Setting The Bar

When I first arrived at Wayne State, the volleyball program had had one winning season since 1998.  Needless to say, the expectations surrounding the program were not very high.  I believe everyone wants to win, but expecting to win is another story.  We have been working on those expectations every day since March 17, 2008.

At Wayne State, I've received a lot of help in setting the bar high for our program by other teams in the athletic department.  And it seems that the bar gets raised every day.  The women's swimming and diving team recently finished 2nd at the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row, while the men's swimming and diving team finished 3rd after finishing 2nd a year ago.  The softball team is currently ranked 5th nationally, while men's golf is ranked 23rd, and women's tennis has been ranked in the Top 50.

These programs have set the bar very high for not only the volleyball program at Wayne State, but the entire Warrior athletic program.  With success comes some pressure, but pressure is what makes competitive people rise to the occasion.  In today's society, where competition has been removed from many of the schools, and everyone gets a trophy just for showing up, we welcome the competition and the bar that has been set for us.  We know that competition is what makes us better, what pushes us outside our comfort zones and helps us grow as people, and prepares us for the lives that lie ahead of us.  Thank you Warriors!  We are working hard to return the favor.

Summer Camp Dates

Join us for volleyball camp this summer.  We will offer two camps again this year.

The Intermediate Camp runs from July 26-29th from 9 AM - Noon.  The purpose of this camp is to introduce aspiring volleyball players to the game. This camp will help players learn and improve the fundamental techniques of passing, serving, setting, and attacking.  It is for players entering grades 5-9.

The Advanced Camp runs from July 26-29th from 1 PM - 4 PM.  Designed for second year and older high school girls and players entering college, this camp offers instruction and training in the skills and techniques of passing, setting, attacking, serving and defense, as well as advanced team and tactical training.  This camp is for players entering grades 10-12.

Each camp is $100.  Campers receive a camp t-shirt.  Both camps are held at the Matthaei Building on the campus of Wayne State University.

To print a brochure, click here.

Warriors Set Spring Schedule

The Wayne State Warriors will participate in four events this spring.  The first will be April 3rd at Madonna.  The Warriors will then play two events at home the following weekend.  On April 9th, the Warriors will play an Alumni Match at 6 PM, followed on April 10th by the WSU Spring Tournament.  Play will begin at 9 AM on the 10th.  The Warriors will conclude their spring season on April 17th at Bowling Green.

The Warriors have 9 players in practice this spring, including juniors Maureen MacDonald, Katy Westenberg, and Mariel VanOverbeke.  Kristen Miles is the lone sophomore, while there are five freshmen in Kate Sak, Cydney Biessel, Madie Kent, Karlene Foisy, and Lindsey Graciak.

We hope to see you this spring.

Go Warriors!

Warriors Think Pink

As many of you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  This past October, the Wayne State Volleyball team worked to raise money for the Susan G. Komen affiliate at the Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit.  In back to back matches on the weekend of October 9-10th, the Warriors wore pink jerseys in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness.  The team collected donations on campus the week leading up to the matches, while donations were taken at the matches as well.

This past Saturday, the team presented Jodie Wilson from the Komen Foundation with a check to support breast cancer research during the first intermission of the women's hockey game.  While the amount won't make a huge difference by itself, hopefully it will help the cause of finding a cure for breast cancer. 

NCAA Legislation Affects Volleyball

On Saturday, at the annual NCAA Convention, Division II members passed a "Life in the Balance" measure that was put forth by the President's Council.  The package affects all sports at the Division II level, and most importantly impacts volleyball in the following areas:

• Provide a one-week-later date for the first permissible contest in all fall sports (to the Thursday preceding September 6) and a later reporting date for fall-sports student-athletes (17 days before the first permissible contest in soccer, volleyball, cross country and field hockey, and 21 days before the first permissible contest in football). The proposal also applies to golf and tennis for schools in conferences that conduct their lone league championship or most of its conference matches in the fall.
• Reduce the number of contests in soccer from 20 to 18 and the number of matches in volleyball from 28 to 26, effective in August 2010.  The reduction in field hockey contests from 20 to 18 will be effective in August 2011.

The association's goal is to give student athletes the ability to have a greater balance between athletics, academics, and their personal lives.  Division II has really been a leader in looking at the welfare of the student-athletes and the time demands put upon them by their respective sports.  As college athletics continues to grow into big business, hopefully the powers that be in Division I will look at the leadership that Division II has provided in these areas and will work to return college athletics to the student-athletes.

One For The Ages

If you didn't get a chance to watch the Division I Volleyball finals, you missed one of the most amazing championship matches of all time.  I wish I could take credit for putting together this highlight video, but I can't.  It is still enjoyable though and shows some of the great rallies from the match.  Penn State made a huge comeback from being down 0-2 to win their 3rd straight national championship and their 102nd straight match.  As volleyball continues to evolve and improve, the talent gets deeper across the board, and I'm not sure we'll ever see a team dominate the way Penn State has over the last three years. 

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays from the Wayne State Warriors!