walle says every time, she really means it.
‘Every time we take the floor, and I mean every single time, we think we can win,’ she said. ‘As a staff, we prepare like that every single evening.’
The Falcons (7-11, 0-4 Mid-American Conference) will say ‘this is the day’ twice this weekend as they try to end their eight-match losing streak when they head to Ohio University and Kent State.
Even though BG has struggled as of late, Corey Domek is still optimistic.
‘Being 0-4 [in the MAC] is a rough time right now,’ she said. ‘We really need to pick it up and hopefully pick up two wins this weekend to get our season turned around.’
BG holds an all-time record of the 41-22 against the Bobcats. Last season, the teams split two regular season matches, with the BG and Ohio winning at home.
But just because the Falcons have had recent success, it does not mean it will be an easy task.
The Bobcats (4-0 MAC) have an impressive 48-4 record in league play since 2006, and do not look to be slowing down.
Their star, Ellen Herman, is ranked 16th in the country with 4.47 kills per set and 20th for her 5.03 points per game. She recently became the program’s all-time kills leader, and Van De Walle hasn’t seen many players like her.
‘Ellen Herman plays at another level,’ she said. ‘She’s one of a kind. She’s a great leader for them and she expects a lot out of herself.’
BG will travel to Kent State tomorrow for the first day of competition for the Centennial Cup, an all-sports trophy competition to celebrate the 100th anniversaries of both institutions.
Kent State (9-7, 2-2 MAC) has a Player of the Year candidate in Arjola Prenga on their side. She is ninth best in the country in kills per set with 4.65, and eighth best with 5.27 points per set.
‘Kent struggled early on, and then turned it around,’ Van De Walle said. ‘When they are good, they are really good.’
For Van De Walle, it’s all about staying positive during this time of struggle.
‘The nice thing is, we come in every day with new energy and new attitude,’ she said. ‘We’re still trying to put it all together. The skill level of the MAC teams is really, really high.’
