Greg Fitzpatrick
@GregFitzpatric2
Online Editor
A 17-day layoff from game action came to a stop for Springfield College men’s volleyball on Saturday. The Pride swept both Daniel Webster (25-12, 25-16,25-19) and Sage (25-18, 25-12, 25-10) in Dana Gymnasium.
Springfield was glad to end their long break and get back onto the court.
“It felt great that we were able to come back to Springfield and have a level of focus which allowed us to have some great practice throughout the week,” said senior Greg Woods.
Luis Garcia Rubio emphasized on the importance of practice.
“Most of the things that we learned this week in practice, we saw in both matches this weekend,” said Garcia Rubio.
The long layoff seemed to play no major impact as the Pride started off their Saturday afternoon with Daniel Webster in a successful manner. Woods helped lead his team past the Eagles with the assistance of setter Garcia Rubio.
Woods once again proved he can be a dominant hitter from the outside, producing a game-high 13 kills and a very impressive .733 hitting percentage.
A senior leader for the Pride, Woods attributed his success to the strong relationships on the court with his teammates.
“Our serve receivers were doing an incredible job of getting our team in system and giving Luis (setter) balls that he could set anything from,” said Woods. “I think I talked and communicated with every guy in the floor more than any other game which helped the confidence of the team and made my job easier.”
Ranking second in assists per set at 11.23, Luis Garcia Rubio compiled 31 assists throughout all three sets.
Julian Welsh-White continued to among one of the leaders in blocks per set (1.14) as he contributed with six blocks in the sweep over Daniel Webster. Ricardo Ayalla Padilla had six kills and five digs.
Woods, Garcia Rubio, and company took care of business again with Sage. Springfield used a very well-balanced attack in order to gain an offensive flow. Head coach Charlie Sullivan played 15 guys as Woods led the way with six kills. Garcia Rubio had 23 assists and also dished out three of Springfield’s 14 aces. Freshmen Kyle Jasuta was another threat at the net as he matched Woods with six kills as well.
The No.2 ranked Pride are 23-2 overall and only have four games remaining on their regular season schedule.
Springfield can’t look towards the post-season just yet as they are focusing on the games left in front of them.
“Right now we have four games left. We are focused on those four matches right now to get those important wins for our program this year,” said Garcia Rubio.
Finishing the season strong before the playoff push is crucial. Woods strongly believes there is room for improvement that can translate into major success for this year’s team in the near future.
“There’s always room to improve and we’re always looking for new ways to make our team perform at the highest level,” said Woods. “One thing that is crucial for our team to do is to trust in our skills and rely on our training when we play big matches. That confidence will allow for our potential to shine through.”