Starting a season undefeated through their first eight games is a dream for any team.
Coming off a successful year with a disappointing finish to 2025, the Springfield College women’s volleyball team had a chip on their shoulder coming into the start of their 2026 campaign. After losing to Babson in the NEWMAC semifinal and getting swept in the first round of the NCAA tournament by nationally-ranked Emory last year, the Pride have come out of the gates hot this fall, ready to make their mark in the conference and beyond.
Coach Moira Long noted what has been working for the team so far.
“Most impressive to me so far has been the team’s fight,” Long said. “I think we’ve had some adversity with some injuries and what have you. I also think that their ability, whether they started or came off the bench, to still handle and respond to adversity is impressive to me.”
Despite having one of the best records in the country thus far, the season has not been without its share of battles. A reverse sweep against Oneonta Sept. 18 kept the Pride’s undefeated streak to start the season alive.
For Long, Springfield’s match at home against Amherst on Sept. 8 was a true display of what the team can do moving forward, putting on a full display of what she preaches to her squad.
“Our morals are to give, fight, and be authentic,” Long said. “I think the Amherst game encompassed all of that. After losing the first set and playing as poorly as we did, we regrouped in the second set and realized that we are not having any fun. My team certainly is one that is just funny and entertaining and a little bit weird in the best possible way. I think they need to be authentic to that.”
Despite returning a handful of key upperclassmen with valuable experience, the team is young, bringing in nine first-year athletes to round out this season’s roster. With the roster turnaround, getting the younger players acclimated to the team and the standards set by Long is crucial.
Senior setter Tori Colosimo has been one of these guiding presences, understanding her role in establishing a culture with the first-years.
“We’re a young team with nine newcomers,” Colosimo said. “I think what’s so impressive to me is them stepping into this team with high standards and high expectations and following through with that. I think that just shows that they’re willing to be here and work hard, and I love that about them.”
Despite going through the process of getting everyone acclimated, the results on the court have shown that the Pride has been nothing short of dominant. Senior Jodi Saelua has led the charge for Springfield, tallying 93 kills and 27 blocks on the young season while being named NEWMAC Offensive Athlete of the Week for Sept. 11. Junior Karenna Allain has led the Pride with 93 digs, while Colosimo has tallied 271 assists.
Even the first-year athletes have made a major impact, as first-year Gabbie Weissgarber has 31 kills and 16 blocks, and Zakiya Hiatt has notched 60 kills.
With these impressive efforts from top to bottom, Long stressed how the team’s practices have translated directly into game success.
“They come in ready to accept feedback and really want to improve,” Long said. “They take the feedback and they work really hard to apply it. We have a lot of first-years who’ve gotten to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Our standards and expectations are probably like none they’ve experienced. So that’s what we see in practice.”
Despite the impressive skills displayed on the court, Long understands that the most important aspect of the team stems from something beyond what each player can bring individually. It’s a collective effort that has driven the team to its red-hot start.
“Culture is the most important thing in a program,” Long explained. “If you don’t have culture, you don’t have anything. Relationships are a point of emphasis in our program, whether it’s my relationship with them or their relationship with each other.”
Now, as conference play begins and each match becomes even more crucial, the team knows to not get complacent with their start to the season. Colosimo discussed how the team plans to keep their foot on the gas the rest of the way.
“We preach that we’re very process oriented,” Colosimo said. “We have long-term goals, but it also goes back to, we have to play SUNY Oneonta on Friday, so our only focus for the week is that one game. We have to lock in for one game at a time and make sure we’re doing all the things in practice to make us successful for that game.”
With a focused process and mindset amongst the entire team, relationships and team chemistry is at an all-time high between everyone on the roster. Colosimo noted just how important this has been for the squad’s success.
“We’re weird in the best way,” Colosimo said. “We are a funky team who likes to have fun and we bring out weirdness to our core with our celebrations. I think it makes us authentic and we can stay loose and successful because we don’t think too much about everything.”
When the season is over, goals such as winning NEWMACS and making it to the NCAA tournament are at the top of mind for most teams and coaches. For Long, the goals for the year go deeper than that and far beyond any record can display.
“I think the ultimate goal is to continue to build our culture,” Long said. “We can control that. We can continue to work really hard. We want to compete every day with each other and get on the court and live up to the philosophy of Springfield College. We set our goals of what we want to achieve on the court, but I think making sure that other things don’t get lost in the wins and losses is crucial as well.”