Freshmen taking advantage of delayed start

The Montana volleyball team should be preparing for matches this weekend. Friday was scheduled to be the team's opener, and for the second time in three years, the season was going to be christened at home with regional rival Gonzaga, as well as a Pac-12 program – this time, Oregon State.

That, of course, changed on Aug. 13, when the Big Sky Conference announced that there would be no 2020 season this fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NCAA followed the following week by canceling its postseason championship tournament.

When the announcement finally came, it didn't come as much of a shock to the Grizzlies. They had read the reports, they had talked with friends. The writing was on the wall.

Still, it didn't make it any easier. Not for a group of young student-athletes who want to be on the court competing. It's what they've always done, and what they will, someday, continue to do.

The group already had its spring season ripped away, having several weeks of practices in addition to a handful of scrimmages, canceled. It had been a long time coming, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future, until, hopefully, this spring, when the Grizzlies can get back on the court with another opponent across the net.

Until then, the Grizzlies will just have to face themselves, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Together again with our friends!#GrizVB #GoGriz #UpWithMontana pic.twitter.com/8FsMK9zuQE
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) August 24, 2020

The coronavirus may have wiped out Montana's fall season, but the team is still able to train together on the court. The group has been in the gym several times over the past three weeks, and for anyone watching practice, they would not have known the season was postponed until a date to be named later.

Balls are continuously spread across the gym floor, with the attackers hammering them down into different zones, finding a seam between a handful of swimming-pool noodles that serve as makeshift blockers. On the middle court, Montana's setters work with head coach Allison Lawrence, practicing a variety of sets, aiming to have the ball land in an extended net either in front of them or behind them. On the far court, the defensive specialists practice their serve and serve-receive, alternating back and forth with each other.

Generally, during the second half of practice, the two side nets will get taken down and the Grizzlies will play six-on-six scrimmage. For now, this will have to be Montana's form of formal competition.

"Practice this fall has been so much different than any previous fall," said Lawrence, who would be beginning her fourth season as head coach. "With no match to prepare for, we're taking more time to introduce parts of our system without feeling rushed. Sometimes I catch myself feeling like we need to move on and get to the next thing, when in reality we don't have to.

"It's still the same structure, it just feels different because it's stretched out over more time."

Notice Lawrence said different, but never in a negative way.

Yes, this fall will look different than any before. The training is different, as is the focus. But different doesn't have to mean bad.

For one, unlike in March, when students returned to their hometowns, the current group is together. Even though that means no matches, it does mean practice, strength training and team bonding. In addition to time on the court, several times already this semester, the team has taken part in team-bonding activities, ranging from barbecues to an outdoor movie night at Ogren Park.

Two weeks ago, a morning practice was moved to the Blue Mountain Trailhead, where the team took part in a Frisbee golf competition. Last weekend, Montana's second practice of the day was scrapped for a float down the Clark Fork River. The Grizzlies are growing on the court, but off of it, as well – all while enjoying Missoula's beautiful outdoors.

"Rather than being overly fixated on when our next match is, or what's happening, our focus has been able to be on being together," Lawrence said. "Some of that is getting back lost time in the gym, from the spring, and some of that is being together and forming a new identity."

As for the volleyball component, that's growing as well. And as much as Lawrence wants to be preparing for the Beavers – her alma mater – on Friday night, the current schedule is probably a healthier one, she admits.

In a typical August, a volleyball program begins training less than three weeks before its opening match. There's a lot to learn during that short time, especially for the freshmen, who are adjusting to the college game just two months removed from high school graduation.

There's a new playbook to learn, teammates to gel with, expectations to understand – and that doesn't even cover the physical and mental exhaustion.

Oh yeah, then there's the school part – learning a new campus and where your classes are, sitting through a collegiate lecture for the first time, making sure you have the right material and understanding how to study in college versus high school. Those students are also away from home for the first time, which comes with a lot of excitement, but doesn't take away the nerves and homesickness.

Even things like paying a bill or visiting a doctor are often being done for the first time solo.

Finished our first week of being back together again as a team. So many moments this week, both big and small, reminded me of all the work that was done by previous athletes and teams. Thank you for building things we are honored to inherit and continue to build on. pic.twitter.com/tWF8Nkuppv
— Allison Lawrence (@CoachLawrenceUM) August 24, 2020

"In sports culture today, we expect recruits to be program changers from Day 1, because that's the narrative and that's really exciting," Lawrence said. "In a program like ours, where over the past five or six years we've been fighting for more wins, you want to see freshmen who are out in the front of the pack from the start, and I just think that's more rare and so much harder to do than the average person thinks and gives it credit for.

"The current unknown is difficult mentally and difficult emotionally, and as we introduce a higher level of play to our freshman class – who have never played against women this physical before – seeing the game at this speed is a really, really good thing to adjust to slowly. It's very difficult to go from never before seeing this level of play, and then in two weeks saying, 'OK, go do it' against a really tough opponent."

Take for example Amethyst Harper, who just 12 months ago was in that spot, moving to Missoula from Fresno, California. She made her collegiate debut just more than three weeks after moving away from home, and by the second week of the season was Montana's go-to target on the outside.

It's a lot to adjust to, and little of it is on the court.

"You get to campus and everything in your life changes so fast and there's so much to learn," Harper said. "On the court, you go from never playing super high-impact games and not fully knowing what you're getting yourself into, and just having to fly by the seat of your chair.

"The biggest adjustment, though, was learning how to communicate with my coaches and professors and learning how to keep everyone in the same loop. We have to take responsibility for ourselves and take ownership over our classes."

That was especially important a season ago, when the Grizzlies played on the road four of the first five weeks. Lectures were missed and exams needed to be rescheduled; there's no grace period before falling behind.

Harper was one of five true freshmen who made their collegiate debuts last fall, just weeks after stepping foot on campus. Playing young was something the Grizzlies became accustomed to, with the freshman class accounting for 65 starts. The number jumps to 88 if you including the Grizzlies' three redshirt freshmen.

While the downside was the growing pains associated with so much youth, the upside was that the freshmen were thrown into the fire, and now are taking on roles that typical 19-year-old sophomores don't.

The same is true for this year's incoming class, but instead of getting three weeks to prepare for its first match, this group has several months.

"The typical analogy of drinking from a firehose is generally how it feels," Lawrence described. "Your head is spinning and you're just trying to learn and adapt to so much newness. Now, we still have the same structure, it's just stretched out over more time. Sometimes I catch myself in practice feeling like we need to get to the next thing, when in reality, we don't have to."

With a new season comes new players. Meet our eight incoming student-athletes! #GrizVB #GoGriz #UpWithMontana
Posted by Montana Griz Volleyball on Wednesday, August 26, 2020

As young as last year's Montana team was, the truth is, this year's squad is even younger.

Of Montana's 16-person roster, the Grizzlies have one senior and two juniors. The lone senior and one of the two juniors are transfers who are new to the Griz program. Montana also welcomed six true freshmen, who joined the seven now sophomores.

No matter how you shake it, the Grizzlies, like last year, are going to have to rely on their young talent whenever they next face outside competition.

Which shows the value in this fall, when the structure can be altered to a slower pace, more conducive for learning.

"The college game is so different from high school or club," freshman outside hitter Sophia Meyers said. "I think the biggest difference is the speed and the focus level. There's definitely a lot to learn."

While the idea of making her collegiate debut this weekend excites Meyers, it's also a terrifying thought.

"A lot of us freshmen haven't played since March, since our club season got canceled," the Maple Valley, Washington, native said. "I think we would have been ready, if the season started this week, but the extra time is definitely almost a relief so that we can practice more and blend with our new teammates. The current training is prepping us even more for next year."

Fellow freshman Carly Anderson feels it just as much. As one of two setters on the team – both newcomers – Anderson must know the offense inside and out, reading the defense across the net while also making split-second decisions of who to set the ball toward. Add on the fact that each hitter likes the ball placed at a different height and at a different speed, and it's easy to get overwhelmed just reading about it.

"It's been nice to have the time and get to know every person and what they want and need, and what the coaches want from me," Anderson said. "More than anything, I think it just gives you time to learn the whole system."

Plus, Anderson added, "It's nice to get the freshman jitters out in practice instead of a tournament in Chicago, or wherever."

The past several months have been a whirlwind for Anderson, who graduated from high school this spring, but was uncertain when – or if – she would be able to come to campus.

Given that Anderson is Canadian, a native of Toronto, Ontario, and given that the U.S.-Canada border has been shut down since March, there was a period of time where it looked like Anderson might not be able to get to campus, or even enroll at the University, if classes were moved fully online.

After weeks of uncertainty, the freshman was able to arrive to Missoula earlier this month, and after a two-week quarantine, is taking full advantage of her new home.

"I love everything about Missoula," Anderson said. "Floating was awesome, and I enjoyed Hiking the M; we don't have much hiking where I'm from. Just hanging out with the girls and spending time together, or having a home-cooked meal from some of the older girls, has been so awesome."

The adjustment has been the same for Meyers: "It's definitely been tough leaving home, but I'm blessed to be around this team. We've focused a lot on bonding and getting to know each other, and they've definitely been a family already."

As much as Montana would love to be playing in front of its home fans this weekend, time together, whether on the court or off, has been a nice change of pace, and one that they believe will pay dividends in the future.

"The opportunity to work with your freshmen, and build those connections at this pace, is going to be a lot healthier for the team," Harper said, just one year removed from being in their shoes. "They have time to adjust, they have time to develop, and I think, because of that, we'll all be a closer group and really competitive in the spring."

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