Cedarville University Yellow Jackets

This past weekend of volleyball here at Cedarville was amazing! We played some very good volleyball, celebrated the seniors on “Senior Day,” and clinched the #4 seed in the 2022 G-MAC Tournament!!

On Friday evening, we started our game day festivities with a pre-game devotional from Dr. Erin Shaw in the team room. Dr. Shaw talked about friendships and how to cultivate healthy friendships. We then headed to the locker room and training room to gear up for our match against Kentucky Wesleyan University! Although we lost the first set 27-25, we started the match pretty strong! We were not discouraged, and we fought hard throughout the rest of the match to win the last three sets. There was an atmosphere on the court that we were going to win the match no matter what! There was grit, tenacity, and confidence in each member of our team! Overall, it was a great match!!

On Saturday afternoon we played Trevecca Nazarene University for our “Senior Day.” We lost to Trevecca earlier in the season, so we were determined to beat them this time! At 10 a.m., we had our scouting report in the team room. After that, we had our pre-game devotional from Mrs. Joy White. She talked about how we should lean on God when making major life decisions. Then, we headed to our locker room and the team SURPRISED us seniors by decorating the locker room and the gym! They also gave us a little gift and each one of them wrote us a very kind and thoughtful letter. I will cherish these letters forever!!! (p.s., it is so hard for us seniors to read these letters without crying because our teammates mean so much to us and we are going to miss them and CUVB so much :). They made us feel so loved on this day!

Overall, our match against Trevecca was SO much fun!! We competed well the entire match and played confidently and consistently as a team! We won the match in four sets, and this win secured us the fourth seed in the G-MAC Tournament!! :)

I would say that our “Senior Day” could not have been more perfect! Our teammates made us feel so loved, we played some great volleyball and won a very competitive match, and we were surrounded by so many friends and family that we love! This day will always be one of my favorite memories from my time with Cedarville Volleyball.

As I close this blog post, I want to say that we as a team have some great momentum going into the G-MAC Tournament, and I am excited to see how well we are going to do!! Our goal going into the tournament is to just go out there and play like we know how to. We play our best volleyball when we are confident in ourselves, our abilities, and our teammates. We are also challenging ourselves to have the mind set of being in the moment and getting it done during the match.

We play Trevecca Nazarene University again in the G-MAC Quarterfinals on Thursday evening. We are excited to take on this challenge and are looking forward to repeating what we did on Saturday :)

Thanks for following along!!

Mal (#13)


October 31, 2022

Hello Jacket Fans!

This past weekend we had two matches. On Friday night, we played Ashland University. We knew that they were going to be tough competition, so we were ready to compete! Although we lost to them in three sets, there were some great moments in the match. We fought hard each set and were neck-and-neck with them each set until about the 16-to-17 point mark. We need to work on finishing the set strong and not letting up or getting comfortable. After the match, we went to Chipotle for dinner and then headed to our hotel in Tiffin.

The next morning, we had breakfast and our scouting report at the hotel. Then, we headed to Tiffin University for our 11:00 a.m. match. We started off the match very slow, and we never got into a good rhythm. We lost the match in four sets, which was honestly a very discouraging loss. It was discouraging because we did not play to the ability that we all knew we could. After the match, we got Marco’s Pizza for dinner and headed back to campus.

 

Overall, this was not the best weekend of volleyball. However, we are determined to have a great week of practice this week leading up to our final two regular season matches!! Which is crazy, I can’t believe this season is almost over :(  We are ready to work hard and finish strong!!

We also had some VERY EXCITING NEWS THIS WEEKEND – our girl Riley Hensley (who is a senior right side hitter on the team) got ENGAGED!!! Her fiancé is Jared Zacharias, who is the senior goalkeeper on the men’s soccer team. After Jared proposed to Riley, we had a surprise engagement party for them with the volleyball team and the men’s soccer team!! It was such a sweet time celebrating them!!

Thanks for following along this week :)

Mal (#13)


October 24, 2022

Hello again!

This past weekend was Fall Break at the ‘Ville! We had one match on Friday evening against Ohio Dominican University, and then we had Saturday and Sunday off from volleyball to relax :) It was such a FUN weekend full of festivities!

On Thursday evening after practice, our Athletic Trainer Laura Weaver had us over to her apartment for a “Fall Feast.” She made pasta, chicken parmesan, pretzel bites, pumpkin bread, banana bread, apple bread, and SO much more!! AND it was all homemade and very delicious! We are so thankful for Laura and Liz for all that they do for us both on and off the court!!
 

Later that day, we headed to Callan to start our pre-game activities before our match against Ohio Dominican University that night. We had our pre-game devotional, ate dinner at Chuck’s, and then got ready to head out onto the court! After a long week of practice, we were ready to compete hard and just play! We started the game off STRONG and competed throughout the whole match! We were consistent, and whether we were up or down on the scoreboard, it didn’t matter. We were determined to win that match. We won all three sets and SWEPT ODU!! Overall, it was a great match!!

As I mentioned earlier, we had both Saturday and Sunday off this past weekend. This was our first weekend off since we started the season, so it was such a nice time to rest and partake in things we don’t usually get to do! Some girls went home to visit family, some girls stayed around here and hung out with each other, and a couple of girls went to watch their boyfriends play soccer or football! My fiancé was in town this past weekend and we got our engagement photos taken in Columbus on Sunday!

Overall, this past weekend was very fun and restful! The weather was also BEAUTIFUL, and the changing colors of the leaves are breathtaking! Recently, I have been reminded of our Father’s goodness and grace through admiring His creation.

Thanks for following along!

Mal (#13)


October 17, 2022

Hi Cedarville Volleyball Family!

This past weekend we headed over to Hammond, Indiana for the annual Midwest Region Crossover tournament. This is a tournament where teams from the G-MAC, GLVC, and GLIAC conferences play each other. It is always such a fun time because there is great competition, and we have the opportunity to play teams that we have never played before!

On Thursday afternoon, we packed up the bus and headed over to Hammond. We arrived at the sports complex at around 6 p.m. for a quick practice to get acclimated to the court. Our practice consisted of run throughs, serve receive, hitting lines, and one set to 15 points. After practice, we headed to Noodles and Company for team dinner. We then had our scouting report when we got back to the hotel, and then headed to bed! We knew that the competition this weekend was going to be great, and we knew that the matches were going to be a battle. We were excited for the challenge!!
  After our match against Ferris, we went to Red Mango for smoothies and acai bowls! We then went back to the hotel for a couple hours to chill and do homework. During that break, I was able to spend time with my parents who had come to watch us play for the weekend. We got coffee, hung out in the hotel lobby, and even did a little wedding planning :)  Most of the team worked on homework, and some girls died their hair pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Before our next match of the day against Rockhurst University, we had another scouting report and then headed to McCallister’s for our pre-game meal!

Our match against Rockhurst on Friday evening was a battle! It started off slow, as we lost the first set 25-15. However, we did not give up! We went neck-and-neck with them in the second set but fell just short losing the match 25-23. We continued to fight hard and won the third set 26-24!! We continued to compete, but Rockhurst came back and won the fourth set 25-22. This was a very competitive match. We had some highs and lows during the match, but overall, we competed well! After the match, we headed to MOD Pizza for dinner! Then, we went back to the hotel and went to bed!

On Saturday morning, we had breakfast and went over the scouting report at the hotel. We then headed to the sports complex for our match against Michigan Technological University that afternoon. We lost this match in three sets. Honestly, it was not a great match. It felt a bit chaotic on the court, and it was a mental struggle. After the match, we showered and went to Potbelly for sandwiches before we headed back to campus.

Overall, there were many highs and lows to this weekend. We had some very great moments and plays, and times where we were competing hard. However, there were also some rough moments when we weren’t being the team we know how to be. We are working on being more consistent and confident in our abilities! Through it all, we are growing closer with one another daily. This team is truly so special to me, and I am trying to soak up every moment I have left!

See you next week :)

Mal (#13)


October 10, 2022

Hello again, Jacket Fans!

I hope you are doing well :) We had another wonderful week and weekend of volleyball here at Cedarville!

We started the week with three great practices leading up to our weekend matches at Ursuline and Lake Erie. Our Tuesday practice focused a lot on jumping, which consisted of blocking and hitting drills. Our Wednesday practice focused on defense and consisted of many conditioning drills. Finally, we finished up our week of practice on Thursday with a focus on serve receive and team play. After our practice on Thursday, some of my teammates and I headed over to Cedarville High School to support the volleyball team in their match against their rival school! It was such a fun time!
 
The next morning, we had team breakfast in the hotel at 10 a.m. After that, we had our scouting report with our coaches. Then we had a little break before lunch to work on homework and chill in the hotel rooms. We then had our pre-game lunch at Panera! It was a nice morning being able to sleep in a little bit and work on a little homework before the match! After lunch, we headed over to Lake Erie College for our match at 5 p.m. The match started off a little shaky, as we lost the first set 25-17. However, we only used that as fuel for the next three sets. We came back and won the second set 25-16, the third set 25-21, and the fourth set 25-22. We battled throughout the match! We took it one point at a time and chipped away until the finish! After the match, we headed to Chick-fil-A for dinner and ice cream. Most of us tried the new Autumn Spice Milkshake, which was amazing!!

Overall, this past weekend was super fun! With our match being later on Saturday, we were able to spend more time as a team in the hotel together. This allowed for more quality time spent with one another, which I cherish! Our team truly feels like one big happy family :) We all get along so well with one another, and we always have fun!

Thanks for following along!

See you next week :)

Mal (#13)


October 4, 2022

Hey Jacket Fans!
 

Our week started off with an away match against Ohio Dominican University on Tuesday evening. This was the first three-set SWEEP of the season!! We started the match off strong, played consistently throughout the whole match, and finished the match very strong! No matter if we were up or down on the scoreboard, we fought for every point like it was match point! After the match, we headed to Piada for dinner (a fan favorite) and then went to Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream for our road-win treat :)

Following that match, we had two great practices leading up to our Homecoming Weekend matches! This is the first time that my fellow seniors and I have had home matches on Homecoming Weekend, so we were excited to experience it!! On Friday we started off our game day festivities with a pre-game devotional from Teresa Clark, who is the former Cedarville volleyball coach, a professor in the School of Allied Health, and our Faculty Athletic Representative. It was such an enriching time listening to her talk about using the sport of volleyball to evangelize and share the gospel.

Our match against Hillsdale did not start off well. We lost the first set 25-11. However, we did not give up after that. We rebounded from that set and won both the second and third sets 25-17 and 27-25! We fell just short in the fourth set, only losing by two points. However, we kept our momentum, and we were not discouraged! We fought hard in the fifth set and won 15-11!! This was an amazing accomplishment, as our win ended Hillsdale’s 78-match G-MAC regular season winning streak!! Throughout the whole match, we played with confidence and consistency. We stepped up to the challenge and competed for every point!! It was an amazing match, and we had great fans cheering us on the entire night! After the match, we had our annual “Candy Walk” where we passed out candy to the fans after the match. This was a fun time interacting with our fans!

Saturday morning, we had a team meeting to discuss our game plan for our match against Findlay later that day. After the team meeting, we headed to the gym to watch the first annual alumni game! Before the game, we met the CUVB alumni players and connected with them. This was such a fun time to reconnect with some of the alumni that I played with my freshman year, as well as meet the other alumni for the first time! I am excited for this new tradition!!

Before our match against Findlay, we had our pre-game devotional from Erica Smith, who works in the Nursing Department at Cedarville and is Coach Smith’s wife. She talked to us about the importance of not only the volleyball program’s impact, but more importantly the kingdom impact that we are having. She challenged us to think more about what kind of kingdom impact we are having through Cedarville volleyball. Unfortunately, we lost our match against Findlay in four sets. There were some great plays and rallies in the game; however, we just could not execute some crucial plays.

Overall, we are encouraged by our performance this week/weekend! We have proven just how good we are capable of playing, which is so exciting!! I can’t wait to see how the rest of our season goes :)

Thanks for following along!

With love,

Mal (#13)


September 26, 2022

Hey Cedarville Volleyball Family!

This past week we played Ashland University at home on Tuesday night and had three great practices leading up to our exciting match against Northwood University on Saturday. I am so excited to share with you how this all went!

On Tuesday, we had Dr. Scott Dixon lead our pre-game devotional. He had two main points for us: (1) volleyball is not my Savior, Jesus is, and (2) volleyball is one way that I can worship my Savior. This was such a great reminder that volleyball is simply a way in which we can worship Jesus! It was a good time discussing what this looks like as a team. Our match against Ashland started out well, as we went back and forth with them for a bit in the first set. However, they pulled away and won the first set 25-15. We weren’t giving up yet, and we came back ready to fight in the second set. We competed hard that set but lost by just two points with a score of 26-24. Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep up and Ashland won the third set 25-15. Although this wasn’t the outcome that we were hoping for, we were not discouraged. We knew that they were a good team, and we were going to take what we learned from that match and put it into practice.

At the start of Wednesday’s practice, we took some time to talk about what the word “compete” meant to us as a team. We all wrote on a whiteboard what it meant to us in 3-4 words, and then we decided on a definition as a team. Talking through this as a team and explaining what competing meant to us was very beneficial. I believe that it helped each player’s mind set towards competition and allowed us to all be on the same page. We were unified on what our goal was when it came to  competing. This set the stage for a great week of practice. Our practices were fun, competitive, and challenging! We all fought hard and pushed one another to get better. We had three great practices leading up to our away match at Northwood University on Saturday!

We packed up the Cedarville bus and headed for Michigan on Friday evening after practice! We got in late, but we were able to sleep in a little bit on Saturday morning. For our pre-game lunch, we ate at Panera. (Panera never fails!) We then headed to Northwood for our match! We started the match very strong, winning the first two sets 25-18 and 25-16. Northwood came back and won the third set 25-22; however, we came back again and won the fourth set 25-19! This was such an amazing game! We competed, played consistently, and we had a confidence both on and off the court that we were going to win no matter what! On the court, we trusted ourselves and our abilities, and our teammates and their abilities. We fought hard every single point while remaining calm and consistent. We even had a little dance circle when there was a break in the game due to an error with the books! This was fun, and it shows that we were having fun and playing loose that match! After the match against Northwood, we got dinner at Noodles & Company and ice cream at Great Lakes Ice Cream Company! The ice cream was homemade and was wonderful!

Overall, this past weekend was a great weekend for the team! We had a great win against Northwood, and we proved to ourselves that we can play consistently, competitively, and confidently!

I am looking forward to our match at Ohio Dominican University on Tuesday, as well as our Homecoming Weekend matches this Friday and Saturday! I hope to “CU at the Match” this coming weekend :)

Much love,

Mal (#13)


September 21, 2022

Hey CU Jackets!

This past weekend we traveled to Kentucky Wesleyan on Friday and Trevecca Nazarene on Saturday for two away conference matches.

After a week of practice, we loaded up the buses and headed to Kentucky Wesleyan for our Friday night match. We started off the night very strong, winning set one 25-13! During this set, we took it one point at a time and competed for every ball. We played consistently, and when we got a lead on the other team, we did not let up. Rather, we pushed to make that lead even greater! Unfortunately, in set two, we got too comfortable and tense. We lost that set, as well as set three. However, in sets four and five, we turned things around and won the match! There were highs and lows to the match, but I am glad that we were able to persevere and continue to fight in sets four and five. After the match, we got Chipotle for dinner and drove to our hotel for the night.

The next morning, we got breakfast at the hotel and had our scouting report with our coaches. We then went to Panera for our pre-game lunch and then headed to Trevecca Nazarene University for our afternoon match! Again, we started off the match strong, winning set one 25- 23. Unfortunately, we lost the last three sets, and therefore the match. Although this loss was frustrating, we are not discouraged! We know that we are a talented team, we just need to get better at the mental side of the game. We are working on truly being confident in ourselves and our teammates, and creating a fun and competitive court atmosphere!

On the way home, we got Chick-fil-A for dinner. Also, when we stopped for gas, Coach Smith bought a bag of Cadbury Caramello Chocolates for the team to share. He had heard that some of us had never had them before, and he thought that we needed to try them! They were delicious :)

Thanks for following along this week!

With love,

Mal (#13)


September 12, 2022

Hey Cedarville Volleyball Fans!

This past week was full of three home G-MAC matches! Last Tuesday we played Tiffin University, this past Friday we played Walsh University, and Saturday we played Malone University. It was so much fun playing on our home court in front of our fans! We are so thankful to have started the season off with so many home matches!

If you have followed this Cedarville Volleyball blog for a while now, you probably know what our “honorary coaches” are. However, if you are new here, I want to introduce you to them! Before each match, we have a pre-game devotional with an “honorary coach” that the team chooses. We as a team reach out to professors, staff, and faculty here at the university that have had an impact on us, and we ask them if they want to be a part of our match day. They are responsible for a pre-game devotional, pre-game prayer in the gym right before our match, and they even can sit on the bench with us if they would like! The community here at Cedarville is amazing, and I believe that this is such a special tradition that the CUVB program has! It is so cool to hear from so many different people who work at the university! It is also great to have a reminder before each home match that we play volleyball to ultimately glorify God.

This past Tuesday, we started our game day festivities with a pre-game devotional from our honorary coach Dr. Daryl Smith, who works in the business department here at Cedarville. We started the night off strong winning the first set 25-19. In the second set, we got a little too comfortable and fell just short losing the set 26-24. However, we came back and won both the third and fourth sets 25-19 and 25-15, respectively. It felt great to get the first conference win! Throughout that match, we played consistently, took it one point at a time, and maintained a competitive mind set.

On Friday, we geared up again for a match against Walsh University. We knew that they were going to be a solid team and great competition, but we were ready for the challenge! The first set was a battle, but we fell just short losing the match 28-26. However, we were not going to give up. We fought hard in the second and third sets, winning them both 25-16 and 25-19. We were in a great rhythm as a team, and we were competing! Unfortunately, Walsh came back and finished the match winning the next two sets. This was a very frustrating loss because we know that we could have won—we were right there! After the match, we had a productive team discussion about how we cannot become complacent during the match. We cannot stop competing until the entire match is over!

The next day, we were ready to take on Malone University! Our goal was to take what we learned from Friday’s match and apply it to our match that day. We started off very strong and won the first set 25-16. We started the second set off strong and had a very big lead. We let them come back a little bit, but we finished the set winning it 25-21. However, in the third set, we fell just short and lost 26-24. We knew that we should have finished the third set on top, so we used that as motivation to finish the match winning the fourth set 25-23. This was a great conference win!

Overall, I believe that this past week of practice and matches was a great learning experience for our team. We have seen improvement in some areas of our play, and we have also revealed other areas we need to work on. What a great place to be at the start of our season! Our team is full of competitive, passionate, and hard-working young women who are ready to keep fighting hard this season! I am excited to see where the Lord takes us!

I will close this blog post with a verse that has been near to my heart recently. Matthew 11:28 where Jesus states, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” No matter how busy life may feel, it is so comforting knowing that my Father is always there for me. I can always run to Him to find ultimate rest and peace. I hope this encourages you as well.

Thanks for following along!

Love,

Mal (#13)


September 5, 2022

Hey Jacket Fans!

This past weekend we had our annual Cedarville Invite Tournament! It was full of great competition and amazing fans! For our match on Friday evening, we had over 1,500 fans (which I believe is the record)!! This environment was a BLAST to play in. The whole gym was packed with people and was full of energy! We also loved all the cheers that the new “Swarm” student section started during our match! So, a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped make that night possible and for everyone who showed up and supported us! We greatly appreciate you all :) Also, after our match on Friday, we had the chance to hand out free Cedarville Volleyball t-shirts to the first 1,000 fans in attendance. This was such a neat time getting to interact with everyone! I can’t wait to see fellow students repping Cedarville Volleyball on campus!

Unfortunately, we went 0-3 this past weekend. Each set was SO close, but we just didn’t find a way to finish the set in our favor. We had some great plays, but we were ultimately inconsistent. Overall, we learned so much about ourselves as a team this past weekend. As we watched film and debriefed on the weekend as a team, we have some key things that we need to work on. We are hoping to improve on these things and put them into our play as we start conference play this coming week all at home - Tiffin (Tues.), Walsh (Fri.) and Malone (Sat.)!

On Labor Day, after our team practice and film session in the new team room (which is amazing!), we had the opportunity to walk in the Labor Day parade in Cedarville. We as a team walked with our President Dr. White, our Athletic Director Chris Cross, and Stinger! We passed out candy and fall sports schedule cards. This is always such a fun time for our team, and we are honored to represent our program and athletic department!

Thank you all again for your support of the Cedarville Volleyball team! We appreciate you!

See you next week :)

Mal (#13)


August 30, 2022

Hello again, CU Jacket Fans!

As I mentioned in the previous post, this past weekend we traveled up to Northern Michigan for our very first tournament of the Fall 2022 season! It was about an 11-hour bus ride up there, but it actually didn’t feel that long to most of us! (Now the bus ride back to CU – that’s a different story, but we will get to that later, haha!) Overall, this weekend was such a valuable experience. The tournament was very competitive, which is exactly what we needed to start off the season.

We went 2-2 this past weekend. On Friday, we beat both Bemidji State and Northern Michigan in five sets. During both matches, we showed grit and fight! There was an atmosphere on the court that we were going to win those matches no matter what it would take! It felt amazing to secure those wins and see all our hard work over these past three weeks pay off! On Saturday, we
lost to Upper Iowa and Central Oklahoma. Both teams were solid, but we put up a good fight!

There were highs and lows to the weekend, but overall, we are excited about our performance! Coming out of this tournament, we have learned so much about ourselves as a team. We have learned things that we are good at, as well as things we need to improve upon. Being a young team, we are also continuing to learn more about each other both on and off the court which has been a joy! Again, I think this tournament was so beneficial for our team because each set and each match was a grind. The teams that we played were very talented and competitive, and it was a fight till the finish of each match! This past weekend we have proven that we can compete and win at a high level! The most exciting part is that this is only the beginning!!

While in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we also had some time to explore the beautiful landscape. On Friday night after our matches, we went out to a nice Mexican restaurant right on Lake Superior. Following dinner, we drove over to Black Rocks Park at Presque Isle to watch the sun set over the lake. We walked down to the water and those that knew how skipped rocks on the lake. Those that didn’t just threw the rocks as far as they could, haha! It was a very peaceful sight that made me appreciate the beauty of God’s creation.
 

Additionally, in between our matches on Saturday, we had the chance to sit in on Northern Michigan’s hockey team practice! It was a cool experience! Some of us agreed that after football and men’s volleyball, Cedarville needs to get a hockey team :)

The ride back from Northern Michigan to Cedarville was definitely one to remember! Our bus ride totaled around 18 hours because, unfortunately, our bus broke down at 4 AM on Sunday morning. This was quite the adventure, BUT we did get Dunkin’ in the morning so that made it worth it—right?! Haha! In all seriousness, we are thankful that we
made it home safe and that our bus driver “Uncle Willy” was aware and on top of the situation.

One last thing I want to mention before I close is that it was amazing to see the impact that our honor calls, prayer circles after matches, and prayer partners/letters have on others. Most of the teams that we faced did not know that we did these things, and they were very appreciative and joyful when we interacted with them. Additionally, one official said multiple times that one of our players, Riley Hensley, was his “hero” because she called multiple honor calls that weekend.

This was such a great reminder that why we play is so much greater than the game. These “little” ministries that we do can have a huge impact for Christ on other players, officials, or fans. As I reflect on this, Matthew 5:14-16 comes to mind where Jesus states, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

What a great reminder for us as we start our season! May we let our light shine before others as we play and interact with them so that they see Jesus through us and give glory to Him!

Thank you for following along with me again this week :)

Much love,

Mal #13


August 25, 2022

Welcome back Jacket Fans!!

My name is Mallory Delamarter, and I am so excited to have the opportunity to write the Cedarville Volleyball blog this year. Throughout our season, I will be sharing updates, fun stories, pictures of our team, and more! So, make sure to continue to follow along with me because I have a feeling that this season is going to be AWESOME :)
 
Now, a little bit about me. My name is Mallory, but most people call me Mal. I am from Danville, Indiana which is a small town just west of Indianapolis. I am a senior Libero/DS, and I am also one of the volleyball representatives on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee at Cedarville. I am studying Accounting and I also have a Business Analytics minor. After graduation, I plan to get my CPA license and work for a public accounting firm in the Indianapolis area. Additionally, this past  summer I got engaged to my high school sweetheart and we are getting married in June 2023! These are very exciting times, and I am so thankful for all that the Lord has blessed me with! (I also cannot believe that I am a senior and I am about the graduate… times files!)

 

To say that I am excited for this season is an understatement. The energy, chemistry, and court atmosphere at practice has been amazing. Our practices are competitive and fun. Every day, every practice, every rep we are competing and pushing ourselves and our teammates to be better. I truly feel that!!

This year we welcomed seven freshmen and one transfer to our team – and we could not be more stoked to have them as a part of our family! Our seven freshmen are Kaley Matney, Janae Heegaard, Cam Davenport, Haley Koch, Lexi Glynn, Cassi Shields, and Sophia Miles. Our one transfer is Greta Blakemore who is a sophomore. They all bring so much talent, grit, and passion to our team that is refreshing and exciting! Each one of them has boldly stepped into their role, and I am so excited to have the chance to play with them this season and see how they grow over these next few years!

I am also so excited to back on the court with the rest of the team! Our returning sophomore class includes Talia Felton, Paige Hale, Kailee McLaughlin, and Bria Kahnert. Our junior class includes Abby Kuyper and Haley Goff. And finally, our senior class includes Payton Krahn, Riley Hensley, Hannah Willow, and me (Mallory Delamarter). It has been so cool to see each of the returners step up this season both on and off the court. They are all such hard workers who love the Lord and compete during every play.

Finally, the remaining members of our team are our Head Coach Greg Smith, Assistant Coach Grace Wilson, Student Assistant Taylor Blattner, Athletic Trainer Laura Weaver, and Assistant Athletic Trainer Liz Breedlove. We are all so thankful for each of them, as they truly care for each one of us!

Our team returned to campus on August 6th to begin our preseason. We had about two weeks of practices, having two practices each day most of the time. Although preseason was challenging, it was such a joyful time because the practice gym was so competitive and fun! During our preseason, we also had two scrimmage days. On Saturday, August 13th we went up to Ashland University for a round robin scrimmage where we played five other teams for 35 minutes each. Additionally, the following Wednesday, we went up to Findlay for a scrimmage against them. These scrimmages were both great opportunities to see where we were at as a team, as well as learn areas where we need to get better!

During our preseason, we also had the chance to have a couple of fun team bonding events such as an ice cream night at our (the seniors’) house, bowling, Elevation Worship concert, and a pool party!

We are now gearing up for classes to start and getting ready for our very first match of the season! We will be heading up to Northern Michigan this weekend where we will play four matches!

Before I close, I want to share with you all the word that we as a team chose to focus on this year – COMMITTED. It is our goal this season to be committed in our faith, in our academics, to each other/the team, and in all the little things in life. In everything, we want to give it our all and be present for ourselves and for the team!

Thank you all for taking the time to read the first blog of this fall season! I am looking forward to writing again next week :) Go Lady Jackets!!

Much love,

Mal (#13)


Mallory Delamarter is a senior libero/defensive specialist from Danville, Indiana. She is a four-year member of the Lady Jackets and a Dean's List student as an accounting major.