Marauders have high hopes for next year

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By: John Bauer

Two weeks after his McMaster women’s volleyball team was eliminated in the OUA quarterfinals, the loss still stings for head coach Tim Louks. Coming off last year’s OUA championship season and sitting atop the west at 15-4, the squad seemed poised to make another trip to the OUA finals at very least.

A Western Mustangs squad that seemed to find new life in the home stretch of the season put an abrupt end to those aspirations. Louks could not hide his disappointment at the way the 2014-15 campaign ended. “Did we have our sight set on finish at a higher level? I think so... I don’t think it’s been successful. I think there’s been success. So we go forward from here,” said Louks.

The team rolled through its west division foes in the regular season, with all four losses coming to OUA West teams. The high point of the campaign was no doubt the resounding 3-1 win over Guelph in late November, leading into an undefeated showing at the National Invitational Tournament over the exam break. Due to scheduling quirk however, they would only play three teams over .500 over the last nine games of the regular season. While he does not want to use the schedule as an excuse, Louks acknowledges that, “A better schedule wouldn’t hurt.”

Louks’ squad was led by first-team divisional all-stars Joanna Jedrezjewska, Taylor Brisebois, and Lauren Mastroluisi. He identified second team all-star Maicee Sorensen, however, as the player that impressed him the most for both her on-court play and her resiliency: “Getting a second team after being a rookie last year, I think that’s performance continuity,” Louks said.

“I think that’s pretty impressive for Maicee to get a broken finger in Windsor and play in that Western match. It says a lot for that kid. That’s performance— to be able to get through an injury, probably in her opinion as trivial as it might have been, and be able to compete in that match and compete well.

Two rookies were also singled out by their coach for their perseverance through injuries. He believes that the improvement in his tall outside hitter, Ina Onat, is “moving as fast as anyone,” after her return from concussion issues that kept her out most of the year. Middle Jill Eisnehauer was another player that caught his eye. Though injuries limited her to seven games, Louks felt that she could compete at the highest level.

As the team completes end-of-year fitness testing and debriefing, Louks wants one main message to resonate with his players. He said the team’s offseason goal as a unit should be “delineating between playing, participating and competing. I use playing and participating in the same beat, but that’s definitely not competing. Are we good enough? I think you have the answer to that optically. We’re not. I’m not just gearing that towards one match. I thought we were up and down a lot.”

That being said, he wants to make sure the team keeps the most important goal in mind: “It’s still just a game,” he said. “It still should be a lot of fun.”

The team will say “goodbye” to at least two older players come next season. Graduate student and dependable setter Lauren Carter exhausted her eligibility this season, and four-year veteran liberio Melanie Walsh is expected to graduate this summer. Filling their roster spots on the team will be recruits Michelle Chelladurai and Rachel Woock. Louks is excited in particular by the height Woock will bring to his lineup.

One of the bigger issues for the team going forward will be a logjam at the outside hitter position. Louks looks to have seven players at his disposal to fill two or three roster spots. He sees this as a potential positive, however: “They’ll have to battle for some of those changes a little bit which is hopefully healthy competition,” he said. “I believe it can be healthy if interpreted in the correct fashion.”

As players and coaching staff go their separate ways for the offseason, the team will remain united by the common goal of looking for a measure of redemption next year. “I don’t believe we were prepared for that [quarterfinal] match,” said Louks. “And that preparation begins in May.” His team is relatively young, and he believes that one of the key elements they are lacking is a belief in themselves. The way the players respond the final game of the season over the spring and summer will likely set the tone for next year. “The inspiration comes from internal stuff. If our team responds over the offseason to [the Western loss], I think that’s inspirational.”

With nearly half a year to prepare for the 2015-16 campaign, it is clear that Louks wants the whole team to know exactly what must be done to prepare for opening night. “Have you gone through those meaningful opportunities and repetitions before you arrived at [the biggest game of the year]? I say without hesitation [this year] we did not,” said Louks. “Can we get that in? And is going to make the difference? I’ve gotta think yes and yes.”

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