After a 17-win season in 2022, in which the Hofstra University women’s volleyball team went 14-2 in conference play and finished second overall going into playoffs, the team faces new challenges this year.
In Pursuit of More Than a Ring
Volleyball head coach Emily Mansur posed a difficult question for her team at the start of the preseason: Who are we?
“We were trying to find this personality because we [have] good volleyball players, but we have a bunch of quiet individuals that when they get on the court that’s not changing,” Mansur explained. “So last season was really trying to figure out how to bring this other side of certain players because it’s going to be very hard to win if you don’t have a couple of these wild cards on the court.”
You don’t often hear a coach say that they want not just one person but an entire team to embrace their wild side. It brought Clara Bal out of her shell in her freshman campaign, and it’s just as much unchartered waters for the coaches as it is for the players.
“I never had to talk about it; last year, we always had someone who [was loud],” Mansur said. “For us as a coaching staff, it’s new for us as well, because this never had to be a focus for us before. We always had a natural [vocal] leader that brought that out for everyone. For us to take the next step, I know that’s the one thing we are missing.”
But there’s more to it than being loud. For the coaching staff, this team-building element is essential.
“I never thought in my life as a coach that I would say I need to try to get a group to have fun,” Mansur said. “I know we can train volleyball, but that is not enough when things get hard.”
Her message for the team: Be comfortable with being uncomfortable to increase your chances of playing time.
“Anyone has a chance [to] play right now,” she said. “If someone is willing to get out of their comfort zone, they’re gonna be on the court.”
From the Captains’ Eyes
Co-captain Sarah Pierre is under a different kind of pressure this year – one that her peers can’t relate to just yet – time with a limit.
“It’s kind of like a bittersweet feeling because I’m going through the preseason and then all of a sudden I’m like, ‘Wait, this may be, like, my last season ever,’” the graduate student explained. “It’s been an emotional roller coaster and also making sure that I’m leaving behind something good behind.
So, it stands to reason that she wants this season to be her best. Other than getting the ring, how does one prep oneself for that?
For Pierre, the prep for the 2023 season started this past spring. After a historic 12-game win streak but a contradictory first round, the team was back in the gym almost immediately, meticulously analyzing and dissecting weaknesses.
“We were so close to do[ing] some good stuff,” Mansur said. “We were really ready to get back in the gym and get better.”
But this spring was different.
“It was kind of a flip for the spring season,” Pierre explained. “Usually in the spring the focus is on individual players and getting techniques for [yourself], and in-season is the team focus.”
For the returners, like Pierre and her new co-captain, junior Beatriz Alves, the spring season was a 180-degree turn from what they’ve done in years prior. The team switched up their usual routine, feeling the benefits long before they needed to compete.
“I think it was a positive change from my first spring season that was very individualized work to this spring season that was very team-oriented,” Alves said. “This bonding made it easier to come back after summer break and work as one, so as not to leave gaps for other people to crack.”
While the co-captains might have the same goal – to win it all – Alves has a completely different approach to preseason than Pierre.
“Preseason has been an experimental time for me right now,” Alves said. “I’m trying to adapt and step up in the leadership role. Sarah has been my captain since I got here, and now being part of this leadership role with her, it’s a different point of view, a different side of the coin.
“I’ve been of the mindset of leading, and leading by example, especially [for] Bea, a junior, helping her acclimate so when I do leave, I feel comfortable and content like, OK, she knows how to run things, she knows the tips and ideas that I have,” Pierre said. “I’m excited about just leaving a legacy.”
Other than the pursuit of a ring, what brings these two vastly different women together as leaders?
“I think they buy into what Hofstra Athletics is, not what Hofstra volleyball is,” Mansur said. “They have this mindset of always trying to be better and always trying to take care of the people around them.”
“The captains take care of so many little details that when I was freshman, I [would have] never [thought] of it,” Alves said. “So, I’m really trying to learn all of those details and looking at the team with different eyes, paying attention to things I wouldn’t pay attention to before, especially now that the team is new.”
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
