The Oswego State volleyball team is on a great run, winning six straight games and clinching a SUNYAC playoff spot. They achieved this feat through great team leadership and chemistry.
Being a leader comes in many different forms. A vocal leader is one to talk and hype the team up. There is also leading by example, which is exactly what the Lakers are doing. Oswego State has five seniors who are all getting a good amount of playing time and who all have a desire to win. Out of the top six in points on the team, five of them are seniors. Great leadership and success starts at the top with the coach, and senior Julia Flohr appreciates all that head coach J.J. O’Connell does for the team.
“He is very supportive on and off the court,” Flohr said. “If you need anything you can text him or call him and [he will] answer. He has brought people to urgent care visits, hospital visits, he just always checks in.”
O’Connell had nothing but great things to say about his five senior stars.
“They are a fun group,” O’Connell said. “They fight. You are not going to win every game as a coach, but you want a team that competes and this team always competes. That’s what I love about coaching them.”
One of the many reasons the Lakers have done so well is their unmatched chemistry. The starting six for Oswego State have all been playing together for at least three years, and for some it has been four. Having a group that has really gotten to know each other is a huge advantage. Always knowing where your teammates are and who is going to set someone up is a recipe for success. For senior Shannon Stone, that chemistry is something they work for not just on the court but off it as well.
“We really believe in team bonding,” Stone said. “We will spend time decorating volleyballs for classrooms and pumpkin carving and Thanksgiving dinners.”
All of that team chemistry has turned into 18 wins for the Lakers and a 5-2 record in conference play with a trip to the SUNYAC playoffs in the coming weeks. After failing to make the playoffs their first year together in 2017, they have made it to the playoffs in back-to-back years. These five players have now become a competitive force in the SUNYAC. The team chemistry and the longevity of their time together really gives them a passion to win. Senior Shauna O’Flaherty says this is it, their last chance to win.
“Since we have been playing together [for three years] we just really want it,” O’Flaherty said. “This is our last time playing volleyball together so I think it just shows the passion to really win this year.”
Winning it all cannot come without beating SUNY Geneseo, who is 7-0 in the conference, and The College at Brockport who the Lakers finish conference play against this weekend. As for SUNY Geneseo, they own a conference record that is a bit deceiving. While the Knights are undefeated in SUNYAC play, they do not lead in every statistical category. The Lakers use those who doubt them as fuel. Sarah Massie expressed how that is used as motivation.
“What’s backing us is everyone is saying we can’t,” Massie said. “That has always helped us. Last year when we beat Brockport in the quarterfinals, I think it was because of people saying we can’t [win]. So we [said] watch us. That is what we are going to do … take that and use it as fuel.”
O’Connell believes in his players. With this win streak, he thinks they are going to go far.
“They have a fight to them which is awesome,” O’Connell said. “There is a great possibility we are in the mix at the end of the year.”
Photo by Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian
