JAMESTOWN – With the start of the 2021 fall semester and as August comes to a close, that means that it is time for the Jamestown Community College volleyball team to get back on the court.
The last time the team took to court was in the seventh-place match at the 2019 NJCAA DIII Volleyball Championships against Region 3 foe Jefferson Community College. Though there are no returners from that team, expectations are high for the team that is preseason No. 5 in the country.
The Jayhawks start the season out against stiff competition, heading west to compete in the Owens Invitational Labor Day weekend after their home-opener on August 31st against Lakeland Community College. At the Owens Invitational, JCC will face No. 8 Sandhills Community College and No. 1 Owens Community College on Saturday, September 4th.
"We are not focused with where our opponent is ranked to start the season," said head coach Ashley Lund. "I told them that this is a learning experience for them. This is a chance for us to see some of the top teams in the country early on and help us prepare down the road when we may face them in November."
After a weekend of matches, the Jayhawks will return home where they will play three of four matches at the Physical Education Complex before playing eight of their final 11 matches on the road.
When asked about the schedule and having only a few home matches, coach Lund says that she prefers to play on the road because they are there to compete and not worry about the outside noise.
"When you are on the road, we can focus on the task at hand and not worry about if someone is going to show up to watch us play. With our games on the road, they are still fairly close for family members to come out and watch us play"
Lund, entering her 13th season at the helm, knows the challenges ahead for the young team but that doesn't mean that expectations should change because of the inexperience at the college level.
Though the team may be inexperienced on the court, they have a few members that went through training during the fall of 2020 under Lund that have stepped up during the preseason in outside hitter Emma McCarthy (Olean, NY/Allegany-Limestone Central) and defensive specialist/outside hitter Breanna Gilbert-Hopkins (Falconer, NY/Chautauqua Lake Central).
"I would characterize Emma and Breanna as quite leaders," said Lund. "They know what to expect and are the first to jump in line for drills and show how it is supposed to be done. They understand what is expected and they set the tone for the team."
Though the roster may be on the small side, coach Lund has proven that it doesn't matter the size of the team, it just matters that they team works together to obtain the same goal. A perfect example is the 2017 season when the team went 31-2 on the year with seven players, capturing the first of three-straight Region 3 Championships and placed seventh at nationals.
"We will play our style of volleyball no matter the number of players we have," Lund said. "I'm not going to have our team not block at the net in fear of someone going down. It doesn't matter if we have 12 players or six players, we are going to give it all we got."
Some players that have shown progress and have really stood out are setter Madison Johnson (Panama, NY/Panama Central) and outside hitter Megan Cotter (Jamestown, NY/Southwestern High), but everyone on the team has coach Lund excited for the season.
"A lot of our team is adjusting to a very different style of play that what they were used to at the high school level," said Lund. "The team has really embraced the challenge and are growing into more versatile players in trying new positions that they are maybe unfamiliar with."
The No. 5 Jayhawks are rounded out with right side Rayenn Mehciz (Suriname/Mr. Dr. J.C. de Miranda Lyceum), defensive specialist/outside hitter Maggie McClellian (Olean, NY/Olean HS), and Claire Pumford (Jamestown, NY/Jamestown HS).
The regular season begins next Tuesday, August 31st, as the team takes on Lakeland Community College at 6 p.m. in the Physical Education Complex.
Schedule:
August 31 – Lakeland Community College at 6 p.m.
September 3 – College of DuPage* at 11 a.m.
September 3 – Terra State* at 2:30 p.m.
September 4 – No. 8 Sandhills Community College* at 10 a.m.
September 4 – at No. 1 Owens Community College* at 11:45 a.m.
September 9 – Niagara County Community College 6 p.m.
September 12 – SUNY Broome Community College 1 p.m.
September 14 – at Genesee Community College 6 p.m.
September 15 – Monroe Community College 6 p.m.
September 18 – at Corning Community College 12 p.m.
September 21 – at Niagara County Community College 6 p.m.
September 25 – at Cayuga Community College 11 a.m.
September 28 – Erie Community College 6 p.m.
September 29 – Lakeland Community College 6 p.m.
October 5 – at Finger Lakes Community College 6 p.m.
October 12 – at Erie Community College 6 p.m.
October 13 – at Monroe Community College 6 p.m.
October 16 – at Tompkins Cortland Community College 1 p.m.
October 19 – Genesee Community College 7 p.m.
