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Editorial:
Is the flu volleyball's biggest foe?
The Mt. Hood Saints volleyball squad is flying high this year. They are undefeated in conference play (5-0), their 19-9 overall record is eighth-best for wins in the NWAACC out of 28 teams, and they are ranked fifth in the NWAACC Horizon Air power poll. This is a stark turnaround from last season’s 8-26 (1-9 conference) finish, the worst in MHCC’s history. So what’s with the turnaround?
Start with the new head coach, Chelsie Freeman. Not to say former coach Matt Hartner was a bad coach, but he took over too late in the offseason to adequately recruit players. Freeman is, at least in terms of winning, an upgrade over Hartner.
Liz Williams, a returning player, said Freeman’s involvement this year is huge. “She is so much more involved,” said Williams. “She does a lot more for the program. She wants us to get better and she wants the program to succeed.”
Health issues, however, may threaten to derail this team’s chances of success. Earlier in the year, a number of players were stricken with illnesses, but the team overcame them. Now, libero Kelsey Kai has a confirmed case of swine flu, and 10 other players and the assistant coach are ill, which forced the team to reschedule Wednesday’s Linn-Benton game for next week. Despite all this, the Saints are poised to win the Southern Region, which would give them one of four number one seeds in the NWAACC tournament.
With three weeks left in the season, it seems the only thing that might defeat the mighty Saints is a foe they will not face on the court: illness.
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