Together as captains, senior Annie Jones and junior Ashley Morris lead the Spring Arbor University (SAU) volleyball team on and off the court.
“Being a captain challenges me,” said Morris. “You have to play hurt and act as if you’re not,” said Jones.
They both believe that there is a pressure to be great and to know everything all the time and it sometimes makes being a captain difficult.
This season has not been the easiest. There have been some exciting wins and some tough losses. Like any other sports team, they have had to face many challenges so far, but Jones and Morris have maintained a positive outlook.
Together, they described this year as learning love, faithfulness and using the gifts that God has blessed all the players of their team with to the best of their abilities.
“We have three weeks left. Nine games. Our goal is to win them all,” said Morris. “Well, at least 75 percent of them,” said Jones.
Over the next three weeks, they will face Grace College, Bethel College, Indiana Wesleyan University, Trinity International University, Marygrove College, Trinity Christian College, Siena Heights University, Huntington University and University of Saint Francis. At the end of those three weeks, the Mid-Central Conference (MCC) tournament begins.
When the season ends, the team will be saying goodbye to seniors Cassandra Kramer, Erin Johnson, Chelsea Fraser-Lee, Jones and Kate Baukhnecht. Morris said this group of seniors over their time as members of the volleyball team have shown dedication, love for each other and the team and set good examples, especially when it comes to their relationships with God.
“I’ve been doing this sport for so long. I love good competition and it’s going to be weird not to have that. God has a lot more planned for me outside of volleyball. It’s bittersweet to be leaving,” said Jones.
Being a college athlete is a privilege that both Jones and Morris have realized over the past few years. These are moments that they will never have again, but there are moments that they will remember for the rest of their lives.
One moment from this season that no player from this team could possibly forget is the victory over Madonna University in late August. Jones said everything came together and everyone was on their game.
“I had no clue the game was over. It happened so fast,” said Morris.
The completion of exciting games like the one against Madonna isn’t the only thing that happened quickly. For Jones, the past four years have flown.
With the end of the season quickly approaching, Jones and Morris are enjoying their last few weeks together and looking ahead to the MCC Tournament.
[WRITER’S NOTE: ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE OCTOBER 2011 EDITION OF “THE PULSE”]