By Kaleb Knowles
As Springfield College defeated New Paltz 3-1 on Saturday evening, a distant clock suddenly became clear. The countdown to the final four had officially begun. For the eight Springfield College seniors on the men’s volleyball team, their dream, tucked away since stepping onto the Blake Arena court as freshmen, was now within sight. In this dream season, they could end it by standing with an NCAA championship trophy on the same floor where they had invested four years of hard work.
Many members of the senior class first saw campus in 2022. That season, COVID was at least partly behind them, and fans could finally attend a full season of games. The class also entered with high expectations. The team had just reached the National Championship the year before, only to fall to Carthage 3-1.
“We kind of started all over again after Covid,” Springfield College head coach Charlie Sullivan said. “I knew we were building up back towards this championship, and I think it went a little faster than expected last year.”
This year’s senior class did not have the immediate playoff success that Springfield College volleyball players might be accustomed to. In their first two seasons, they were first-round exits. And last year, they fell short to Southern Virginia in the tournament’s title match, 3-0. But that loss led the seniors to look forward to this year, with one last opportunity to complete a championship run.
“That was a big part of the coaches’ recruiting picks for our class. He kind of led with that,” AJ Seveland, a senior on the team, said. “He said you’ll have a chance to host a National Championship your senior year because at that point, he knew.”
And now, three years after transferring out of the University of Delaware following his freshman year, Seveland, who just took home the region’s Most Valuable Player award following the win against New Paltz, and the rest of his senior class have the opportunity to do just that. Being able to play in Blake Arena in what will ultimately be the final game for the eight seniors is something none of them is taking for granted.
“It means the absolute world, I’ve experienced what it’s like playing when we’re not hosting in the tournament and what that crowd can do to an opposing team,” Seveland said. “I’m so excited to have that for us. I think we just displayed a little fraction of it on Saturday, but it’s going to get a whole lot bigger from there, and I’m excited.”
With just a maximum of two possible games left for the senior class, Sullivan and the team have begun preparing for Cal Lutheran on Thursday. With a hard week of practices, film sessions, and memories, there are a lot of final moments that the senior class on the team begins to share.
“Today was our last lift,” Seveland said on Monday night. “We know we have our last practice coming up, it’s just the little things like that, and we really have to take that time to appreciate the moments with each other.”
While the final week and final moments are looming for each senior who is competing in the games this weekend, both the Pride’s seniors and Sullivan know just how important completing the final objective is. Emphasizing to his team that with a good game plan and mindset, they can make sure to seize what will ultimately be their last chance to win a National Championship.
“I guess it’s all out then, huh?” Sullivan said. “You can’t hold anything back.”
Photo by Emma Bynes/The Student