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Rome, skyscrapers and volleyball programs all have one thing in common. It is impossible to build any of these things in a day. 

Springwood is in the early stages of building their program. Some growing pains were evident in their first match against Lafayette Christian School on Monday. 

Springwood’s junior varsity team lost their match in two games. The varsity team lost theirs in three sets. Overall, Head Coach Linda Schiller saw a lot of room for growth with her team.
“Definitely could have been better,” Schiller said. “I see them play better in practice. I think we still had some jitters. We still had some nerves.” 

Everyone’s family being in attendance caused the girls to be nervous. It was not all bad for Springwood. In both matches, Schiller saw improvement after the first game. 

Varsity lost their first game 25-11. They lost their next 25-16. In the third game, the Wildcats lost 25-15. The third game was the most competitive, and the Wildcats even led early on. 

“They talked more,” Schiller said. “That’s what I want to see. They had great communication. Their team spirit is great.” 

Passing and serving might be the hardest fundamentals to learn for a volleyball program. After game one, Schiller knows those two aspects of her team need to improve. 

“I know we still have to work on serving and passing,” Schiller said. “It’s just not fixable in like two or three days.” 

New programs usually do not see success in the win column early on. This season will be the first time many of these girls have ever played volleyball. 

Winning is important for any competitor. However, at this point in the process the final result is not the most important thing for Schiller and her team. 

“I think it’s mostly about team spirit and having fun together,” Schiller said. “I know for me, obviously winning is a big part, but that’s not all. It’s more about do I enjoy the game?” 

Even while being down, the Wildcats are enjoying the game. 

“Even if they lose 25 to 10, on all those ten balls, they’re super happy,” Schiller said. 

In the loss, Schiller saw several of her players step up as players and leaders. Piper Moore is one of only four seniors on the team. Moore stepped up and commanded the huddle on Monday. 

Vivienne Van Schoor and Channing Fuller are some of the youngest players on the team. Both of them played on junior varsity and varsity, and they each played a pivotal role in the scoring of both matches. 

Up next for Springwood is a tournament at Cornerstone Christian. Going into this week of practice, Schiller will be working on several things with the team. 

“I think what we need to work on is still communicating who’s taking the ball, and making sure we’re not being super frantic about it,” Schiller said. “Just passing the ball up, and then someone taking responsibility and taking the ball.”