Trojans serving up wins in ACAC
It’s one thing to talk the talk, but walking it is an entirely different matter.
The SAIT women’s volleyball team experienced that early this 2016-17 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference campaign — early enough to turn things around dramatically.
A season that began at 0-3 has done a “180” and now sees the Trojans sporting a 9-3 record — tied for second in the South Division.
These days, it isn’t sugar-plums dancing in their heads. It’s the thought of an elusive top-three finish, something they haven’t done in the ACAC since SAIT won a bronze medal in 1987-88.
“We played a couple of the top-ranked teams right off the bat and we got into the season not necessarily in the best circumstances,’’ said their fifth-year, recordsetting outside hitter Megan Brennan. “We knew we should have fought a little harder and we came off the court and everyone was, ‘We have it in us,’ and one of them just turned to us and said, ‘We need to stop saying we have it in us and just do it.’ That’s kind of when the dynamics of practice got more competitive and we went on that winning streak.”
And the confidence kept growing, according to Trojans’ head coach Art O’Dwyer.
“The competition made a difference, but then we just settled in to how we wanted to play and did a really good job of executing a game plan,” he said. “I was expecting a bit of a mental slump at some point because that’s a lot of weeks in a row to keep your focus.”
The SAIT squad is a nice blend of veterans and talented newcomers, but there is no question they rely on the 5-foot-7 Brennan, who last year became the ACAC all-time kills leader and holds the school mark for kills, digs and service aces.
“When she first came, it was her playing ability that made the difference,” O’Dwyer said of Brennan. “She’s an outstanding player, obviously, the records she’s broken. But what I’m seeing more of now is her leadership. She made a comment the other day that sums it up: she said, ‘Girls, if I get more than 15 kills in a match, we don’t win. We need you as a team.’ She’s also done a great job of raising the profile of our sport and sport in general at SAIT.”
It’s hoped that the Christmas break — as much as it’s been desired — won’t quash the momentum that’s been built up on court.
“It’s a little bittersweet,” Brennan conceded. “Our compete in practice is pretty good, so it’s like we’re playing a high-level team constantly. Everyone has that exact thought in their mind, is this going to ruin our momentum, so everyone’s prepared to put in the work and make sure that we come out and win right off the bat in the next semester.”
“I am a little concerned because we haven’t played a long, tough match in quite a while,” O’Dwyer, in his sixth season at the helm, pointed out.