By Taylor Penn | Howard Payne volleyball won their final game versus St. Joseph at the Texas Lutheran University tournament and shows extreme promise thus far in the season.
“We knew coming into TLU, the home team favorited would be a hard start to the tournament and our season. We saw the areas we need to work on, and as the match progressed, we began to watch the veterans come back together, and the numerous freshmen follow their lead,” said coach Susan Westfall.
They started off the second day with a three-set loss against Schreiner University, but stood strong and three consecutive sets against St. Joseph to finish off the tournament.
“The TLU tournament was a great one to start our season with. We got the opportunity to play some very talented competition there. Just from day one of the tournament, I saw a great improvement in the team’s connection on confidence on the floor. Even though we didn’t want to leave there with three losses and one win, the girls worked hard every point. As a coach, I was very proud of the team for it being their first games of the season and having sixteen new players. We still have a lot to improve on, but with how hard the girls have been working in practice every day, it will not take us long to make those improvements,” said coach Colleen Westfall
“Having a team full of freshmen, I think the TLU tournament was a big eye-opener for what we are going to face going into season. I was able to see firsthand how much improvement the girls went through game by game. Of course, losing is never fun, but I would rather lose with an improving team. The confidence in my teammates was greatly increased as the tournament went on. The amount of aggression and teamwork helped us pull off a win against St. Joseph. I am very excited to see what the future holds for Howard Payne Volleyball as a whole. As a senior, I was very proud of the girls working as hard as they did in the tournament, and it will only get better from here on,” said Christian Wilson.