Starting a New Program

By Bridget Williams
Three years ago I started my first volleyball preseason as a University of Missouri- Rolla (now Missouri S&T) Miner. If I had chosen any other school I would have been experiencing it with upperclassmen and players who had gone through it before. It was different in my case. I was part of the first Lady Miner volleyball team; therefore, my first preseason was also the first preseason in the school's program.

It was two weeks of practice, lifting, conditioning, and the hardest part of all, trying to get 17 new girls bonded and ready to play in just two weeks. We did so many team bonding activities including going camping, and the pressure to become one unit and play together was unreal.

No one expected anything from our new team because of the fact we were mainly freshman and brand new, but for the players it was different. We felt the pressure of proving ourselves to everyone -- the conference, the coaches and the school. It was a scary thought, but a cha...

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