Communication key factor in volleyball win
On Saturday night, a very talkative Utah State University women’s volleyball team used good communication to turn around their match against the California Polytechnic State Mustangs.
The turning point came midway through the third game when USU stepped up their intensity and really began communicating effectively, especially on service returns.
“I think our intensity, like our talking, went up,” said outside hitter Erin Cartwright. “We changed things- mostly it was our intensity and the talking.”
For the match, the Aggies only had three service return errors while Cal Poly had six. Cal Poly especially seemed to have trouble with the serves of setter Chelsi Neves. Neves had three of the Aggies six services aces.
Throughout the match, the Aggies were very vocal and could be heard talking to each other and calling balls.
“I think the team that talks more is the team that’s going to do better because you’re more involved in the plays, you’re more focused on what’s going on, and you’re communicating,” middle blocker Michelle Matheson said.
In the first game, Cal Poly struggled with effectively communicating their sets. Their communication remained low throughout the match and the team was quiet compared to the Aggies.
Later in the match, the Mustang’s lack of communication was shown when a Cal Poly player dug the ball and cleared out to allow her teammates to make a play on it. As their teammate cleared out, three Cal Poly players stood motionless and watched the ball drop between them.
Since communication was the turning point in the game for the Aggies, it shows how vital it can be for players to talk to each other.
“You need a lot of communication when you’ve got six people out there trying to work together,” Matheson said.