Pre-season trips can often be interesting chemistry experiments for sports teams.
If things go well for the team it can be a great way to accelerate the bonding process. If things go poorly, however, it can potentially foreshadow a troubled season.
The Capilano University women's volleyball team put themselves to the test in September with a trip to Santa Barbara for a tournament against local colleges and small universities. Head coach Cal Wohlford knew the stakes before the team set out.
"When you're all stuck together for seven days or whatever it either gets you tight together or you find out where the problems are," he said with a laugh. The Blues didn't win a match against the tough California competition but that wasn't what the trip was about, said Wohlford.
"All the girls got along really well together," he said. "It was a great experience, it was good team bonding for everybody."
The on-court results also served as motivation for the Blues when they returned home. "We got to see where we should be at, where we want to get at, so I think that has really helped us with work ethic," said Wohlford. "When we came back we worked hard at practice and we were really striving to get at a good tempo."
Chemistry and work ethic are just a couple of the many pieces needed to build a championship team, but these Blues have already shown that they have the talent to contend for the PacWest title and play for a national championship. Two years ago the Blues won provincial silver before finishing fifth at nationals. Last season they were second in the league heading to provincials and lost a heart-breaking semifinal in five sets, eventually rebounding to take bronze. For a team that nearly reached the top, every little extra bit of development is important.
Leading the way this year will be fourth-year right side hitter Kira Sutcliffe, an Osoyoos native who was named the PacWest player of the year last season. Sutcliffe, who was third in the league in total offence and tied for the league lead in total kills last season, still has room to get better, said Wohlford. "She's working on a lot of other aspects of her game other than her offence," he said. "It's always tough coming back after a very successful year and wanting to be at that same stage right away.... I think she's going to have a little up and down but I think in the end it's about peaking at the end of the season and I have all the belief in her that she's going to be one of the key players that you have to be aware of on our team."
Wohlford is also counting on having a more balanced attack this season so that opponents won't be able to key on Sutcliffe as much as they did last year.
"There were a lot of times she was getting the ball to bail us out quite a bit and I think this year we have other people who are going to be stepping up to the plate and we're going to have a pretty balanced offence," he said. "I think we have a strong attack that's going to take a bit of pressure off her. It's going to be helpful for us because if they start keying too much on her we're going to be able to move the ball around to other people that are going to have good success too."
The player orchestrating that attack will be Sarah Hughes, a second-team PacWest all-star last season. The Burnaby native started her Capilano career as an outside hitter but moved to setter in her second year. Now entering her fourth year with the Blues, her third season as the starting setter, Hughes is primed for big success, said Wohlford.
"I think this year she's really going to shine," he said. "Not just setting wise, but she's also getting a better feel of how much the setter needs to be a leader out there. She's now really starting to demand a lot out of her athletes and she's leading the way by performing hard and working hard herself."
Blocking was a strength for the Blues last season and Wohlford expects that to continue with the return of middle blockers Kolby Richter, a fourth-year veteran from Vernon, and Kelowna's Danae Shephard, a member of last year's PacWest all-rookie team.
They'll be spelled by a pair of highly touted rookies in Argyle grad Keeley Bell and Kelowna's Alexandra Benson. "All four of them give a little different dynamic to the game," Wohlford said of his middle blockers. "I think it'll work really well for us."
On the outside the Blues will be counting on fourth-year hitter Alexis Sebok to balance the attack across from Sutcliffe.
"(Alexis) had another good year last year," said Wohlford. "I think this will probably be her last year playing. I think she really wants it and she wants people to know she's somebody to be aware of. I'm expecting good things out of her this year."
Fifth-year veteran Mika Chow will play libero for the Blues along with transfer Abigail O'Neill from Edmonton. Rounding out the squad are rookie outside hitters Zoe Mydansky from Delta and Meghan Koven, another Argyle grad.
Koven and Bell were both key members of the Pipers squad that won the provincial high school AAAA title last season. Koven also played for the North Shore-based BCO Volleyball Club's 18U Elite girls team that won the Div. 1, Tier 1 title at the 2015 Volleyball Canada Championships in May. That kind of success translates well to the college level, said Wohlford.
"They came in with a good work ethic," he said. "We went to nationals two years ago with that senior group I have and now they talk about it and they want to go again. I think these rookies that we brought in have a taste of that, they've been that high up. They say, 'OK, let's do this.'"
The Blues may have a small problem this season, literally: the size of their roster. Training camp started with 14 players but the Blues are now down to just 11. That's not enough to hold a full scrimmage in practice but the team has been relying on assistant coach Lauren Stockstad to fill a spot when needed and Wohlford has also been bringing in a number of former Blues to help out.
"The only thing is - knock on wood - when you start getting injuries or whatever it can start affecting your practices a little bit," said Wohlford. "We'll manage through. Our girls are very dedicated to their work-out schedules and are working hard to keep themselves fit. Hopefully we can sustain through this super long season."
The Blues will open their season Friday on the road against Douglas College before returning to Capilano on Saturday for their home opener against those same Royals. Game time for the women on Saturday is 5 p.m. at the Capilano Sportsplex with the men to follow at approximately 7 p.m.
"We'd like to get as many people out as possible, it should be an entertaining game," said Wohlford, adding that he'll be looking for the team to continue the development process they started in California.
"I've been learning through these PacWest seasons that it's not always about your wins and losses," he said. "It's about making sure that your team is peaking near the end of the season. The first half of the season is really about developing your team."
With championship-level talent and travel-tested chemistry, Wohlford has high hopes for his team. "Our goal definitely is to go to nationals, so that's placing first or second at provincials," he said. "I think the team is looking to win provincials this year and we want to medal at nationals."
