The Loyola volleyball team had a challenging start to the season, but players said they continue to remain confident as they advance.

Losses on the road before conference play do not stop Margot Frederick, head volleyball coach, from looking at the bright side. She said she sees the positive aspects of her team and that the team has become more competitive.

“We have started to compete more. Over the past weekend, we had two four-set matches and one five-set match, which means we have the ability to make adjustments on the fly,” she said.

While acknowledging her team’s points, Frederick said the Pack have a focus for the remaining season.

“Our focus continues to be on our defensive mindset. We need to get better at chasing balls into the court,” She said.

The team is not only focused on maintaining its defensive mindset but also making adjustments to its defense.

“We made a change to our defensive system that should pay some dividends, but I’m still seeking a better defensive effort in general,” Frederick said.

And mass communications sophomore outside hitter Eva Allen said the team needs to focus on maintaining motivation to be successful.

“I think the main focus would be to stay consistent, disciplined, and stay mentally focused,” Allen said.

Frederick said she used the non-conference games to analyze her team to prepare for the conference games.

“The first part of the season allowed me to learn about my team’s strengths and weaknesses. There have been several challenges and right now we are looking for consistency in all aspects of the program. We need to improve every time we step on the court. We have high expectations, and we will improve as the season progresses,” Franklin said.

Psychology freshman Katie Philippi said that the team is still working to get on the same page.

“Even though we have been playing for a month, we’re still learning a lot about each other and how to play together as a team,” Philippi said.

Strengths that we have is that we are not afraid of any competitor. We always think that we can win,” Philippi said. “That’s going to be something that helps us throughout the season and has already helped us in the way that we are not scared of anyone else.”

Allen expressed similar beliefs.

“We are able to go into any match with confidence. We aren’t really intimidated by other teams no matter their height,” Allen said,She said the team played big teams in Oklahoma but were not fazed.

“I know I would love for us to go hard in every single game no matter if the team is last in our conference or first in our conference,” Allen said.

Raven Richard can be reached at [email protected]