The Women’s Club Volleyball team played its first tournament Feb. 17 at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center, and players Hailey Elbert and Megan Kocsis said tournament day requires a lot of preparation. 

Both athletes are juniors and have played for the club team since their freshman year. 

Kocsis, a junior visual communication design major, said that at a minimum, the team plays at a tournament for five hours. If they continue to keep winning, the hours add up. 

“It depends on how far you get and how many games you win. If you keep winning, you keep going farther until the championship,” Kocsis said. “It is definitely a decent amount of hours.”

If the team makes it far in a tournament, Elbert, an exercise science major, said these days can last up to 12 hours.

Knowing how long and exhausting these days can be, the team and individual players prepare for their upcoming tournament. 

The team receives tournament packets with a list of teams and players days before the actual tournament. Kocsis said this is beneficial for the team.

“A lot of the time you play the same teams at different tournaments, so you know their strong players and weaker players and strategies that can help us beat them,” Kocsis said. “Talking about and making sure everybody knows a good way to play against certain teams is a good thing to have before a tournament.”

Not only does this help Elbert and Kocsis feel more prepared, but it also helps all of the players, they said.

As tournament day approaches, Kocsis said the team starts to slightly change the set up of their next couple practices to build confidence within the players and sets aside more time for scrimmaging.

According to Vanguard Volleyball, scrimmages are essential for teams because they allow players to practice teamwork, as well as to improve their technique and team communication.

Elbert said scrimmaging and becoming more comfortable with the people she is playing with helps her feel more confident when going into a tournament. 

“Going with a bad attitude, [like] thinking you will do bad, you’re going to do bad, but if you are going into it with confidence and thinking you can win, you’re going to do much better,” Elbert said. “It’s that mind over matter thing.”

Having a positive mindset is just one of the things Elbert does to feel ready for a tournament. She said she likes to hydrate throughout the whole week prior to the tournament. 

“I want to make sure I am hydrated and healthy so I can play my best,” Elbert said. 

For Elbert and Kocsis, the key to a successful tournament weekend is being someone your teammates can count on.

“As a teammate, you want to be a support system for your team,” Kocsis said.

Taegan Evans is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].