For many Trinity students, club sports have provided a way to continue playing without the commitment level of varsity athletics. While some club sports keep practices and games relaxed and non-competetive, other, such as the Trinity Volleyball club team, are constantly pushing to become winning players.
Recently, the Trinity women’s club volleyball team has come away from a fairly successful season. The team, a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, played against many Alamo Colleges and San Antonio-area colleges, beating out schools like Northeast Lakeview College and Palo Alto College. While the win-loss record is very important, many see club volleyball as more than just a sport, and as a way to make life-long friendships and connect with girls who they otherwise would not have met.
“I really wanted to have a sport built in to my collegiate experience so I could stay active, and I wanted to be able to meet people on campus,” said junior Mallory Garcia. “I love the ability to play the sport that I am passionate about at the club level and to have so many students and others who work really hard to make success happen.”
Recently, the Trinity team has faced off against division one University of Incarnate Word club volleyball for the Texas Collegiate Club Sports East Championship. The girls walked away victorious, proving all their work this season paid off. UIW and Trinity had faced off many times in the past, and have been long-time rivals, making the victory even more exciting. UIW had taken home the conference championship in 2016, so the team came into the match with something to prove. This victory came as the result of many practices, picking apart where the girls needed to make improvements and focusing on a bigger result.
“One big improvement we’ve made is having a well balanced offense,” said co-team captain, junior Danielle Trevino. “Our scoring has gotten more balanced, and we no longer depend on one or two players. The team has also pulled in a lot more new girls with previous volleyball experience, which is helpful. This team has come a long way since even last semester.”
The Trinity men’s club volleyball has also experienced some success this season, mostly in the way of rebuilding a strong team for future seasons. While the team experienced disappointment at the conference level, placing 15th out of 25 SIVA schools, losing to schools like University of Texas, Texas A&M, and Baylor, the team brought in many new players, and is ready to train to compete harder in future years.
“In terms of wins total, no, we did not really have that good of a season. However, this was basically a rebuilding season, we lost five of our six starters to graduation and so the goal this year was really to just teach a bunch of guys how to play volleyball. For that goal I think we’ve had success,” said team captain Ben D’aurizio. “Since Fall semester we’ve make a lot of improvements, and the guys have come a long ways, so we are ready to keep working for next season.”
