Last season, Oswego State finished its volleyball season in a three-way tie with SUNY Cortland and SUNY Oneonta for the fifth seed in the SUNYAC playoffs. Despite defeating SUNY Oneonta in the regular season, both of the opposing teams won tiebreakers to surpass the Lakers, forcing Oswego State out of the postseason.
The Lakers were not happy with how the end of last season went, but the team was not discouraged. Instead, Oswego State used it as fuel for the 2018 season.
“The girls have been really motivated all year. To lose at this point [of the season] last year, [it] really fired them up,” head coach J.J. O’Connell said. “We laid out things they needed to do. Winning two [games] on the last weekend was going to be important.”
Coming out of the gate to start the season, the motivation and energy was prevalent. In the first three invitationals of the season, the Lakers rattled off eight wins in 12 games. As important as a hot start may be, a postseason berth depends on the nine conference games the Lakers played throughout the season. Oswego State failed to get results in the first SUNYAC invitational, dropping two games, including one against SUNY Potsdam, a match the Lakers thought they would win.
“We had a lot of people worried when we were upset by Potsdam that we wouldn’t make it [to the postseason] and that that first weekend tournament had determined our fate,” senior Alison Sullivan said. “But we stayed playing strong, playing clean and playing our game so we were able to make it.”
The biggest win of conference play came on Oct. 20 against SUNY Cortland. With both teams heading into the game at 3-5, the winning team would receive the sixth and final spot in the SUNYAC playoffs. The Lakers won the game in three straight sets. Oswego State got off to a hot start in each of the three sets, taking the first point in two of the three. The Lakers were also able to string together a handful of points and take big leads. In the first 12 points of each set, the Lakers won at least eight points. Despite giving up these large leads later in the sets when the Red Dragons fought back, O’Connell was confident his team would be victorious.
“We got off the starts we wanted in every match we played. Even [against] Cortland, we were up big,” O’Connell said. “They chipped away late, but we were in control the whole way.”
In the match, the Lakers were dominant when it came to attacking the Red Dragons. Oswego State accumulated six more kills than SUNY Cortland, winning that battle 38-32. Oswego State was led by junior Shauna O’Flaherty, who put up nine kills against the Red Dragons. O’Flaherty was noticeable all over the court, leading the team in aces and digs. Her ability to play on both the front and back lines helped the Lakers secure their fifth postseason appearence in seven seasons. Even though this was a must-win game, Sullivan felt the team was not panicking.
“I don’t want to use the word urgency,” Sullivan said. “But, everybody knew you had to win, and I think everybody used that as good motivation. Everyone is like, ‘OK, we have to win, let’s go play clean, play our game and we can win.’”
This urgency stems from the fact the Lakers lost to the third seed, The College at Brockport. Despite holding early leads in all three sets, the Lakers could not hold on, and the Golden Eagles went on to win 3-0 (20-25, 21-25, 21-25). Oct. 30, the Lakers will take on the Golden Eagles again. This time, the Lakers will have a different look.
“One of our players is coming off a medical hardship season, so we try to rest her at different times to make sure she is fresh for the matchups she plays in,” O’Connell said. “The Brockport match was one she didn’t play in, so they haven’t seen her, and she is one of our key components. The fact that we are putting a slightly different lineup out there will throw them off guard a little bit.”
One significant player that missed The College at Brockport game was Mira Legnon-Bozman. She has registered 117 kills in the 21 matches before the contest against the Golden Eagles, and with her return, there should be an advantage for the Lakers. Oswego State will be able to go on the attack a bit more, something O’Connell wants to do against the Golden Eagles.
“I was happy with our offense, too,” O’Connell said. “It’s just a matter of continuing to execute and outscore them. They are going to get kills. I guarantee it. We just have to get our own.”
Legnon-Bozman can add the extra pop the Lakers’ offense may need to upset the Golden Eagles who are on a 10-game win streak. Despite the tough opposition, Sullivan is confident that the team can have more success as long as the Lakers follow the precedent set by Bill Belichick, the head coach of the New England Patriots, “Just do your job.”
“Trust your teammates to do their job, and we’ll be successful because we all play hard and work hard,” Sullivan said.
Photo by Maria Pericozzi | The Oswegonian
