LC volleyball completes first part of conference play with winning record

Lewis and Clark volleyball in full swing of conference play with an overall record of 8 Wins and 7 losses

Volleyball comes out of the first round of conference play 

After their first round of play, the Lewis & Clark women’s volleyball team has had eight wins and seven losses with a conference record of 3-4.

Head Volleyball Coach Emily Hayes is pleased with how the season has gone so far. 

“We have played some tough competition and we had some injuries at the beginning of the year that weren’t ideal,” Hayes said. “We have fought with some of the best competition in the conference and it shows. (We lost to) two tough teams, the University of Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran (University), who are both incredible … but those matches could have gone either way.”

Inspired by the increasing skill of the team’s play and ability to compete with highly ranked teams, Hayes hopes to finish the season strong. 

Hayes sees a variety of strengths in the team this year, including their versatility in ability and maturity on and off the court. 

“Every single player on our team plays more than one position … that allows us a ton of strength across the front row as well as the back row,” Hayes said. “(The team is) also really young, but mature, at the same time. We’re able to be incredibly in tune during matches while also handle stressful situations.”

Defensive Specialist Blythe Ballesteros ’20 loves the comradery between her teammates. Being the only senior on the team, Ballesteros enjoys being a role model while creating lasting memories. 

“I love playing with the girls on my team,” Ballesteros said via email.  “LC volleyball is really one big family. We support each other so much on and off the court. Overall we have had some really good games and we take our losses as learning moments to better ourselves for future games.”

Ballesteros is impressed with the dedication of her team and the growth mindset that has propelled them through the season so far. 

For the rest of the season, she looks forward to the team improving as individuals and playing together as a unit. 

“Our overall goal is to better ourselves and consistently compete to the best of our ability,” Balesteros said. “We are putting in a lot of hard work every day and it shows during games.”

Ashley Kane ’23 applied to LC and joined the team after Hayes reached out to her.

Kane is excited by how the season has gone so far and how the team has come together. The quick bonding with her teammates has made her transition to college easier. 

“(The team) is really showing we have that fight mentality,” Kane said.  “Any games we lose are close and all the games we win are sweeps. We really trust each other on the court. We know how to play together and what works so we can use that to our advantage.”

The next home game is on Saturday, Oct. 19 against Pacific University.