Valparaiso quartet always brings the energy
VB: Defensive specialists are at the core of Valparaiso's culture
It’s brutally early on Tuesday morning and members of the Valparaiso volleyball team are participating in an intense intrasquad scrimmage.
Lilly Merk hits a ball into the net and the sophomore immediately drops to the floor to give a requisite pushup, the punishment for making a mistake during this portion of practice. She’s not the only one.
Mara Thomas misses a set. Pushup. Jordyn Gove hits a ball wide. Pushup. Emma Hickey misses a dig. Pushup.
Undoubtedly the aforementioned quartet will have the opportunity to atone for their practice miscues come Friday night when the Beacons host Belmont at the Athletics-Recreation Center in a key Missouri Valley Conference battle.
There’s another quartet that is also battling on the court, only for them, the stakes are a little bit higher than an early morning midweek practice. For defensive specialists Danica Goch, Mia Liberti, Lindley Martin and Kendal Ramey, any intrasquad scrimmage is an opportunity to show they’ll be ready if their number is called.
Rare as those opportunities may be.