No Greg Castillo. No Maggie Schaefer. No problem.
That is the attitude that the 2003 Loyola women’s volleyball team, which opens play today in the West Alabama tournament, is taking toward the upcoming season.
Despite the loss of Castillo, the head coach for the past seven seasons, and Schaefer, the two-time Gulf Coast Athletic Conference player of the year, the Wolfpack has a loftier goal than last year: Make it to nationals, and win more than one match.
In fact, the team is out to prove that its past success was due to more than just a coach and one great player.
“Last year was a team effort,” communications senior Melissa Showalter said. “We want to prove that she (Schaefer) wasn’t our whole team. Someone had to pass the ball and someone had to set for her to get a kill. She was very consistent but couldn’t have done it without the rest of us. We’re going back (to nationals) three times in a row, and this one’s without Maggie.”
But some team members say they realize that it won’t be easy without Schaefer.
“A lot of people have to step up,” history senior Suzi Ruiz, the team’s setter, said. “Everyone needs to make the big plays like she used to. We have many underclassmen, and Maggie left a big hole for us to fill.”
Despite the departure of head coach Greg Castillo, several members of the ‘Pack have expressed their utmost confidence in their new coach, Tommy Harold. He has coached the Cajunland Amateur Athletic Union volleyball team for the past five years and has served as an assistant at Texas Christian University.
“He’s a lot more intense and demanding (than Castillo),” Showalter, an outside hitter, said. “He’s always coaching. If he’s not helping you with something, he’s complimenting you.”
Elementary education senior Amanda Gilliard, who had a herniated disk removed during the offseason, agreed with that assessment.
“He’s totally different,” said Gilliard, also an outside hitter. “He’s a discipline coach. [Harold] has done a good job preparing us to get through regionals.”
With an undersized line-up, Harold said he has the team thinking defense and making fewer errors than the opposition.
“Part of my philosophy is that if you make the other team play the ball three times, then they will make a mistake,” Harold said.
The Wolfpack’s clear focus is returning to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics tournament in San Diego for the third consecutive year. Two years ago, they won a single game; last year, they won a match. This year, they said they want more.
“Everyone has improved individually,” Showalter said. “We are further advanced than we were at this time last year. Everyone is after us, but I think that makes us work harder.”
The team, which is ranked 27th in the preseason NAIA poll, begins play today against Emory and Martin Methodist College and will finish the West Alabama tournament on Saturday against West Alabama and Millsaps.
“It’s the first weekend, so I don’t have any set expectations,” Harold said. “I have not seen them play (against another team). I’m hoping the individual things I’ve seen will translate into some nice team play.”
The Wolfpack will play former coach Castillo’s new team, Xavier, at least twice this season.
“I talked to Greg the other day,” Gilliard said. “I think it’s going to be tough when we see him. There will be a lot of mixed emotion. We’re going to take it out on Xavier.”
Ruiz added: “For those of us who had Greg, we will accept nothing but a win against him.”
