Volleyball: Jacks fighting through ups and downs
The South Dakota State volleyball team ended the non-conference portion of the schedule much in the way it began – on a relative upswing. But the Jackrabbits hope to exit the rollercoaster as Summit League play gets going this week.
Finding a semblance of steadiness is their best bet to earn a spot in the six-team conference tournament, an event they've missed in six of the last seven years.
"We're trying to learn how to win again and how to fight through those tough moments," fourth-year coach Phil McDaniel said. "It's encouraging that the last match against Chicago State was a good battle."
The Jacks (6-10) rallied from two sets down to beat the tourney hosts in five. With the win, they surpassed their 2013 total. That's despite sitting at 1-6 at home.
In that regard, SDSU is OK with starting the Summit slate on the road. The Jacks take on Oral Roberts (6-7) – a former perennial contender back from a two-year stint in the Southland Conference – on Friday in Tulsa, Okla. Then, it's back home to host Fort Wayne (6-8) on Sunday.
All three teams have the same win total. What's more, five of the nine Summit squads have six victories so far and two more stand at five. Preseason favorite Denver (11-3) and Western Illinois (2-11) are the exceptions.
But are the teams really that even? They weren't last season as four finished in the top 150 of NCAA Division I in terms of RPI and the rest were significantly lower.
SDSU was in that bottom half at just 3-11 in the league matches, but expects to be more competitive this time based on its out-of-conference results. It was tabbed eighth in the preseason poll.
"I think we definitely figured out what we need to work on and what we need to do coming into conference," said junior middle blocker Wagner Larson, a Roosevelt High grad and the team co-leader in kills (117). "We need to bring it every single time."
McDaniel is of the mind that the Jacks are strong in the middle, on the right side and in the back row. The left side has been inconsistent in terms of production, especially with sophomore Mikala Hora nursing an injury. And young setters sophomore Brooke Leetham and freshman Jessi Henter have generally played to expectations – meaning they have room to grow.
As was the case last season, the worst in program history, the rest of this campaign hinges on mental abilities more than physical. SDSU has been up and down in different ways so far, sometimes lacking energy or getting quietly discouraged.
That's one reason why McDaniel was encouraged by going 2-2 at Chicago State. The Jacks have played more matches than anybody else in the league yet they found a way – in their third five-set affair in two days – to dig out of a hole and gain a true road win leading into league play.
"It's a process," said McDaniel, an SDSU assistant when the program won the Summit tourney in 2007 during its first year of eligibility. "We have lot of new faces, a lot of young women that are getting quality playing time, and we can't ride the emotional rollercoaster of good point/bad point. It'll all balance itself out if we stay together."
At a Glance
Summary: The Jackrabbits enter conference play with a 6-10 record. Last season the team won just five total games.
Next: at Oral Roberts, 7 p.m. Friday; vs. Fort Wayne, 5 p.m. Sunday