How do you feel about the 2025 team?
“I think we have a lot of talent. The talent level is high from the upperclassmen and seniors all the way down to the first-years. I don’t think there’s a drop off in talent in any position. We lost a lot of players who had a lot of experience in the championship moments, but we also returned a lot of players who have been in championship moments. New players are stepping up vocally, which is exciting to see. Our younger players, our sophomores and juniors have done the work, and I think they are playing better volleyball than they did last year. Some of the players’ games are better than they were last year, which is really exciting to see.”
You have one of the deepest rosters you’ve ever had. How do you manage the depth on this team?
“I say to the team all the time that, if we have the same lineup on day one as we do on day 90, shame on all of us in the room. I expect that there will be multiple people who will get playing time throughout the season because they earned it and we have the ability to do that. Players are battling in every position. And I can tell you, it’s some of the deepest we’ve been. I tell them every day that the margin of error for playing time is really small. It’s a good thing to have this for us.”
One of your top players from last season, Abby Shadwick, has graduated. How do you replace Abby?
“Abby is irreplaceable. She had a style of play that I had never seen. We used to call her ‘No Error Abby.’ The ball always landed in the white lines, no matter how she hit it. Whether she hit it well or not well, it somehow landed in. I don’t think we can replace her. But I think our style of play is changing. We are playing a more aggressive, physical style of play than we played with Abby. We have sort of changed our system and style a little bit to adapt to the players in the room. We have had to change how we play rather than replace Abby because I don’t think we can replace her.”
What do you want your team to learn from the non-conference play?
“We want to win those matches. That has been a big shift in our mentality. We are not just going there to learn. That is part of the equation. But we want to compete and come out on top. I think that’s where we are in the next progression for our program. We are playing a very tough non-conference schedule, but we are there to compete and find ways to win. Lessons will be had, that’s for sure. We will certainly be exposed in all these environments. Colorado State, Northern Colorado and Washington are all NCAA Tournament teams. Colorado State draws 4,000-plus fans. It has one one the top 15 highest attendance in the country. Learning how to handle that environment will be a test as well. Having 4,000 fans rooting against us, that’s something we can’t simulate in practice. Those are the moments, and I think it’s very important for our group. I always talk to them about learning how to win on the road. If you want to be successful in conference, you have to win on the road.”
Now, as winners of four consecutive conference titles, how challenging is it to create a non-conference schedule?
“It has been much more challenging in the last two years than before. Other schools don’t want to play us because of our success or they don’t want to play us at Colgate. Scheduling is getting more challenging in different ways. We are also scheduling in ways that make us most competitive for the conference and hopefully deeper into the NCAA. There’s a lot of thought that goes into our schedule.”
How do you feel about the new players on the team?
“They came ready to play. They have assimilated into the group very quickly. They have been vocal since the beginning, which is a huge transition. And this week, I think they’re adapting more to the speed of play. Last week, the speed of play overwhelmed them. But this week, I’m starting to see their games adapt and be more ready. That transition, where we are as a program, is the greatest. The level of talent in the gym is so high that you have to be incredible to play as a first year. That has been a huge transition in the program. In the past, we probably were not as talented and you didn’t have to be as ready. Now, you have to come in like you’ve been in the gym for three years to compete. The first-years have elevated the gym, that’s for sure, because there is no drop off in their play.”
How has the success of the team in recent years affected recruiting?
The level of recruits that are interested in our program continues to go up. With the excitement of the new arena and with the success that we have had, there is certainly another level of recruit that has been interested in our program. But we continue to make sure that we find the right players whose characters’ are in line with Colgate and value what we are as an institution. But we are able to select a little bit more, which is exciting for the future.”
Do you have a message for the fans?
“I think fans will absolutely love how hard this team will play this season. I have been really excited about the defense already. And I think we are playing higher and harder than we have played in a long time.”
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