SALEM, Ore. -- Coaches and players with the Willamette University volleyball program thought it was essential to set team and individual goals this semester due to the lack of outside competition. During preseason the team had two meetings, first to brainstorm ideas for team goals and then to narrow them down to a focused list. The outcome ranges from specific volleyball skills to the mindset of every player.
Head Coach Lily Hallock is in her first year with the Bearcats. The team includes 13 players, including significant experience provided by three seniors and two juniors.
"The team goals were completely driven by the athletes, with the coaches there to observe and guide the conversation," Hallock said. "Watching and listening to the team talk about and decide where they wanted to focus their energy this fall was very telling. It has helped guide Kendall Bergsten and I as we write the practice plans and provide feedback to the athletes.
"I am proud that we have stuck to the goal of constant improvement," Hallock added. "If we can continue to do that I'm confident that Willamette volleyball can compete for a conference championship (when the Bearcats return to action).
The list of goals also inspired the student-athletes on the team. It helped them focus and also provided ways to evaluate their progress.
"I think I'm slowly improving on some technical corrections I needed to make from the beginning of the season," Emma Porter (So., S, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) said. "I don't feel like I walk out of the gym every day feeling like I've improved, but I see some improvements made when watching videos of our practices.
"We write down goals on the whiteboard of what we want to improve on in practice that day," Carmen Camacho-Platas (So., OH, Burbank, CA/Burbank HS) said. "I think physically writing down those goals helps us remember what to focus on by keeping it at the front of our minds. Our coaches are great at supporting us as we work on our goals because they give us constant feedback. Their feedback makes our constant improvement possible."
Porter commented that "I really feel like my blocking has improved. That's the main thing I've improved at this season."
Eliminating the fear of making mistakes has been an important goal for the team.
"I think this is one of the goals we've been doing the best in so far," Camacho-Platas noted. "You can feel how the energy on the court this semester has shifted to that of a safe environment that accepts making mistakes as part of growth."
Improvements in serve receiving and passing have been a key part of the team's success in practice.
"Our first few practices this semester brought us back to the basics," Camacho-Platas said. "Many of us learned a new form of passing that we hadn't been taught before. I think it surprised us a bit to be learning something that felt completely new this late in our volleyball careers, but it significantly improved our passing abilities."
Artwork by Dani Queja (So., OH, Ewa Bach, HI/Maryknoll School)
