Cedars, September 2018

September 2018 18 SPORTS by Tim Miller C edarville volleyball first-year head coach Greg Smith could’ve been an insurance salesman this fall, but Smith said God led him to Cedarville instead. Upon leaving Division I Toledo last winter, Smith struggled to find a fit for his coaching skills. However, after applying for the open head coaching position at Cedar- ville, Smith got the job and will now lead the Lady Jackets as the seventh coach in pro- gram history. Cedarville has enjoyed a fair amount of stability at the coaching position, as former head coach Doug Walters spent 10 years with the Lady Jackets before accepting a job with nationally ranked Palm Beach Atlantic this offseason. “God led me here,” Smith said. “I’d al- ways wanted to be a part of a Christian uni- versity. When Cedarville opened up, I didn’t know anything about it. It was God’s hand in all this.” A successful coach with over 20 years of Division I experience, Smith enters un- charted territory this season. He is the only coach on staff, and with no assistant coach, recruiting, scouting and other responsibil- ities normally held by assistants fall onto Smith. Smith mentioned his student assistant, Alyssa Beals, has been fundamental in mak- ing his life easier and other players have tried to help pick up the slack. “We want to help him out as much as possible,” sophomore setter Sierra Schuitema said. “Alyssa has been doing a ton for us but we’re all just trying to take a load off for coach. Coach has been really patient with us.” While Smith is the only coach on staff, there doesn’t appear to be a lack of leadership this season. The Lady Jackets lost just two se- niors from last season, and the bulk of their production returns for the 2018 journey. However, Smith said all his players were freshmen in some ways. Smith is bringing in a brand new system both offen- sively and defensively, and with just three weeks of work in the preseason, the players must make leaps of progress to be primed for the season. “Everything that we’re doing is differ- ent,” Smith said. “It’s been a process and it’s going to continue to be a process to the end of the season. The girls are being patient and learning a lot in a short period of time.” The players have seemed happy with Smith’s leadership thus far. Multiple play- ers shared their awe of Smith’s ability to be a leader both on and off the floor. “We’re really excited about Coach Smith,” senior outside hitter Faith Ferris said. “I think he’s done a great job of leading us spiritually and volleyball wise. We knew it would be hard to find someone who was bold in both.” Smith expects Ferris and junior hitter Brooke Blattner to anchor the front line for the Lady Jackets. Blattner tallied 117 kills last season as a crucial hitter for Cedarville. Ferris will step into increased playing time this season and has been a leader on the court in practice thus far. Senior Taylor Wilkerson and sopho- more Lauren Willow will have significant roles this season as hitters as well. Wilker- son totaled 289 kills last season, while Wil- low broke out for 272 kills in her inaugural collegiate season. On the back line, Schuitema returns after a solid freshman season to help lead the Lady Jackets. The Grant, Michigan, product served up 752 assists last season to lead the team. Smith said sophomore setter Lindsey Bray will also earn her keep in her second sea- son after producing 509 assists last season. The Lady Jackets have had a rough start to the season, but that shouldn’t be a cause for concern if history says anything. Cedarville traditionally has started its sea- son in tournaments with teams that are na- tionally ranked. From Sept. 8 through the end of the regular season, the Lady Jackets will have plenty of chances to whoop up on their G-MAC rivals. Nineteen of their final 23 opponents reside in the G-MAC, and Cedar- ville’s final four matches are at home. Year one for any program will be full of ups and downs. A new coach and a new system could throw a team off, but Smith is confident in his roster after working with them for a month. “It’s a really good group of players,” Smith said. “They are working hard and it will be exciting to get Callan packed with fans. Hopefully everyone understands it’s a process and everyone’s working hard. By the end of the season, we’re gonna be in a really good place.” TimMiller is a junior marketing major and sports editor for Cedars. He enjoys hav- ing a baby face, knowing too much about supplemental insurance, and striving to perfect the optimal combination of Dwight Schrute and Ron Swanson. Lady Jackets Start Season With New Leadership Photo by Tasha Peterson The team starts their huddle with prayer before ending with a screaming chant, “TEAM!” Photo by Tasha Peterson The Lady Jackets prepare for a team exercise of one-on-six (team limit to be on court). Intensity of the practice has increased after several warm-ups.