A white Academy coach bus had been on the road for an hour and a half up the New Jersey Turnpike from Glassboro to Union for a Rowan women’s volleyball matchup against Kean. The drop of pin could be heard for the bulk of the 1 hour, 40 minute road trip north. But not now.

The speaker clicks on. The song “Cry for You” by September leads off a Spotify Jam with teammates, and eventually makes its way to assistant coach Matt Verlinghieri, although his choice of Metallica doesn’t make it into the rotation before the bus arrives on Kean’s campus.

All of a sudden, one thing becomes clear. The reason why Rowan volleyball is making the trip up the New Jersey turnpike at 18-4 – instead of the mark of 12-10 in 2024 – is because it’s a group of 17 girls that love each other.

The influx of freshmen and sophomores that have come into the program through the last two years has made a gigantic impact. Freshman outside hitter Jessica Smart leads the team in kills in her first year. Raven Albrecht has come in as a freshman and made the transition from Brooke Adams at setter flawlessly. Gabriella Cooper has been an all around force on defense, and is likely to be next year’s libero. The list goes on.

But, talent doesn’t mean much of anything if your team doesn’t enjoy being on the floor.

“I don’t think anything can really compete with it,” sophomore middle hitter Ava Best said. “We have amazing coaches. I feel like we all talk about our culture. The freshman that we brought in, all five of them are amazing. Like, just adding to the culture and then on and off. So it’s fun, all aspects.”

That night at Kean was not a success. The Profs took their first loss, 3-0, in New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play. It was their first straight set loss since their first match of the year in late August against third-ranked Johns Hopkins. It ended a ten-game win streak. All 17 players had every right to hang their heads and feel sorry, but they didn’t.

The Profs found their parents, chatted, and just enjoyed being around each other. When families and friends dispersed, meatball subs, pizza dinners and drinks awaited them from Johnny Napkins, the local spot in Union. The main concern was no longer the 29 combined kills from Ashley Torok and Cayley Elena Morrison of Kean. It was where to find some napkins. Without hesitation, sophomore Natalie Johnson ran to the bathroom to grab paper towels for everyone.

“The thing that our coach always likes to say is you take it in and you can be mad for 24 hours,” Best said. “Then, after that, you move on, and you figure your next steps out.”

Rowan could certainly see Morrison, Torok, and the rest of the Kean Cougars again in the NJAC playoffs. They know they need a better plan. It doesn’t take much to figure that out. But, that doesn’t mean it consumed them. It couldn’t.

The team got over it quickly, and they needed to. Rutgers-Camden was waiting for them on Thursday, followed by a trip to Dallas, Pa. on Saturday to face Misericordia and Albright. The Profs won all three, combining to win the sets 9-1.

Rutgers-Newark and NJCU still hang in the balance in an NJAC race that is red-hot with Kean. Rowan would really love to win the conference. They know it’s important, and the competitive drive in every player is pushing them to be their very best. But, it’s not everything.

“Senior year, having this team. I don’t even care how the end of the season goes,” senior libero Vanessa Hutchinson said while Mic’d Up on Rowan Athletics’ social media. “I’m so grateful for these girls. Having them is like sisters.”

The perspective is hard to believe. Hutchinson was sitting in the bleachers as a high school senior in 2021 when Rowan won their first NJAC championship under head coach Deana Jespersen. Then, she was on a team that did it again in 2022. She’s also been on the 2023 team that went 9-21.

Almost surely, the win total of 25 or 2 won’t be what stands out to Hutchinson when her time ends at Rowan, or any member of the team. It’s the bonds. The speaker was blasting. The postgame meals. The frantic run for napkins. 

The joy.

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