By Malika Andrews |
As the whistle sounds and the referee waves his hand to signal the end of the third set, sophomore outside hitter Makayla Lindburg falls to her knees and bursts into tears while senior outside hitter Emily Liger jumps joyously into the air. After a 27 game losing streak, the Pilots have won.
For Lindburg, this is her first collegiate win. For setter Djurdjina Milovic, this is her first win on U.S. soil. For the team, this win is hard work paying off.
After thirteen away games and traveling 6,284 miles, the Pilots are back in the Chiles Center to host their first home game of the season against Loyola Marymount on Oct. 2.
“A lot of people are already excited to come to the game,” Lindburg said. “They know how much we struggled last year and our fans are ready to come out and support us.”
The Pilots adhered to a rigorous training schedule to prepare for their home opener. While traveling has been difficult for the team, Lindburg said it brought them closer together both on and off the court.
Newly appointed Head Coach, Brent Crouch, has the team working from the base up, practicing fundamentals and effective communication.
“There needed to be an expectation of what the standard is in terms of learning,” Crouch said. “No one really knows what their potential is, it takes someone to show you. You may think this is all you got, so we set the bar really high right away. We coupled that with a culture of learning.”
Crouch did not come into the season with goals in terms of wins and losses. He came in with the goal of putting a positive culture in place. The team is in the gym every day practicing and watching game tapes.
With five new freshmen being added to the team, the bar is set high for the ten returning players.
Liger met this standard by recording a double-double, scoring double-digit numbers in two of the five statistical categories. She did this with a career high of 29 kills and ten digs against the San Jose Spartans in the Aggie Invitational on Sept. 6. Lindburg added 12 kills of her own to help the Pilots beat the Spartans in three sets.
“It is the team, it is everyone,” Liger said. “When one person does well, it frees up other people to do well. Everyone contributes.”
The Pilots finished to Aggie Invitational with a win against San Jose State in three, and a loss to UC Davis in three.
Brent said Lindburg and Liger show leadership on and off the court by how hard they play and how seriously they take learning. They are learning to play not only in their position as outside hitters, he said, but are being required to step into a defensive role.
“They take practice really seriously and they take games really seriously,” Crouch said. “They are setting a good example for everyone else on the team. We don’t have captains, we want everyone to step up and lead. They have both stepped up on their own.”
With five wins in their pocket, and an overall record of 5-8 this preseason, The Pilots are ready to come home.
“Everyone on the court pulls their own weight,” Liger said. “It is a team effort and we are ready to be home.”
Upcoming home games
7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 2, against LMU
1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 4, against Pepperdine
Malika Andrews is a sports reporter for The Beacon. She can be at andrewsm17@up.edu or on Twitter @malika_andrews.
