Halfway through its 2013 campaign, the BYUH women’s volleyball team continues to impress with a No. 5 national ranking and a record of 13-1. The Seasiders only loss of the season was back on Sept. 26 at Hawaii Pacific University. That match went back and forth with the HPU Sea Warriors finally coming out on top, three games to two. After the thrilling match against HPU, the Seasiders wasted no time to once again find their winning ways. Since that defeat, the team has won its last six matches while only dropping two sets along the way. BYUH visited the road to compete in four games against California opponents. Although the team was playing without home court advantage, only Fresno Pacific was able to take a set from the Seasiders in a match they ultimately won 3-1.Now ranked No. 5 in the nation, BYUH looks to continue in its winning ways. Three time Pac West Player of the Week Stella Chen, a junior outside hitter from Taiwan, said, “Competition, of course, is going to have someone win and someone lose, but the important thing is how you learn from the mistakes in the match and move on. We have been able to move on from our one loss and be very successful.” Chen leads the Seasiders with nearly 200 kills on the season. Redshirt Freshman Janelle Fink reflected on the only loss of the season saying, “Honestly [the loss] brought us together…we needed it. We played with emotion and our team bonded and pulled together right after the game.” The Seasiders have not looked back since dominating their opponents and proving they are ready to be a national championship contender. Erica Willes, a junior from Oregon, added, “We always try to focus on the here and now. If we have a night where things don't go our way, we shake it off and tomorrow is a new day. The same goes for those nights that we play really well—we can't coast into the next game thinking that everything will come easily to us.”
Writer: Greg Erickson ~ Multimedia Journalist
