After a 1-2 start in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference play which included a 0-3 drubbing against Owens Community College on Sept. 9, the Sinclair Community College women’s volleyball team has been on a hot streak, as they have won 12 straight games.
“The team has been playing better and better [as the season has progressed],” head coach K.C. Gan said. “They are playing above their potential so far.”
The majority of those wins have come as result of the Lakeland Invitational tournament, which Sinclair won without losing a single set.
“I am very proud. And I enjoyed watching them play and shut down every opponent until the very last match,” Gan said.
Even though the results may look like they were playing weaker opponents, Gan insisted that things weren’t as easy as they may seem.
“It looks like it was easy to beat every team in two sets, but every point was contested,” Gan said. “We had to do our best to earn every point.”
For their outstanding play in the tournament, Jessica Thobe and Tara Eades were recognized as tournament most valuable player and most outstanding performance for the team.
Eades said she was shocked that she won the award but was honored to receive such a prestigious recognition.
“I was really happy and it feels amazing to have won 12 straight games,” Eades said. “We had really good chemistry for the tournament.”
She added that the team should be ready to jump back into the conference race as long as they stick to the plan and stay focused.
“I’m pretty confident that we can play up to…[our competition in conference], but to do that we just have to stay confident and limit our mistakes,” Eades said.
The Tartan Pride now stand at an overall record of 17-3 and Gan said things are looking up.
There is still a long season ahead of the team, as they still have 12 games to play (seven in conference). But coach Gan has a renewed level of optimism towards his team’s level of play.
Sinclair’s next home game is against Cuyahoga Community College on Sept. 28 at 6 p.m.