One determined athlete brought club volleyball back to campusfor the first time in five years.
“I came to SMU thinking there would already be ateam,” sophomore Jessica Savage said. “But since therewasn’t one, we had to start one up from scratch.”
After playing intramurals for Boaz Hall last year Savagerealized she wanted something more competitive. Once she startedtalking around campus she realized a lot of women were interestedin a club team.
As with all new clubs, a chartered club team requires theStudent Senate’s approval. Senate had to make sure the teamwould be organized and follow SMU club guidelines.
Student Senate Chief of Staff Chip Hiemenz said that as long asthe group is well organized the Student Senate usually instates theprogram as an SMU-charted organization and provides funding.
The Student Senate saw leadership and opportunity for successand approved funding for the team. Funding is used for uniforms,league and tournament fees and some travel expenses.
Once approved, the team decided to be in a competitive league,the Southern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. SIVA includesBaylor, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Stephen F. Austin, Rice, TexasState, Sam Houston State University and University of Texas.
Since early October the team recruited 22 players, but forSavage the road to creating a team seemed endless.
“Jessica was very determined in getting this teamtogether,” said Tim Moore, SMU’s director of clubsports. “She put so much effort into getting it going thatshe didn’t need too much from us.”
She sparked interest among students by posting flyers aroundcampus and held an informational meeting. The team began practicinglast semester several times a week, but without a coach.
“We were desperate for a coach,” Savage said.”I tried professors and Tim Moore. I finally calledJack’s Pub.”
Jack’s Pub, which is known for its sand volleyballtournaments, put the team in contact with Russell Craig who is nowserving as a volunteer coach.
Russell, who began volunteering around Thanksgiving, helpednarrow the team from 22 to 13 women. Most of the team membersplayed volleyball in high school and are excited to beinvolved.
The team will face tough competition during its first season inthe SIVA. It is one of the strongest conferences in the nation. TheUniversity of Texas as the returning national champion and A&Mis nationally competitive.
Team members considered the first tournament at A&M asuccess considering their inexperience. Last Saturday the team wasranked at the top of the silver bracket after a morning ofback-to-back play. After being eliminated in the second round bySFA’s top team, SMU left College Station with third place inthe consolation bracket.
“We had been playing all morning without much rest andI’m really proud of how we did for out firsttournament,” Savage said.
The next tournament will be Feb. 21 at Stephen F. Austin inNacagdoches.
