Freshmen make
an impact
By Cheryl Heitzman
Collegian Freelancer
With their freshly
washed hair pulled back into ponytails, the six freshmen of
the volleyball team laugh as they joke around and make fun of
one another. They even finish one another's sentences.
These freshmen have been through
almost everything together: volleyball camp, preseason workouts,
the first day of college.
In the time they have spent together
they have not only developed close friendships, but also a stronger
team.
This year's freshman class is
making significant contributions to Charger volleyball. Currently,
the team's top three kill leaders are freshmen.
They have put in a lot of hard
work to get to this point.
Preseason began on Aug. 10 at
6 a.m., with running, weightlifting and agility workouts.
And though daily practices and
lots of away matches early in the season may not have always
been fun, the freshmen have had opportunities to bond with their
teammates as well.
Audra VanderMolen from Sand Lake,
Mich., recalled climbing an iceberg together in the middle of
Baw Beese Lake.
This combination of fun activities
and hard work has helped team chemistry develop quickly, the
freshmen said.
"It felt like we'd been playing
together forever," said Taryn Rudland, from Holland, Mich..
"There were no problems on the court."
As the season progressed, the
freshmen also had to mesh with the upperclassmen while working
to improve their skills and the level of their game.
"I can't describe how intense
the preseason workouts were," said Tessa Bloemers, also
from Holland, Mich. "We all felt nervous, but the upperclassmen
made us feel at ease."
Rudland and Bloemers were already
familiar with each other since they played together at West
Ottawa High School. They were
also familiar with their current teammate, freshman Becky Grzegorski.
She attended Jenison High School, a rival of West Ottawa.
"Our schools were always
at each other's throats, and we made fun of each other a lot.
So it was kind of weird when we found out Becky was going to
Hillsdale. But when we finally met her, we loved her,"
Rudland said.
Grzegorski said that knowing Bloemers
and Rudland and having the support of the other freshmen made
the transition to college life much easier.
Ontario native Katherine Jones
agreed.
"Its easier with other people
to share the experience," Jones said of the transition
to a new country and college life. "America
isn't very different at all, but I have learned to like country
music now, and my teammates yell at me when I call my sweatshirt
a sweater."
Living together has also eased
the turmoil of freshman year. Except for Sara Snavely, the freshmen
all live on the first floor of McIntyre Residence. Snavely,
who played softball for Hillsdale last year, now lives in Benzing
Residence
Although she is a sophomore, this
is Snavely's first year on the volleyball team. She missed volleyball
after a year off, and walked on to the team last spring.
"The girls are all very accepting,
and I felt welcome right away," Snavely said. "The
other freshmen are very outgoing, and made it easy to adjust."
Last weekend Bloemers, Rudland,
Grzegorski and Jones made a deal to go swimming in Lake Superior
with coach Chris Gravel on their trip to northern Michigan.
"He decided that he wasn't
going," Bloemers said. "So we just went after him
and chucked him into the water."
And although Gravel might not
have appreciated the cold water of Lake Superior, he said he
does appreciate the contributions his freshmen are making on
the court.
"Everyone is doing their
part. The upperclassmen make sure the freshmen know what to
do, and the freshmen are listening," Gravel said. "Everyone
respects each other."
This combination has proved to
be a winning one for Hillsdale, which now has a record of 14-10
and is looking strong as they finish the regular season.
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Photo courtesy of External
Affairs
Freshmen Becky Grzegorski (L) and Katherine
Jones have a combined 91 blocks on the season.
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