Midseason Reflections

Talking with women’s volleyball coach Kyra Iannone

By Davie Wong, Sports Reporter

Sometimes, records are only a number. For the women’s volleyball team, who will be ending a year at 6-6, this is definitely true. Coach Kyra Iannone spent some time with the Other Press to talk about their year so far.

“We are learning so much in a short amount of time and the only way to progress sometimes is to take a step back and allow yourself to break before you build.” The ideal goal for the team is to make the playoffs and peak before or during playoffs so they are playing their best when it matters most.

While 6-6 is not the best record, being even means the team has had their own flashes of success. According to Iannone, much of their success this season has come off the back of their rookies: “We have had some strong rookies coming on and making an impact early. They have stepped up to their roles.” It has also helped that much of last year’s roster has returned this year, more experienced than they were the year before.

Moving forward, Iannone believes that her team has a real shot to compete for a national title this year. “I believe our losses to the top teams prove to the league and to ourselves that we are within reach of a Nationals berth.” The team reached the quarter-finals last year before falling to the eventual champions VIU.

But to do that, she realizes that things may need to change. “I think we will see some personnel changes in January. There may even possibly be some lineup changes. So selflessness and buying into the team will be huge.” Self-improvement throughout the team will be a major asset if the team hopes to make a deep run into the playoffs.

Iannone praised the efforts of first year players, Claudia Corneil, Darby Dunn, and Autumn Davidson, calling them “invaluable to the team.” She also recognized the effort put in by of her older players. Along with serving ace Georgia Hurry, Iannone commended the work of her seniors, Juliana Penner and Courtney Wilson, for the leadership ability that they have shown.

Besides her players, Iannone also applauded the work done by her coaching staff. With the first half of the season in the books, the women will look to move forward after the break and build on the success that they’ve found so far.