Caitlin Dorsch ~ Copy Desk Chief
The University of Lynchburg Volleyball team is currently on a five game winning streak. Since the beginning of their regular season on Friday, Aug. 30, against Mary Baldwin University, the Lady Hornets have been focused on one goal: winning with class. Although the team did slightly stumble in a loss on Saturday, Aug. 31, against Meredith College, the team was quickly able to re-focus and move onto the next set of matches.
Last spring and throughout the beginning part of this current fall campaign, the team has come out with a different energy than it had in the past. According to senior libero and defensive specialist no. 3, Lauren Stanford, the team has begun this season was a “newfound positivity and just joy to play with each other again.” This season, the team has a strong class of seniors with younger classes intermixed, including four first-years.
This rekindled love for the game began last spring, according to Stanford and other senior members of the team, as a result of the team’s focus on service, specifically with 4/24 Freedom. Senior middle blocker no. 15 Disa Haugsdahl summarized that 4/24 Freedom “advocates for and supports individuals who have been victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation around the world.” Since the spring, the team has engaged in multiple activities, such as running in a 5k and asking for donations around campus, to help give funding and support for this important cause. Haugsdahl insists that 4/24 Freedom is “an organization that focuses on an issue that society does not want to talk about, sexual violence. By highlighting this issue on-campus and the Lynchburg community, we are showing that the University of Lynchburg Volleyball team is against such violence.”
By focusing on service, the members of the team have been able to create tighter bonds with one another. According to Stanford, “The women on this team are amazing, working hard in our academics and in our sport,” and working with 4/24 Freedom “allows us the platform to stand up together against such a heart-breaking crime.”
To watch the Lady Hornets compete in their next home match, come down to Wayne Proffitt Court in the Turner Gymnasium on Wednesday, Sept. 11, where the team will be looking to sting a conference rival, Washington and Lee University, at 6:30 p.m.