Lady Archers Volleyball has a winning record of 11-5
By: Ashley Biundo, Production Manager
Lady Archers’ volleyball team has started their season off with a winning record of 11-5. Head Coach Geoff Davis said he has some high expectations for the rest of the season with this season being his third full season.
“I am just pumped about the opportunities that we have. So I believe that this team has a real good chance of getting out of districts and into national championship play,” he said. “When I first got here, what I told the athletic director was I had a five year plan to get these girls back in contention because of where the program was, and what was necessary in order to do that.”
The Lady Archers have had some successful wins through the past couple years. “We have made it in three last year. We played in the Regional Championship match which was pretty awesome for the group of girls that we had,” Davis said. “We were stronger and more dynamic this year and we got a group of girls that are really committed to the success of the program. And so I see us having the ability to go into all things plan, if we can stay injury free, to really move well beyond the regular season and into postseason play. So I’m pretty pumped about that.”
Photo by Ashley Biundo.
With midseason coming up, the volleyball team has seen some of their strengths.
“We got a lot of kids that won’t quit and we’ve got that real strong defensively, and we have really smart hitters this year,” Davis said. “I’m surprised some of the freshmen that came in as our major contributors already and could easily have played that at another level. I’m happy that they’re here and they’re learning and growing.”
The speed that the Lady Archers have is going to scare people, according to Davis. “I think defensively our passing is keeping us in a lot of the matches that we play. We’ve come out ahead on most of our matches, and we play the number 12 team seated in the country this weekend,” he said. “We were a point away from going into fifth set with that and it was the first time that St. Louis in at least 16 years had taken a set off of that team. So, I’m really excited about the fact that that we went on their home court and played them that well. And I think that shows well for the kids in terms of their commitment and belief in themselves as well.”
Throughout Davis’ coaching career, he said as the years go by more and more people are becoming part of the program and seeing all the success the volleyball team has been celebrating.
“We have kind of a story to tell. We’re getting kids in the gym. We’ve had an opportunity to get a lot of kids in the gym over the over the course of the year. They’re seeing that there’s a program here and it’s vibrant,” he said. “We’re in the community and we’re trying to make some things happen in terms of visibility. And I think as a result of that, we’re finding a lot more dynamic kids wanting to take it off, take a shot at coming here and trying to make a contribution to the program.”
Davis said he hopes that his team has been learning life skills from being in the volleyball program and hopes that they will use what he teaches for the future. He said he wants them to build strong character and be not only successful on the court, but off.
Sept. 11 game against Missouri State University- West Plains.
Photo by Ashley Biundo.
“No matter what they want to accomplish, hard work will help them get there and help them reach their goals,” he said. “The stuff that they’re learning in here, getting up at 5 am and being in the gym bright and early, working their butts off for a team that they care for.”
Davis has been coaching for a little over 10 years, with being at STLCC the last four seasons and he said what is rewarding about coaching is that he sees the growth in his players.
“The ability to be able to help somebody become something greater than they think they could have been,” he said. “I just see the growth and the personalities. A lot of the kids come back and say that was a rewarding experience. Having the ability to be able to help shape lives is a pretty cool thing and so that’s my skin in the game.”
