Coming off another successful season in the SIAC, Peggy Martin looked ahead to the 2023 season for the Spring Hill College volleyball team.

What was the takeaway from last season?
“I think every year we’re trying to get better from the year before. We finished about the same, but our competitiveness against a very good Tampa team was up there, I’m very proud of that. I think we’re going to get over that hump if we continue to get better.”

What adjustments could we see on the court?
“I think we’re going to be more versatile. We’re going to probably have a lot of people playing different positions, which hasn’t been the case in the past. We’ve been pretty set in our ways in terms of who’s playing where. We have a very talented top 15, 16 kids that can contribute. We need the younger kids to step up and I don’t think we’ve seen freshman in our starting lineup for a while. Maybe one last year and we’re probably going to see a couple this year. When you got freshman out there, you never know what’s going to happen, so I think it’s going to be an exciting year for us.”

What are the newcomers going to bring to the team?
“I think we have a couple of very talented and high-IQ players with a lot of experience that we don’t necessarily get every year. First, we have Mia Saavedra, she’s a talented setter. She could run a 5-1 for us and we have another very talented setter returning. We actually need Mia to do her setting and she’s also a talented hitter. So, she’s probably going to do both for us and who knows how much of each. We also have a newcomer that’s been a pleasant surprise in Hayley Hillman. She’s a long and athletic middle that has gotten on really well with our setters. Chemistry is good and she’s been a force at the net blocking in practice and of course practice is different from games. She’s done a really good job and is pressing for a starting role. Kiana LaBorde is a smaller outside hitter with a great volleyball IQ and good ball handling skills. She came in a really strong position, had an injury setback, so we might not see her for a while. I think she’ll earn her way back on the court, though. Then, we have a setter slash libero type, Emily Cook can run our second team offense as well as play libero. She’s brought a lot of talent to the situation. The other freshmen are a small step behind, but when you have four freshman that are contributing right away, that’s a surprise. You expect them to take a while. We have some talented kids; Ashlyn Whiteside is a really athletic young woman that I think is going to help us in the future, if not immediately and probably will be a good beach player for us too. I think those are the top kids doing great in practice right now and we hope the others step it up as we go along.”

What are some goals going into this year?
“I think your goal always has to be to win your conference, first and foremost. I don’t care what anybody says, it’s not easy to go out and win day in and day out, regardless of who your opponent is.  You have to really be focused to get the job done and when you have a new team, maybe starting three new people that weren’t even on campus last year, that’s going to be a challenge. That has to be the goal, to make the NCAA Tournament, that goal goes hand-in-hand. Always to win to in the NCAA Tournament, that’s got to be our goal if we want to continue to build this program into a top-25 program.”

Who is rising up as a leader?
“I think Mikayla Boyer has been a leader since she arrived on campus four years ago. I think that continues, she is a terrific volleyball player and leads more by example. Although, she is loud, does cheer and is a positive influence out there. I think Jessie [Jessica] Fairly, who is a returning setter for us, that role requires you to be a leader. Jessie does a good job with that. I think out of freshman coming in Mia, because she’s a setter, she has not had a hiccup in terms of running the offense and being out there. I think Lily Mascari is a good setter for us. I think all of our seniors; Brooke Borgmeyer, starter for us for years and Kristen Mitternight are good leaders for us.”

What are you most excited for this season?
“I think to get started, to get that first match out and see what’s broken, let’s get it fixed and get better. I think that it’s always exciting to start the year. I think our schedule is conducive early for us to see a lot of good teams and to get better playing those teams.”

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