NEW COACH BRINGS NEW ENERGY TO MHCC’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM

I recently had the pleasure of getting to know some of the women that represent the Mt. Hood Saints volleyball team – Coach Kirsten Day and returning players Alyssa Asuncion, Josie Jansen, and Samantha Brewster.

Since spring 2021, Day has been the head coach and driving force of this group of strong, dedicated group. She is a former MHCC student who played volleyball for the Saints in 1983-84. Seven years ago, she wanted to apply for the same position but was unable to without a bachelor’s degree on her résumé. Since then, she obtained her degree and has returned to take the position that she had always desired.

“This has been a great opportunity for me. Everything has come full circle,” Day exclaimed.

Day has coached in Portland for 40 years and has experience coaching players of every age and skill level. She has been a club coach for over 25 years and is the director for the NCVBC (North Clackamas Volleyball Club). She said she believes in making a connection and establishing trust with each of the women she coaches.

“I have learned through the years that it is important to relate to the players, by making sure they know I care about them as a person and believe in them on and off the court,” she said. Respect and pride are core values that are present at every practice and every game.

“I have a lot of pride in coaching, I take it very seriously,” Day continued. “I want to do the best that I can. I want my players to have pride in themselves and pride in the program that they play for. There is a history that we want to continue and add on to, and I don’t want to be here unless I bring 100%.”

At practices, she fills a white board end to end with drills, statistics, strategies, expectations, and motivational quotes. The players appreciate the whiteboard because they can see the skills they are working on for that day and where they stand, and it helps keep practice at a nice flow and on time. They do warmups, discuss mindset, and work on basic mechanical skills.

Practice is based on trust and building it from the very beginning, with each player and as a group. Goals are regularly set and revisited while acknowledging accomplishments and areas to improve.

“The practices are very focused, but I do try to keep it a little light” for the players, said Day. “It’s important to have fun while learning and competing, because if they don’t have fun, then why are they here?”

This year has presented multiple issues for the team, one of them being the snowstorm last February that caused extensive water damage to MHCC’s main court floor in the gymnasium. Repairs were anticipated to be completed by August, but were pushed out to October. The volleyball team had to rent vans and move practices away from home.

That changed on Oct. 1, when Day could coach on the main court for the first time after Mt. Hood played seven straight matches away from home. The Saints won that contest with Umpqua Community College, and have won four of their five home games this month.

Said Jansen, the Saints’ 6-foot-2-inch middle blocker, “I am looking forward to more home games on the new court. It is nice to have our own consistent atmosphere and not having to travel. It is hard to adjust to a new gym every time we practice.”

Unfortunately, there is very limited capacity in the Yoshida Events Center. Each player is allowed passes for only two spectators and they must complete the COVID screening process prior to entry. The team wishes more fans could come support them in person, but they can still provide support for them on the MHCC Athletics YouTube Channel, where matches are being live-streamed.

“We hope that once spectators can attend sporting events they come in droves,” Day said. “We’re fun to watch, and we need that fan support.”

Indeed, the Saints have been on a roll. As of Oct. 25, they had won four straight matches, and seven out of their last eight. They held an 8-4 won-loss record in the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) South Region, good for a tie for third place in the standings.

Despite the outside issues, the Saints are focused, staying positive, and supporting each other on and off the court.

“I consider us as a family and everyone on the team respects and loves the grind,” said Brewster, a 6-foot middle blocker/outside hitter. “We all go out and give 100% every time we step on the court,” she said, pushing every day to improve, their sights set on winning the NWAC.

There‘s also plenty of internal drive on display.

“I stay motivated thinking about everything that I been through and how I would never be here if I didn’t push myself by doing workouts, open clinics, and playing with other people,” Asuncion said. “My parents motivate me to do better, and I want to make them proud to see that I am growing as a person.”

Outside of volleyball, Asuncion, a 5-foot-1-inch libero who comes from Honolulu, Hawai’i, performs Tahitian dance and competes in dance shows. Brewster said she loves being outdoors and going paddleboarding, besides going to movies, traveling, and seeing new things. And Jansen spends her free time hanging out with the people that she plays volleyball with.

Truly, members of the MHCC volleyball team are happy to be back on their home court, are working hard, and miss seeing their fans.

“We want people to know we are here, to believe in their volleyball team, and recognize our potential,” Jansen said. “We wish (more) could come and support us in person, but please, support us virtually,” she said. Check the Saints out at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_iKk0nIpvj6MEIeS0JqOg