Stony Brook University volleyball heads into the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) conference action battle-ready after playing a tough non-conference schedule that had the Seawolves traveling to tournaments in Texas and Rhode Island. Now in her ninth season with Stony Brook, Head Coach Kristin Belzung said the challenging matches have helped the team come together.
“We have a really young team this year, so at the beginning of the year we knew we were…looking for opportunities to grow and figure out who we are,” said Belzung. “We’ve learned lessons.”
Collegiate volleyball is a fall sport, so the team’s seven freshmen needed to learn quickly. Thankfully, the Seawolves opened at home on Long Island with three big wins at the Stony Brook invite. Then, it was off to the Doubletree Invitational in Dallas, where they faced formidable opponents. Belzung is proud that the team took a set off the nationally ranked SMU. Last weekend was the Bryant Invitational, and Stony Brook now stands 4–5.
“We played some really tough opponents, really high-level volleyball, and they challenged us in ways that were different,” Belzung said. “They exposed some things and they’re pushing us to learn some lessons early in the year that I think will be really valuable as the season moves on.”
Belzung explained that facing tough opponents early in the season lets the coaching staff and team know what areas need work. “It allows us to feel like we can come back and really get better at those things,” said Belzung. “Honestly, it also gives us some awareness that we can compete. If we can shore a couple of things up, then we’ve got the ability to compete with those teams. Taking the set off of SMU was a really good confidence builder. It shows that the margins are slimmer…than our girls would think.”
Stony Brook is back at home this weekend, leading off CAA play with two matches versus Northeastern. Look out for the team’s lone senior, Outside Hitter Kali Moore from Brooklyn, an impact player throughout her collegiate career. As Stony Brook is a flagship institution in the State University of New York system, Belzung makes it clear that these student-athletes are also competitive academically.
“The type of personality that fits our program, it’s not always the most talented kid that is the most successful here,” she said. “It’s smart players and somebody who’s growth-oriented that wants to develop and continue to get better.”