OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mid-America Christian University Volleyball team is under the direction of a new head coach to start the 2018 season, with the Evangels now following the lead of Faith Avalos. Under a new coach, there is usually a learning curve, but due to come on campus construction projects, the Evangels have also been unable to practice in their own gym.
Despite that challenge, the Evangels feel ready for the 2018 campaign.
"A lot of times with young teams," Avalos noted when asked about their nomadic preseason, "they get into a routine and when that routine gets broken it can cause issues. We haven't had a routine yet. These ladies have shown up to whatever gym we have been at and they have literally given 100 percent in every practice, and that's good to see, because if anything happens this season that's not according to play, we will be used to making those adjustments."
Avalos also noted that her team has shown an instinctively competitive nature right out of the gate in the preseason, something that impressed her because it has shown up in every team activity.
"The level of competition [in this team] is the highest I have had the pleasure of working with," she said. "Everything is a competition. Our scrimmages have been so intense."
The Evangels open the season on Saturday afternoon with a tri-match at nearby Randall University, and after the two matches there, the Evangels will jump right into Sooner Athletic Conference play. Eight of MACU's first 12 matches are against SAC competition, but despite that, The Evangels are excited about using their limited opportunities to get ready for the difficult conference slate.
"One of the things I am excited about," Avalos remarked, "is getting to see what kind of lineup options we have this year. We will use the first two matches of the year to work some of that stuff out before getting into conference."
Avalos may be getting her first taste of head coaching, officially, but one of her strengths is the amount of autonomy she has been afforded at previous stops, and she recognizes the value of those experiences.
"I have been very fortunate at previous stops to have a big hand in the pot," she said. "The biggest adjustment for me has been finding my help within the team. We recently named Dianne [Walter] as a team captain, and now I have been developing the reliance on the team leaders to help make sure that when I give an instruction, it is carried out.
Walter, a junior from Vancouver, Washington, is one of four returners on the 2018 squad, along with Da'Jah Thompson, Gabrielle Poling, and Ryann Hale. The four have formed a core that has allowed Avalos to focus on bringing in nine new faces and blend them into the team. All four returners saw significant time in 2017, experience which should be very valuable as the season develops.
Nine newcomers enter the mix in 2018, including six freshmen. Of the transfers, the one with the most experience is Alexa Bass who spent the 2017 season as the primary setter at Southern Arkansas University. Bass is one of only four upper classmen on the roster, along with Walter, Thompson, and fellow transfer Elena Hadzhieva.
The season for MACU starts on Saturday, August 18 at Randall University. The Evangels will battle the Crowley's Ridge College Pioneers (0-0) at 12 p.m., and then they will battle the host Saints (0-0) at 2 p.m.
