Trinity women’s club volleyball saw its season come to an end in the Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference (TCAC) Tournament semifinals on April 11 at Northwest Vista College. The Tigers knocked off Austin Community College — a team they had previously struggled against — in the quarterfinals before falling to Palo Alto College in three sets. Kyra Balyeat, junior accounting major, was among those making the run. She’s played with the club since her first year at Trinity, and played volleyball since age four.
“I think at the end of the day, they were just a better team, but also our skills just weren’t there,” Balyeat said. “We could have played better. I would say, as a final game, I had fun. I think a lot of people enjoyed themselves. At the end of the day, we got to play the sport we loved, and that was what mattered.”
The team regularly practices on Tuesdays from 8-9:30 p.m. in the William H. Bell Athletic Center, and offers an “open gym” optional practice on Sundays at 6 p.m. Their practices begin with a dynamic warmup and move into hitting lines and specific drills. Without a coach, the captains are responsible for determining what the team can improve on. Following the drills, the club will move into playing “Queens,” or running a six-on-six scrimmage.
During their season, the team played a game against other schools in the TCAC on Thursdays at 7 p.m. Every week, they compete against different schools and club teams around the San Antonio area, including junior colleges. Historically, Trinity women’s club volleyball has been ranked highly against its competitors, Balyeat said. Their season builds up to the TCAC Tournament to determine which teams go to club nationals.
The club is led by three captains: Avery Hill, senior biochemistry and molecular biology major, Vanessa Fulton, junior psychology and Spanish double-major, and Elly Campbell, junior biochemistry and molecular biology major. For the past three years, the team has passed the responsibilities of captaincy down to whoever is interested, but that may be subject to change in future seasons. Captains, like Hill, have led the team for three years, but Balyeat said enough interest in the role could lead to an election or appointment.
Women’s club volleyball holds tryouts at the beginning of the year to fill the 20-person roster. Club sports are designed to be a step up from intramural (IM) sports, and the team sees a lot of interest from students, Balyeat said. Tryouts allow the captains to decide on which players will fill the roster.
Students try out for their preferred volleyball position, but players can also move around the court to fill the gaps needed in the team. Balyeat has set, hit and been a backline player in her club volleyball career, and told the captains that she would take on any position for playing time.
Most of the members played volleyball before and want to continue to compete at a level above intramurals, according to Balyeat. She said she enjoys the atmosphere the club provides for her, noting that it gives players a chance to return to the sport in a low-pressure, fun environment and find their love for the game.
“I’ve always found that with IMs, playing volleyball with people who don’t necessarily know the rules can be a little frustrating at times,” Balyeat said. “So having the opportunity to play with girls who know the game is always really fun. Also, just being in college, it’s important to get out and move your body, and volleyball is a perfect opportunity to do that in a way that brings me joy.”
The team will play weekly Thursday night games against other schools and clubs in San Antonio when their fall season starts up again in September.
