By Devan Lee |Staff Writer|
CSUSB women’s volleyball continues to win as they defeated the Humboldt
State Lumberjacks in Coyote country on Saturday, Oct. 27.
Their victory placed the team in the number four spot in rank, according to the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) rankings.
Despite a first set loss to the Jacks, the Coyotes rallied back and came out to win the next three sets.
“I think a little motivational speech in between games one and two turned their mindset around,” said Assistant Head Coach Danny Scott.
Game stats showed the Lady Yotes had a team total of 51 kills, 40 set assists, and 71 digs.
The athleticism of players like junior outside hitter Danielle Newcombe, who had a season best 19 kills and 10 digs, helped the Coyotes with their come from behind victory.
“Dani put up a lot of great numbers on Saturday,” said Scott.
Veteran players such as All-American Camille Smith also turned the deficit around for the ‘Yotes.
Scott claimed Smith, “took the reigns” offensively for the ‘Yotes.
Their performance earned them the win, marking the fifth victory in a row for the team.
“Overall we started off a little rough, but the team definitely stepped it up. It was really nice to see them fight through and win,” said Scott.
There are only a few weeks left in the regular season and so far the Lady ‘Yotes have been able to maintain a winning record in both regular and conference standings.
According to Head Coach Kim Cherniss, it is vital for the team to continue to win games in the remainder of this season if they wish to have any hope in making it to the playoffs.
“We really want to pull out wins for the rest of the year,” said Cherniss. “We would love to win conferences like we have been in the past and ultimately make it to regionals again.”
It appears as though the team has managed to maintain a high level of focus and dedication this far into the season.
Scott believes knowing what is at stake is keeping the ladies determined to continue winning games.
“There are no guarantees this far into the season, so every weekend we’re fighting to keep our spot in the conference,” said Scott.
It seems the team’s focus goes hand in hand with a distinct style of training.
According to Assistant Coach Mike Gutierrez, practice drills become more team oriented in order provide a game like experience for the players.
This ultimately keeps the ladies focused on the dynamics of the game rather than individual performance.
“Although the physical workouts remain the same, the drills and practices focus more on team structure rather than fundamentals,” said Gutierrez. “For example, we run a lot of 6 on 6 situations in an attempt to simulate live gameplay.”
Whatever the cause, the women’s volleyball continues to add victories to their record in hopes for a post season appearance.
With the season winding down, they travel to La Jolla, California to face their bitter rivals from UC San Diego on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 7 pm.