Cedars, September 2019

September 2019 13 SPORTS Lady Jackets Look to Retain Momentum From 2018 by Tim Miller L ast season, the Cedarville Lady Jack- et volleyball team entered its season with no time to acclimate to first-year and late-hired head coach Greg Smith. As a result, the team struggled to start, sputter- ing to a 1-9 record. However, by the end of the season, the Lady Jackets were one of the hottest teams in the G-MAC, finishing the regular season with an 11-6 record, including five straight victories to close it. Smith said having a full offseason with his team will further prime them for a bet- ter campaign this year. He said he thinks the Lady Jackets are in a different place this season, with his team feeling more comfort- able and raising their level of play. “Last year, going into the season, we didn’t get together until August,” Smith said. “There was so much learning going on. It wasn’t until the middle part of the season that we hit our stride.” This season, with an entire offseason to improve and work out kinks in strategy, the Lady Jackets have the chance to come out of the gates on fire. Further, Cedarville lost just three key contributors from a sea- son ago and added a transfer to take over as libero. Enter sophomore libero Emily Ward, who appeared in 18 matches with Division II Auburn-Montgomery last season as a freshman. Ward joins the Lady Jackets for the 2019 season and says she knew she was going to transfer to Cedarville before even getting out of her car on her visit. “I wanted to be back in a Christian community,” Ward said. “I didn’t want to go to a Christian school with just a label on it. Meeting the girls here and the coach, I knew I was going to end up here.” With Ward joining an already experi- enced core of Lady Jackets, Cedarville has the potential to enter 2019 with the momen- tum they had to end 2018. Further helping the Lady Jackets is the Cedarville Yellow Jacket Invite, which allowed Cedarville to open the season at home for the first time since 2010. Previously, the Lady Jackets played in invitationals across the Midwest that forced them to play away from Callan until the end of September, or in some cas- es, not until October. Smith said the invite can allow Cedar- ville to get in a groove and give the team a sense of normalcy before they head out from Cedarville for the rest of the month. “Our fans are awesome and being able to play in front of them is huge,” Smith said. “It’s going to be good and it’s going to be fun since we haven’t been home in the past to start the year.” The grind away from home begins in the second weekend of September and lasts for over a month. Cedarville will be the vis- itors in 11 straight matches, including four straight away G-MAC tilts. The Lady Jack- ets return home for a G-MAC home opener against Findlay on Oct. 11. Returning from last year is junior mid- dle hitter Lauren Willow, who starred for the Lady Jackets last season. The all-confer- ence performer finished fifth in the confer- ence in blocks and had the most kills among Lady Jackets returning to the 2019 roster. Smith said last year that Willow is ca- pable of nabbing all-region awards, and this season may be the year for her. However, Willow said she’s more focused on winning awards for players around her than for her- self. “I know those awards are based not on myself but on the team and I’m hoping to get some more girls some G-MAC awards this year,” Willow said. Right behind Willow is sophomore out- side hitter Sara Beste, who had 165 kills and worked her way into more playing time as her freshman year went on last season. Junior Sierra Schuitema brings her 1,671 assists and 527 digs to the 2019 cam- paign. She’s played in every match but two in her career at Cedarville, and her durabil- ity, experience and athleticism will likely be leaned on again this year. Both Smith and his players echo the mantra that they want to get better daily, rather than focusing on season-long goals and milestones. Regardless, Smith wants to see his program continue to grow and turn into the premier Division II powerhouse it once was. “We want to be one of the very best teams in the country,” Smith said. “I don’t know how long it will take to get there, but that’s what we’re striving for. We have to get better day after day after day.” TimMiller is a senior Marketing major and Sports editor for Cedars. He enjoys hav- ing a baby face, knowing too much about health insurance, and striving to perfect the optimal combination of Dwight Schrute and Ron Swanson. Photo by Scott Huck This year’s women’s volleyball team is led by second-year head coach Greg Smith. Photo by Carrie Bergan The Lady Jackets opened their season at home on Sept. 6.