Spring Hill College’s court volleyball team is dominating the court as they enter the world of NCAA Division II athletics.

As the team returns to the court, their schedule includes a more diverse level of competition due to their new affiliation with Division II athletics. Junior setter, Emmarose Neibert, explained how she felt this change has tested the team: “We are playing a wider variety of teams that we’ve never seen before (teams like Harding, East Carolina University, etc.) which has been really fun and challenging for us. I think that’s definitely part of the reason that we’re doing so well- we played some really tough competition at the beginning of our season that set us up for success later on!” While the shift from NAIA to Division II athletics has called for a change in initiative among the team, Dr. Peggy Martin, head coach, explains that: “regardless of affiliation our goal is always ‘to be the BEST team’ we can be.”

This goal has shone through this season, especially during the team’s recent match against the University of Mobile, SHC’s arch rival. SHC was certainly the “BEST” team on the court as they took down the Rams, winning three out of the four sets. Coach Martin points out that the team certainly played at a “high level” during the home match and Neibert could not agree more. Neibert describes how she feels about the win: “I feel G R E A T about the win! We lost to them twice last year, so it felt so good to beat them in a 3-0 sweep. It was the best volleyball we’d played all year, so now our goal is to maintain that level of consistency for the rest of the season.” The team’s current record is 11-3-0 and if they continue to play how they did against the University of Mobile, it is safe to say they are “set” up for success.

SHC’s next home match is Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. against William Carey University, Be sure to come out and support your fellow badgers!