Occidental’s volleyball team picked up one win and two losses at UC Santa Cruz’s annual Slug Slam tournament on the weekend of Aug. 30. Many of the team’s top performers were first years, including Jasmine Shum (first year), who was named to the UC Santa Cruz All-Tournament Team.
Captain Ariana Carranza (senior) said the volleyball team has eight first-year players as well as a new transfer student.
“At some points in the game, there’s only newcomers on the court, which is a lot of pressure for them,” Carranza said. “But I think all the newcomers really stepped up in this tournament. They really proved to the team, to the coaches and to the people we were playing against why they were the ones chosen to be playing.”
The tournament consisted of three games against the University of Redlands, Lewis & Clark and UC Santa Cruz. Occidental lost the first game to Redlands 25-21, 25-12, 25-20.
“Redlands is a team that we see in the SCIAC, so this was a pretty big deal for us, especially because [Redlands] is a team that we’re actually going to face two more times [this] year,” Carranza said.
According to Head Coach Emily Foster, the team had a meeting before their game against Lewis & Clark to discuss takeaways from the Redlands game. Occidental swept Lewis & Clark in three straight sets 25-20, 25-18, 25-20.
“I think we’re all a bit disappointed with our performance in [the game against Redlands],” Foster said. “Against Lewis & Clark we came out a lot better, played a lot better overall and executed better.”
Carranza said the goal going into the Lewis & Clark match was to forget the negative emotions from the Redlands game and instead to learn from the loss.
“We came to the Lewis & Clark game on fire,” Carranza said. “That just showed how great our team did at responding to a negative situation, fighting back and doing something really good with it.”
Eliana Channell (senior) said it was challenging to go into a second game after a loss, but she was proud of the grit and fortitude shown by the team. She said they were able to carry that grit into a close match against UC Santa Cruz, despite Occidental’s loss to UC Santa Cruz 27-25, 25-22, 21-25, 25-22.
“I was […] happy with how we played that game, but I was really upset that we lost that game as well,” Channel said. “The sets were so close.”
The tournament’s top five performers included Sloane Shoop (first year), Eyleen Sanchez (junior), Kendall Taylor (sophomore), Shum and Channell. According to upperclassmen Carranza and Channell, the first years have quickly adapted to the collegiate level of play.
“[Shum is] really special,” Foster said. “She’ll be a really big star.”
According to Carranza, the returners have been doing a good job at welcoming the new players and meshing with their playing styles.
“Playing with a new team is also pretty challenging when you lost some girls from last year who you were always playing with, and now you’re playing next to someone who’s just starting to get to know the team dynamic,” Carranza said. “So I also give that to the returners. They were doing a very good job at being able to trust [the new players] and communicate well with them on the court.”
Channell said she has appreciated having a bigger squad, as the team is now able to play a full scrimmage.
“I think they’ve adapted so well. We just kind of integrated,” Channell said. “They match the vibes. They bring a lot of positivity to the team, and they bring a lot of skill. Practices are a lot more competitive when you can play six on six with subs.”
Channell said with the fortitude the team fostered throughout the tournament, she has high hopes for the upcoming season and seasons to come, even after she graduates.
“A lot of these new people really add to the positivity that we bring as a team and how fun it is to go to practice every day and play with your friends,” Channell said. “I think that that’s not going to be any different this year, and I hope that that’s something that we can maintain once I’m gone.”
Carranza said that as an LA local, she is excited to be able to watch the team continue to grow after she graduates, especially under Foster’s leadership.
“[The freshmen have] just been killing it statistically and on the court with personal connections,” Carranza said. “They’re just so good, and I’m so proud of them. It makes me feel really good about how this season is going to be, and then future seasons. I can’t even imagine how they’re going to be when they’re seniors. They’re going to be insane.”
Contact Quinn Sumerlin at sumerlin@oxy.edu
