The Wildcat volleyball team opened Western Athletic Conference play with two losses but will look to right the ship on Saturday.
The team’s first conference loss came in a three-set match at Utah Valley University. The second came in a four-set loss at California Baptist University on Sept. 27.
Head Coach Ijeoma Moronu Alstrup said these were both games the team could have won if a few things had been corrected.
“I think that we just discovered that we have things to work on on our side of the ball,” she said. “I think we’re very capable of winning against both of the two teams, which is what makes it more frustrating. But it’s also a positive because we know that if we can clean things up on our side of the court, we can get better results.”
Aubrey Beaver, junior outside hitter from Murrieta, California, has been a key weapon for the Wildcats so far this season, as she leads the team in kills and total attacks.
However, Beaver said the abilities of others on the team allow her to have the success she’s seen throughout the start of the season.
“It comes down to how many weapons we have on our team, and there’s a lot of people to worry about,” Beaver said. “So a lot of times you can kind of slip through the cracks and get a big seam. If the middle pulls the other middle, I get a huge seam, and I get the kill. So it’s like I’m getting a kill, but really everyone is.”
The next game for the Wildcats is on Saturday when they travel to face the reigning WAC champions – the University of Texas at Arlington.
While the UTA team has a different look than last year, it is still part of a winning culture, Moronu Alstrup said.
“Any team in this conference can beat any team in this conference,” she said. “UTA is obviously a good team and has had a lot of success in the last couple of years. So it is a program that knows how to win. So on our side, just recognizing that we need to take care of our side if we want to be able to compete against that.”
While Beaver transferred from Cal State-Fullerton and was not a part of Moronu Alstrup’s squad last year, she still agreed that if the Wildcats can focus on their side of the court, anyone can win the game.
“It doesn’t matter if they won the conference last year,” Beaver said. “It’s a whole new team. We have a whole new team. It’s just like who can be the best on that day that we play. If we take care of our side and our errors, I think we’ll get the job done.”
Despite starting conference 0-2 and having a losing record in non-conference play, Moronu Alstrup is confident about where her team stands moving forward.
“There’s still a lot more to see from this team,” Moronu Alstrup said. “I’m excited to see how they respond after this week at home.”
