From streaks to setbacks, Rowan women’s volleyball stays locked in

It’s been almost a month since Rowan women’s volleyball season began, and the Profs are starting off with a bang. 

The first two matches of the season were off to a rocky start, after the team fell to Johns Hopkins University and Babson College at the Giovinazzi Memorial Tournament. The Profs may have walked away from the first two matches of the season with two losses, but that didn’t stop them. They went on to win eight consecutive matches, making that the longest win streak since 2022, the last time the team took home a NJAC title. 

The Profs started the series against the 8-4 University of Scranton and the 8-3 Eastern University this past weekend on a high note. But their eight-game win streak ultimately ended with an upset against the University of Scranton in a five-set match. After that defeat, the Profs went into another five-set match against Eastern University, but ultimately walked away defeated.

Despite the winning streak being snapped, the team isn’t giving up yet. Throughout this season, the team has turned to a “commit to the chase” mindset, and they are channeling that mindset now more than ever. 

“If you want to really compete with that next level, be at that higher level, then you’ve got to commit to the chase. And that means like, commit to the details, commit to execution, commit to chasing perfection,” said head coach Deana Jespersen. 

Jespersen isn’t the only one going into upcoming games with a positive mindset despite the loss. Ava Best, the sophomore middle hitter, isn’t letting the losses affect the confidence she has in her team. 

“Even though we lost twice this weekend, we fought. Which I think was really cool to see all of us come together, because we went into it kind of as underdogs, which happens a lot,” Best said. “But we played really good, and we pushed every game to a fifth set. Even though we fell short in the fifth set, we still fought to get there.”

Best isn’t the only player on the team who is confident in her teammates despite the losses. Ciara Bradley, the junior middle hitter, shares that confidence. 

“I’m just really excited for the rest of the season …The rest of the season is just what we make of it. However, we go about it, but I know that we’re going to be really successful,” Bradley said.