For Columbia volleyball, the next game will always be the most important one. The Light Blue (6-4, 1-0 Ivy) will keep looking forward as it plays a pair of home matches against Brown and Yale this weekend.
Though the Lions were able to sweep Cornell in three games, the team knows that there will be plenty of talent facing them across the net in both upcoming matches.
“The reality is, we’re not kidding when we say every match in this league counts. You’ve got to go to every match prepared to play,” head coach Jon Wilson said.
Pieces are starting to come together for the Lions as the coaching staff continues to try to incorporate more players into the lineup to best utilize the wide range of talents on the team.
“We have a lot of moving parts. We have lot of people playing, lot of people contributing,” Wilson said. “We’re trying to get more people involved. I think we’re going to continue to get better because that’s been the pattern so far.”
One major contributor so far this season has been senior middle blocker Heather Braunagel, whose .667 hitting percentage in conference play thus far is the top mark in the Ancient Eight. Her success can be attributed to solid defense, service reception, and a balanced attack.
“The beauty of great passes is that when you have that great pass, you can run all three options,” Braunagel said. “The opponents don’t know what to expect. There’s not necessarily a weak side.”
With strong hitting options from all three front-row positions for the Lions, opponents can’t necessarily focus their defense on stopping one or two players, which opens up the middle for quick attacks.
While Yale traditionally has been one of the stronger teams in the league, having won back-to-back Ivy League Championships, the Lions know that the present is what counts.
“You can’t look at records, you can’t look at past years,” Wilson said. “We’ve said this all week, the most important match of the year now is Brown. When that match is over, then we have the next match, and that becomes the most important match. You can’t choose which games you’re going to be up for, which ones you’re going to take more seriously. You have to have the habit to bring your A-game.”
The Lions hit the court against Brown at 7 p.m. on Friday and play their second match against Yale on Saturday at 5 p.m.