Last year was a huge success for the Rowan University women’s volleyball team, with many memorable wins that helped shape the season.

While the Profs weren’t able to grab the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) tournament championship and fell short in the finals, there were still games and victories that were very important to the team.

One that sticks out to now-senior Tori Mock is when they defeated Kean University in the semifinals of the NJAC tournament on Nov. 7.

“My most memorable moment was when we dog-piled after we beat Kean in the playoffs,” Mock said. “I think it had a lot to do with the fact that the previous year we had beaten them in the regular season and then lost to them in the playoffs.”

At the start of the matchup, the Profs came out strong and led the entire first set, and ended up taking the second set as well. After gaining some momentum Kean came back to win the third. Rowan then took over the fourth set and defeated the Cougars 3-1. 

The worry of repeating history was just an added reason why, before even stepping on the court, all of the players felt pressure to win this semifinals match-up. And the fact they were able to pick up this win just helped the team’s mentality, something that will hopefully carry over into their next season.

“That game really boosted our confidence,” Mock said. “Made us realize that we are so much better than we think we are.”

Heading into the finals against the number-one-seeded Stockton University was a challenge. Rowan showed their strength and unity during the game, but they ultimately they fell short. 

However, despite the loss at the end of last season, the team remains positive and prides themselves on being a family, even with all of the challenges that they have faced this year. They continue to support one another and have created a new way to stay connected and ensure that their team chemistry is still there. 

“We’re still having team meetings,” Mock said. “We have ‘Prof Partners’ where you and your partner are supposed to do stuff for each other which includes acts of kindness during the week. We do that in order to stay connected even though we can’t be near each other.”

Although this is not the ideal situation for Mock’s senior year, she remains positive, noting how it is her teammates that she misses the most right now.

“I honestly think the people are what I’ll miss most of all,” Mock said. “Just all of the friendships that I’ve made and the relationships I’ve formed on the team.”

Mock still has one final year on the court as a Prof and hopes that the team can have an even stronger season than last one.

For comments/questions about this story, email sports@thewhitonline.com or tweet @TheWhitOnline.