Cleveland State's new women's volleyball team is getting ready for their inaugural season. Led by head coach Randy Evans and assistant coach Alizabeth Atnip, the team has been practicing twice a day this summer to make sure they're physically and mentally in shape for collegiate play.
When asked about recruiting what is now his current roster, head coach Randy Evans stated, "Recruitment went great, we were able to sign a lot of local players, girls who have already played together in high school and on other teams." Evans roster is comprised of 15 players, 8 of which are from the Cleveland and Chattanooga areas. "The struggle now, and this is a good problem to have, is that we have multiple talented athletes at multiple positions. So we're working to have the best possible team out on the court at all times." Evans said.
On the topic of season expectations Evans had a few but made it clear he didn't want to get ahead of himself. "What we want out of this inaugural season is a solid, positive record, we'd like to have some of our girls recruited to go play at a 4-year school, and we'd also like to bring a new sense of appreciation to the sport of volleyball at Cleveland State." Randy went on to say, "We want to build a concrete foundation for the volleyball program here. We want this program to be successful here at Cleveland State for years to come."
For the 2017-2018 season, CSCC has 21 matches scheduled. The season will get started on August 24th at home against Hiwassee College. "We have a unique situation where we'll play Walter State twice during the regular season. We'll face Walter State in a game that decides who advances to the district tournament." Evans said. As time winds down to the start of the season, Evans mentioned that the team was excited for their upcoming scrimmage so they can get a sense of what works well for them and what needs some adjustments.
There certainly isn't a lack of motivation with this new team. Being the first ever women's volleyball team at Cleveland State, the desire to finish the inaugural season well is high. Evans had this to say, "Overall from day one we've seen tremendous improvement in multiple areas. You can tell this group of girls are willing to work and start the first season off well. They're starting to understand that it's not so much proving themselves to the coaches anymore, it's about proving themselves, to themselves. They decide how bad they want to win."
Cleveland State Women's Volleyball will open their first ever regular season on August 24th, at home against Hiwassee College. The match will start at 6:00PM. Also, Cleveland State Athletics will be hosting a faculty/staff volleyball match and tailgate prior to game time. These inaugural season activities will start at 4:15PM at the L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium. Plates of food from the tailgate will cost $5.