NKU women’s volleyball coach Liz Hart is welcoming a new type of team onto her court this season, including four true freshmen, one red shirt freshman and the program’s first transfer student.
“When you’re new, you feel uncomfortable. They’re waking up on their own, walking to new classes, the whole experience for the first couple weeks is very uncomfortable. Our players just being welcoming and encouraging [is important],” said Hart. “Making them understand that we are a whole family, we’re here to help each other and ask questions when you have them. I already feel like this team gets along really well, and I’m excited to see how the season goes.”
Hart is also bringing back plenty of familiar faces, including two graduate students. Torie Houston and Allie Siefke have both been Norse since they graduated high school, making their way up the playing ladder and becoming some of the best leaders on the court. However, their leadership off the court has been key in welcoming this new era of players.
“There is a maturity gap, but at the same extent, Torie and Allie are just so welcoming and loving. But they also don’t forget I was there and I remember what it was like when I was in your shoes and I want to make sure you have a better experience than I even had,” Hart said when asked about how the team had unified and bonded since meeting.
Freshman setter Lainey Green echoed those sentiments when talking about why she chose NKU. “The coach and the environment of the team, everyone is super close,” said Green.
Despite the challenges of a changing roster, Hart is more than happy with this new group of players. The talent and skill diversity has been a big story for this team, as they have brought in players who are able to add the depth that could carry this team deep into the postseason. They have also added players that can be plugged into multiple positions on the court.
“Part of the thing about being a coach is understanding the strengths of your team, and we are a totally different team this year,” Hart said. “The systems we’re running, what our strengths are is all so different. We are just so excited about who’s on our team. Every single one of them have their own personality and their own strengths which is fun to watch it all come together and collaborate.”
Hart has wasted no time in using her own game plan to welcome this new crowd to the team. She talked about her routine she has with not only new players, but the team in general, before every season.
“I have the team over for dinner before our first practice, we make dinner and they get to hang out with my family. My kids love the players and they think they’re the coolest in the world, so being able to hang out with each other and have fun while we’re doing it,” Hart said.
These bonding moments have been important for the incoming players who can be overwhelmed starting out. “It’s very easy as freshmen being nervous around a bunch of older girls,” freshman middle blocker Kendall Hopewell said. “So just finding those moments where you can just bond and figure out things you have in common is very important.”
They found these moments helpful in separating the players from the person. “It was important to see the older girls not in volleyball and they were so nice to us,” said freshman outside hitter Allison Risley. These bonding experiences fostered a deeper understanding of the player behind the jersey.
“It’s important to remember that we are other people outside volleyball,” freshman setter Katie Noschang said. “Just getting to interact with each other in a different setting, to get to know who you are as a person, not necessarily as a volleyball player.”