Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Culture Built Within MSU Volleyball Mirrors US Team Tryout Experience
4/3/2019 9:06:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
“We can taste it and we know we’re good enough,” Kelsie White said. “We have so many talented players and we’ve put in the work. That’s the biggest thing, we have the confidence that we’re working hard and have the skill.”
Excitement is the theme for the Bobcat volleyball team through spring workouts and practices. The group comes off its first Big Sky Conference Tournament appearance since 2012 and returns almost everyone on the roster. Bobcat outside hitter Natalie Passeck is the only loss from graduation.
Spring practices have consisted of mainly individual training. Spring is an important time for the Bobcats to progress, but also a time with a little outside competition. This week the Bobcats will take part in their first spring scrimmages in Missoula.
"We haven't played six-on-six all spring, so letting the girls compete," assistant coach Cole Aiazzi said. "Spring is all about individual improvement, we aren't too worried about winning and losing. It's more about how the girls are grasping on to what we want to teach them."
Similar to last season, the Bobcats will rely heavily on junior and underclassmen contributors. The team will be led by seniors Allyssa Rizzo, Evi Wilson, and Sydney Mathison. The seniors head a more experienced group than years past. Montana State is expected to have a solid rotation of returners, with more than 10 Bobcats having seen action on the court throughout the 2018 season.
During the spring sessions, a couple of Bobcats got the chance to train outside of the MSU program. Aiazzi, Rizzo and Kelsie White traveled to Colorado Springs, Colo., from March 1-3 to participate in the USA National Team Open Tryouts.
Women from all over the country congregated in Colorado Springs to train and show their abilities in order leave an impression on the U.S. National Team, with more than 200 athletes participating.
"Everyone was giving everything they had all the time," White said. "It was an amazing feeling to be a part of. It was like a synergy throughout the gym and it was contagious. It's something I want to bring back to our gym."
White and Aiazzi both noticed the culture involved with the U.S. team. White noticed the love for the game of volleyball amongst the athletes in Colorado. She compared the similarities to her teammates at MSU's effort level and love for the sport.
White will be entering her third season as a Bobcat. Head coach Daniel Jones will also be entering his third season leading the Bobcats. Aiazzi has been with the team for two years, assisting Jones and serving as recruiting director. Aiazzi remarked MSU is a team focused on implementing a healthy, winning culture. Instilling a different culture is not something that happens overnight, but the mood around the team has been made. A culture is important at the national level and that was evident when at the U.S. Team Tryouts.
"It's all about being a family, working for the same goal," Aiazzi said. "They get to choose from everyone in America, it could be challenging to find the right fit, but they do a good job navigating that."
The three Bobcats were attending the national team event for the fist time. All three attended with the goal of learning on the front of their minds. For the two athletes, Rizzo and White, the event started out nerve inducing. The two were given a chance to compete with the best volleyball players in the country and get an additional perspective on their games apart from the MSU staff.
Rizzo was selected as a second team all-Big Sky honoree last season. She was one of the Bobcat leaders on the court compiling 5.52 digs per set, the 13th best mark in the nation. Her role as a leader for the Bobcats included instilling confidence in her teammates. White continued her growth from a solid freshman season into her sophomore campaign. The middle blocker started in all 30 of the Bobcats' matches and led the team with 108 blocks and was third on the team accounting for 268.5 points.
"We were both going into (the tryout) not knowing what to expect," White said. "I've just always felt such a confidence in Allyssa because I know she's going to give everything she's got. Our relationship off the court is extremely solid and I really can't speak highly enough about her. Having her there with me added to the confidence I wanted going into it."
After the tryouts, the focus has returned to building a positive team environment entering a season with unlimited possibilities. In the spring scrimmages, the focus will not be about the wins and losses, but working through things taught and developed over the recent months.
These next couple of weeks are some of the last opportunities the coaching staff will have to spend individual time with the athletes. Once the summer starts, due to NCAA rules, the coaching staff will have a hands-off approach with the team.
"This upcoming season, we're right there," White said. "We can taste it and we know we're good enough. We have so many talented players and we've put in the work. That's the biggest thing, we have the confidence that we're working hard and have the skill. It's just bringing it together and we're all closer than we've ever been. You can feel it in the gym, we're going to do something special and surprise some people. It's been humbling to be a part of this program."
The Bobcats start their spring scrimmage schedule on Saturday in Missoula. MSU will take on a variety of teams including Montana, Montana Tech and Providence.
Spring practices have consisted of mainly individual training. Spring is an important time for the Bobcats to progress, but also a time with a little outside competition. This week the Bobcats will take part in their first spring scrimmages in Missoula.
"We haven't played six-on-six all spring, so letting the girls compete," assistant coach Cole Aiazzi said. "Spring is all about individual improvement, we aren't too worried about winning and losing. It's more about how the girls are grasping on to what we want to teach them."
Similar to last season, the Bobcats will rely heavily on junior and underclassmen contributors. The team will be led by seniors Allyssa Rizzo, Evi Wilson, and Sydney Mathison. The seniors head a more experienced group than years past. Montana State is expected to have a solid rotation of returners, with more than 10 Bobcats having seen action on the court throughout the 2018 season.
During the spring sessions, a couple of Bobcats got the chance to train outside of the MSU program. Aiazzi, Rizzo and Kelsie White traveled to Colorado Springs, Colo., from March 1-3 to participate in the USA National Team Open Tryouts.
Women from all over the country congregated in Colorado Springs to train and show their abilities in order leave an impression on the U.S. National Team, with more than 200 athletes participating.
"Everyone was giving everything they had all the time," White said. "It was an amazing feeling to be a part of. It was like a synergy throughout the gym and it was contagious. It's something I want to bring back to our gym."
White and Aiazzi both noticed the culture involved with the U.S. team. White noticed the love for the game of volleyball amongst the athletes in Colorado. She compared the similarities to her teammates at MSU's effort level and love for the sport.
White will be entering her third season as a Bobcat. Head coach Daniel Jones will also be entering his third season leading the Bobcats. Aiazzi has been with the team for two years, assisting Jones and serving as recruiting director. Aiazzi remarked MSU is a team focused on implementing a healthy, winning culture. Instilling a different culture is not something that happens overnight, but the mood around the team has been made. A culture is important at the national level and that was evident when at the U.S. Team Tryouts.
"It's all about being a family, working for the same goal," Aiazzi said. "They get to choose from everyone in America, it could be challenging to find the right fit, but they do a good job navigating that."
The three Bobcats were attending the national team event for the fist time. All three attended with the goal of learning on the front of their minds. For the two athletes, Rizzo and White, the event started out nerve inducing. The two were given a chance to compete with the best volleyball players in the country and get an additional perspective on their games apart from the MSU staff.
Rizzo was selected as a second team all-Big Sky honoree last season. She was one of the Bobcat leaders on the court compiling 5.52 digs per set, the 13th best mark in the nation. Her role as a leader for the Bobcats included instilling confidence in her teammates. White continued her growth from a solid freshman season into her sophomore campaign. The middle blocker started in all 30 of the Bobcats' matches and led the team with 108 blocks and was third on the team accounting for 268.5 points.
"We were both going into (the tryout) not knowing what to expect," White said. "I've just always felt such a confidence in Allyssa because I know she's going to give everything she's got. Our relationship off the court is extremely solid and I really can't speak highly enough about her. Having her there with me added to the confidence I wanted going into it."
After the tryouts, the focus has returned to building a positive team environment entering a season with unlimited possibilities. In the spring scrimmages, the focus will not be about the wins and losses, but working through things taught and developed over the recent months.
These next couple of weeks are some of the last opportunities the coaching staff will have to spend individual time with the athletes. Once the summer starts, due to NCAA rules, the coaching staff will have a hands-off approach with the team.
"This upcoming season, we're right there," White said. "We can taste it and we know we're good enough. We have so many talented players and we've put in the work. That's the biggest thing, we have the confidence that we're working hard and have the skill. It's just bringing it together and we're all closer than we've ever been. You can feel it in the gym, we're going to do something special and surprise some people. It's been humbling to be a part of this program."
The Bobcats start their spring scrimmage schedule on Saturday in Missoula. MSU will take on a variety of teams including Montana, Montana Tech and Providence.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
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