Co-captains of the Occidental women’s volleyball team Georgia Schmidt (senior) and Ariana Carranza (junior) said that last spring, the two of them were left to organize and hold the team’s open gym practices on their own — their head coach Heather Collins had quit in January after 12 years leading the program.
“It almost felt like she’d given up just a little bit,” Schmidt said. “We went over everything in the spring schedule that night and then she told us she’s retiring. Then she said, ‘Congratulations, Ari and Georgia, you’re captains.’”
The new head women’s volleyball head coach is Emily Foster, who previously served as the head coach at St. Olaf College for seven years.
According to Foster, The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) is known as one of the best conferences in the country for Division III.
“Occidental is right in a hotbed of volleyball, one of the best clubs in the country is literally ten minutes away,” Foster said. “I know I can provide student athletes with an experience they are not going to get in many other places in the country, and being able to say that with integrity to recruits and their families is really important to me.”
In addition to losing a coach last spring, the roster temporarily decreased from 13 to nine players when outside hitters Lizzy Kerman ’24 and Skye Garcia ’24 graduated and setter Camille Thé (junior) and defensive specialist Eloise Chang (sophomore) did not return to the team. According to Captain U, the average women’s Division III team has about twice that many players, 17 being the average statistic.
Indoor volleyball matches are six-on-six, which would have left the team with only two substitutes, assuming all the athletes were healthy and the team was using one defensive specialist. With their decrease in numbers last spring, the team was left with just three outside hitters, three middle blockers, three defensive specialists and had no setters, opposite side hitters or liberos.
Foster successfully recruited eight first-year players to the team, bringing the roster for the Fall 2024 season from nine players up to 17. With four of the eight new players able to play two positions, the team now has three setters, five outside hitters, four middle blockers, one opposite side hitter, six defensive specialists and two liberos.
According to Foster, the season started Aug. 16 with a week of pre-season for the new team to get to know each other.
“Right now I’m mostly working on building trust,” Foster said.
According to Schmidt, Foster is already pulling through on her commitment to love and purpose.
“She loves volleyball and loves us, honestly,” Schmidt said. “She wants us to perform to the best of our ability.”
Foster said her approach to practice is solidifying each player’s existing foundation and helping them learn how to best play with and for each other.
Elizabeth Sonza (junior) said the competitiveness and intensity of their practices has improved through these coaching tactics.
“Emily really emphasizes that we have to be where our feet are in the gym,” Sonza said. “We have to bring the energy to each practice.”
According to Sonza, Foster mixes competitive games into practices while still maintaining a focus on the mental side of the sport.
“She has us sign in to practice on a whiteboard,” Sonza said. “It’s cute but it really helps me get focused. I sign in when I’m ready to play.”
Foster said she also believes strongly in team bonding.
“You’re able to reach your potential and play more freely if you have a culture of emotional vulnerability,” Foster said.
According to Sonza, Foster has organized ice cream socials, s’mores nights and had the girls do martial arts training together, which has translated to their performance.
“There’s energy on the court now” Sonza said.
Foster said she has high expectations for the team this season.
“We want to form a legacy,” Foster said.
Contact Grace Gonsalves at gonsalves@oxy.edu
