UCC Volleyball on its way upward

Umpqua may not be the top team in their division, but for a program that was brought back only a few years the team has improved drastically. Their first season was tough because of being winless, but this season they have improved to seven wins. Even though they still do not have a winning record this year, there are obvious high points.

“This is a really good group of girls,” stated head coach Marry Morris. “We are now competing with the teams that are at the top end of the NWAACC, whereas we haven’t in the past.”

This is obvious in the stats that the team has compiled this year. The Riverhawks scored 356 kills compared to opponents’ 322; they average 9.1 kills per game. The problem is that UCC has also committed more errors than their opponents this year, 174 compared to opponents’ 146.

Jodi Smartt, a graduate from North Bend High School, leads the team with 18 blocks. Stefanie Jarvis leads the team in overall kills with 101. The 7-28 record may be hard to deal with, but the team has gelled together well even through tough times.

“It’s tough because they are athletes and are competitive. When school starts, it gets more difficult with classes and such,” Morris commented. “We always set a goal to win more than the year before. Now with our improvement, we are starting to get recognition from recruits. We have a great group of girls, and they really want to win. We are in the toughest part of the NWAACC, so we always have to keep improving.”

Their next volleyball game is November 10.

The Mainstream is a student publication of Umpqua Community College.