Kamara White, Staff Writer
The Saint Martin’s Women’s Volleyball team concluded their 2023 fall season with the trajectory of program history at an all-time high. The 2023 season for Saints Volleyball was the winningest season SMU has ever seen from the volleyball program.
With an overall season record of 17 wins and 11 losses, key players Karla Soto (GNAC assist leader and first-team pick), Sirena Peredo (Freshman of the Year), and Emily Garten (Honorable Mention) were recognized by the GNAC conference for their outstanding athletic achievements and contribution to team statistics. This was also the first time in program history that SMU’s players were selected for the GNAC All-Conference Honors.
Having completed the fall season and now halfway through the spring season, the team standard set during the fall is the new foundation to build upon. One new task Saints volleyball has been adjusting to during this spring training session is keeping a high level of competitiveness amongst the team, during a coaching transition.
A coaching transition period is not an ideal situation for a collegiate team, but the Saints have displayed perseverance as a unit. Sophomore, pin hitter, Emery Hansen, thinks that the team keeps their standards high because their culture is unbreakable.
“The coach is not what makes the team. This transition is not going to fracture our culture and it is up to us to stay together and keep working hard,” Hansen said. “We need to focus on the stuff we can control and step up into the leadership roles that are not filled at the moment.
Spring season is the time for individual growth regarding positional work. For the women’s volleyball team, this is crucial for the development of the team going into the fall.
“We focus a lot on individual position-specific work at the beginning and then tie it all together at the end of practices with scrimmaging so we are applying the technical stuff with playing,” Lindelblom explained.
Freshman, pin hitter, Emily Garten, feels that this new territory has provided the team with opportunities to truly grow as players and explore more of their skills during the spring without as much pressure.
“I feel like I have learned to be more independent and to push myself in different areas since we do not have a head coach figure to necessarily do that for us,” Garten said.
The team culture runs strong within the Saints volleyball team despite the coaching transition. Coach Tracie Lindelblom knows that the team mentality has stayed indifferent to the shift in staff.
“We are a culture of grit. We are a culture of never giving up. We are a culture of strong women, “ Coach Tracie Lindelblom said. “I think it shows what a strong unit we have created in the fall and everybody is still driven to be more successful next season and that drive has not gone away because of the coaching changes.”
Lindelblom knows that there is a lot of work to be done to prepare for the upcoming 2024 season. Filling the gaps of players who have concluded their time as Saints on the volleyball court is something that is bound to happen every spring season.
“We need to figure out how to fill those gaps we are missing. We expect to add players to our roster to make us better to push for more wins,” Lindelblom stated. “The voices we are used to hearing from the seniors are gone now. And these need to be filled with the voices of the group we have for the spring.”
Having stepped up to take on the roles of both head and assistant coach for the spring, Coach Lindelblom is proud of the group’s accomplishments up to this point in the school year and cannot wait to see what is done in the upcoming 2024 season.
“I am proud of how we are doing in the classroom, the relationships that are growing outside of volleyball with other SMU programs, and the way the level of commitment to each other off the court is as strong as it is on the court,” Lindelblom said. “We have not reached our maximum potential yet.”
With being in charge since the start of the spring season, Coach Lindelblom is also adjusting to the coaching shift as well. There is a lot more than meets the eye that goes on behind the scenes of an athletic program than merely watching the players play.
“There is so much intensive planning and preparation that goes into running a program. There are practice plans, lots of paperwork, recruiting, and fall schedule planning,” Lindelblom said. “I’m here in the office usually every day and weekends from 9:30 in the morning until about 6:30, answering texts and emails.”
With the transition causing many new roles to be stepped into, the team delves into working on their mental strength skills. During the spring, the team found solidarity within something they all found themselves affected by working with their mental coach, Raffy Colon.
“Having that option available with Raffy coming in when times are tough is really beneficial for us,” Garten mentioned. “It’s a great outlet for our team and I think… the things that he’s given us to work on have also really helped me in my confidence,” Hansen added.
Overall the SMU women’s volleyball team is looking forward to developing the group they have for the upcoming fall season and looking to continue the successful season they had this past fall despite the transitions they are facing now. With strong mental skills, an unbreakable team culture, and new additions coming to the roster, the volleyball team is ready for whatever comes their way.
The Belltower 