Cohesive unit key for Demons? season

With a new season and a lot of returners, teamwork is going to be the most important thing for the Washington volleyball team in 2015.

The Demons lose four seniors from last season, but with a crew determined to better its 6-23 record from 2014, they are entering the season trying to add cohesion to the team.

?I think that one of the big lessons for us is, ?are we having fun??? Washington volleyball head coach Julianna Berg said. ?Do we enjoy what we are doing? If we don?t enjoy what we are doing, we need to re-evaluate how we can do that. I think they are finding that when we play well and work together, it?s a lot more fun. It?s hard to stay grounded when you aren?t winning every night, but if we can come in and win a few matches early in the season, that will be a huge boost of confidence for us.?

The Demons will turn to a strong group of returning athletes, who are all confident that this season will bring more fun, and more victories.

?I feel like this season, it?ll go a lot better than last year,? Washington senior Morgan Kimball said. ?We?ve been working a lot better together, so hopefully we?ll have more wins. We have to keep our heads up and not get down. If something bad happens, we have to blow it off and keep going.?

Kimball was among the team leaders in serving last season, returning 29 aces and a team-high 92.6 serving percentage from last season, and hopes to continue building on that success in 2015.

?We work a lot on serving, because we don?t need those unforced errors,? Kimball said. ?That?s how we start every practice, just working on that.?

The Demons also return one of their top strikers from last season in Amber Salow.

Salow led the team with 102 kills a year ago (averaging 1.62 per set) as well as dropping 21 aces as a server, and coming into the year, has been a part of a senior class that has stepped up into a leadership role.

?A lot of (the seniors) have stepped up,? Salow said. ?They are more vocal, and they work together well with the team.?

The Demons? biggest hole entering the season is in the setter position. Graduated senior Lauren Swan led the Demons with 325 assists as the team?s primary setter last year. The next highest on the team was McKenna Brinning with eight.

?There?s a big hole to fill at setter,? Berg said. ?It?s such an important position, and the setter has to be aware of so many things. They need to be comfortable and step up to be a leader. They would be the quarterback of the volleyball team.?

With a lot of competition and a week and a half to go until games start, the Demons are still feeling out who will take over in that role. In fact, there could be multiple options to take over.

?We have a few different lineups we are looking at,? Berg said. ?With all of the positions, it?s going to be a dogfight for everything. The girls are coming in and working really hard. I?m seeing a lot of improvement in team chemistry and just attitude in general, the way that they are approaching practice and the way they are teammates to each other.?

With a new setter, the team knows that there might be some growing pains in the season, but they are preparing for every scenario, according to Salow.

?As a team, we?ve been working on a lot of drills on absence of setting, because sometimes passes aren?t going to be perfect,? Salow said. ?We are working on getting a kill off those kinds of passes.?

With the Demons looking to have more fun this season, Berg said she is stressing the team aspect of volleyball entering the fall season.

?(Team chemistry) has a huge effect on things like defensive play,? Berg said. ?You have to play as one cohesive unit, instead of six different players. Time will tell (how they react). So far, they are a lot more excited. The energy, in general, is positive and up, so they are excited to see where they stand with other teams.?

The Demons will open the season at a tournament in Grinnell on Aug. 29.