When Pasco-Hernando State College began spring preparations for the 2014 volleyball season, only four players showed up.
That wasn’t a sign of poor attendance. They really only had four players at the time.
While the athletes were honing their skills, the coaching staff was busy recruiting a class of 11 freshmen players. And with all the new faces came a lot of questions.
“Bringing in 11 freshmen, you have no idea if they’re going to be able to manage the practices and how they’re going to get along together,” Coach Kim Whitney said. “You can’t really predict all that. There’s a lot to factor in.”
Whitney might have seen a lot of potential in her young team, but it would have been tough to predict the kind of success they had this year. Of those 11 freshmen, nine players stuck with the team, and they finished with a regular season record of 35-5.
They qualified for their regional tournament, which has happened every year at PHSC during Whitney’s successful 11-year tenure as coach. But they also won that tournament, held Nov. 7-8 in Wilmington, North Carolina. That accomplishment qualified them for the National Junior College Activities Association national volleyball tournament for Division II, held Nov. 20-22 in Phoenix, where they finished eighth.
The national tournament appearance ended up being the second-best finish in school history, slotted only behind their national title run back in 2010. Overall, they closed out the season with a 39-8 record.
Earning the regional championship was a special moment for both the coach and the team.
“Getting that win at regionals was really big,” Whitney said. “It was a moment I really celebrated, and I know the girls really celebrated also. It’s not just a given. You have to work hard no matter how well your season has gone.”
While their regular season went well, it didn’t start out that way. The Conquistadors were just 5-3 after eight games, and even making their regional tournament was no sure thing. But they pulled together like a family, Whitney said, with the sophomores guiding and encouraging their younger teammates.
As a result, they went on two separate 15-match win streaks and established themselves as a successful and talented group.
So talented, in fact, that they overcame some jitters to win their first game against Waubonsee Community College of Illinois in straight sets at the national tournament, which put them in the winners bracket. But afterward, they ran into tough opponents from Columbus State Community College of Ohio, Des Moines Area Community College, and Illinois Central College. Despite some tinkering with the lineups, PHSC closed out its national tournament appearance with three losses.
While that isn’t the finish they wanted, Whitney said the experience — including coming up short at the end — was good for her team.
“I definitely think you learn a lot when you go through losses,” she said. “You hate to go through them. And the kids who hate losses, you know that those are the kids who are competitive and they want to win.
There wasn’t a dry eye among the players after their first tournament defeat.
“Sometimes you have to face those moments,” Whitney said. “But I think sometimes they make you better.”
Even though they lost their final contest against Illinois Central, she said, they played more like their regular selves and battled hard in a close, five-set match.
While Whitney is proud of the team’s accomplishments, she knows the future looks pretty bright for PHSC volleyball as well. The team is losing its experienced sophomores, yet the coach believes the regional success and tournament experience will help her freshmen when they take the court in 2015.
In fact, Whitney’s players are so enthusiastic about their prospects, they aren’t waiting for next year.
“They’re playing volleyball already,” she said. “You’d expect them to be like, ‘I just need a break, and this has been a long season.’ But they’re out there ready to play.
“I think that they’re really excited about the group that’s coming back.”
Published December 10, 2014
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