SXU Athletics
The women’s volleyball team is having a hard time making a comeback.
With a fairly strong start to the season, the Cougars seem to have lost their rhythm. Following two back-to-back wins, the team lost four consecutive games, three of which were a part of the Julie Martin Memorial Classic at Madonna University in Livonia, Michigan.
The fourth game, a home game, was against Roosevelt University on Sept. 9. The Cougars went on to lose in three sets, 3-1 (25-17, 20-25, 22-25, 20-25). The team fell short due to some communication issues.
“We lost communication in some crucial plays, and that hurt us,” said five-foot-nine defensive specialist and outside hitter Jessica Galotta.
“As a team we could have executed a little bit more,” said the senior education major.
However, the team has recognized their mistakes, and the girls are working to resolve their issues by practicing hard to get back in form.
“We’ve been working really hard in practice to prevent [losing communication] so that we’ll be ready for our next game!” Galotta said.
Even though the Cougars lost to Roosevelt University, which was their first Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) game, there were definitely some remarkable performances from many of the girls, starting with the senior Galotta.
Galotta had seven kills and 13 digs and was great across the board from offense to defense. Marie Hackert, a senior middle hitter, led her team in kills with a total of eight. She also had three blocks, one of which was a solo.
Seniors Kelli Shaffer and Dominique Aramburu had seven digs and a team-high 22 digs, respectively.
Freshman defensive specialist Shauna Meagher led the team with three service aces. Heidi Gregerson’s defense immensely helped the Cougars; she had five blocks and one of those was also a solo block.
Despite the rough patches the team has recently experienced, there is still great hope for the rest of the season as they get things tightened up.
There are 25 games remaining until the opening round of the CCAC Tournament, which gives the girls a lot more time to work out their kinks and also practice what they do best.
“It’s still the beginning of the season so we are trying out new things,” said Galotta.
These new things just may be what the team needs to get ahead of their opponents.
Experimenting with different techniques and plays, as well as the contributing talent from each player, will no doubt help the girls push through to regain their form.
“Our team has 15 great players, and everyone contributes something different,” Galotta said.
This is definitely true! One look at the team’s statistics for this season, and it is evident that each player specializes in something different.
When they all come together, they are a real threat.
The girls are also remaining very optimistic and know they have not tapped into their full potential.
“When we play as a team, we are capable of performing at our highest level. It’s very important that all of us come prepared to every game and focus on what we do best,” said Galotta, a native of Chicago.
Galotta has had quite the volleyball background herself, graduating from Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School, which has one of the best girls volleyball programs in the state. After graduating from McAuley, Galotta played two years of volleyball at Parkland College where she ranked among one of the top players on the team, especially in digs.
Now in her second year at Saint Xavier, Galotta also ranks among the best in digs, taking the number two spot on the team.
The best has yet to come this season for the lady Cougars! The girls have many more exciting CCAC matches, as well as the opportunity to play their biggest rivals, the Cardinal Stritch Wolves and the University of Saint Francis (Illinois) Fighting Saints.
“As for the rest of the season, I’m expecting great things,” said Galotta. “It should be a fun, successful season!”
Next, the team is headed to Bloomington, Illinois, to play in the Illinois Wesleyan University Barker Tournament.
This tournament consists of a total of four games, the first of which is against Aurora University on Friday at 3:30 p.m., followed by Anderson University at 7:30 p.m.
The girls then have two more games on Saturday against Monmouth College at noon and the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology at 2 p.m.
Alexis Flamburis
Sports Correspondent