Asher Gibbons and Jacob Zanolla
Sports Editor and Staff Writer
Coaching Division II sports is a tall task for most, but it becomes even tougher when there’s a newborn child involved. That’s the exact task that Head Volleyball Coach Ashlee Crowder has been assigned.
Crowder and her partner met their new baby girl 12 hours prior to the first game of the Mocs season against Anderson, signaling a chaotic start of the season before a ball was even set.
For the coach, this means long days, long nights and a whole lot of caffeine. According to Crowder, assistant coaches Hyrum Keime and Makena Wilson have been “angels” by helping balance the job on the workfront.
“When I’m home, I’m home and I’m present. When I’m here, I’m here and meeting players and I’m present, but I’m just very competitive,” Crowder said.
The long nights are immediately followed by practices and game prepping galore for the staff. Crowder said that raising a newborn is like fight or flight, so sleepy days are a norm.
Crowder also added that her new parenting skills are helping her understand the humanistic element of her team better.
“Three or four years ago, I didn’t have a kid. So I was like, I want to win,” Crowder said. “Now I feel it. The emotional piece of I’m a parent, like I’m here to care for your children. Things aren’t going well. I’m here for them. You know, let’s work kind of together. And so I think becoming a parent has changed me in a sense of that.”
Not only does Crowder have a new child, but she has several new players as well. The volleyball team has seven freshmen this year, along with four transfer students. Having more than half of the team be new to the college can be a struggle, but Crowder said it’s been a rather smooth experience.
“They’re such a fun group, which makes it rewarding,” Crowder said. “They’re a typical young group … but that’s the teaching process of our jobs. They’re very cohesive. Their camaraderie is really good.”
When dealing with such a new roster, one of the keys to success is making sure the team meshes well together.
Having a strong locker room is essential, and having several new athletes offers a unique chance to manage the friendships. Crowder has orchestrated several team events, including group dinners.
“I had the team over for a pool and dinner day at my house. [The goal] is to be outside of the gym and practice, away from school to just hang out and get to know each other,” Crowder said.
“Every preseason, we do a family dinner and have our entire team plus their extended family come.”
On the court, the team has shown they’re willing to fight with grit having already achieved two reverse sweeps in the early stages of the season.
“It may have not been our prettiest statistical matches … but it’s the intangible piece of having the fight, the grit to come back,” Crowder said.
“It’s just the resiliency of it. Now that we’re in our chapter of conference play, which there is no team that we can relax on, we’ve gotta be able to pull that resiliency out all the time.”
A shining light this season has been sophomore Nako Sasaki, who’s already been the recipient of two SSC Defensive player of the week titles. Most notably, she already has 256 digs in the 12 games.
As of right now, the team is 8-4 and they will play at Jenkins field house for four straight games starting tonight against Rollins College at 6 p.m.
