AU VB team deserves strong turnout for PBC Tournament
By Angela Stephan | Sports writer
On the outside, volleyball seems like an easy game, as if “hot-potato” and “the floor is lava” were combined into one, right?
Wrong, because in reality, it’s an extremely difficult game. It requires commitment, persistence and constant practice. The women on the Augusta University volleyball team go above and beyond expectations. They play to win.
You would hear their screams echo in the court right after they score, their “yeahs” bounce off the empty seats of Christenberry Fieldhouse, followed by a “good job” huddle.
This weekend, the Jaguar volleyball team will host the Peach Belt Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed. They open play in the semifinals Friday, Nov. 11, at 4:30 p.m. against the quarterfinal match winner between Georgia College and USC Aiken.
“Having the seats filled during a game is just a special feeling,” said Alexis Diaz-Infante, a senior from Phoenix, Ariz., a middle blocker on the AU women’s volleyball team. “It shows that not only do we want to succeed, but everyone wants to watch us succeed. It’s almost like they’re right there with us as we move forward in our season.”
I have been following the Jaguar volleyball team closely all season. Let me tell you a little about volleyball.
The set starts when a player serves the ball from the back of a court. Then both teams hit the ball back and forth, while they try to strike the ball into the other team’s floor to score a point, which is called a kill. Each team has three hits to try to return the ball over the net.
Ladies and gentlemen, did you know AU has “serial” killers on our women’s volleyball team? Yes, you read that right. The AU women’s volleyball team brought home victories unlike no other with a strong group of hitters and blockers led by Diaz-Infante and fellow Phoenix product Jazmyn Wheeler—they played at the same junior college for a season before transferring to AU.
Players leap so high, and fly above the 8-foot tall net and smack the ball to score—to kill. Wheeler has the most kills on the AU team but has plenty of help from Diaz-Infante, Madelyn Eden, and Jada Suguturaga. Wheeler is the offensive leader in a sport where the slam dunk or home run is the kill.
And don’t get me started on the back-row players who dive onto the wooden floor as if they are diving into water. They display difficult stunts and gymnastics moves, as if they are tumbling in clouds, just to keep the ball in play. But in reality, these are hard moves. The players put in many hours of practice, they play many games and they play to win.
It would be nice to see those seats filled by fellow Jaguars at this weekend’s tournament, to cheer and be there for their team. These young women, who have just won AU’s first-ever Peach Belt Conference regular-season volleyball championship, deserve our attention.
See you at 4:30 p.m. on Friday in Christenberry Fieldhouse.
Contact Angela Stephan at astephan@augusta.edu.
Jazmyn Wheeler serves for the Jaguar volleyball team in a Peach Belt Conference match at USC Aiken. (photo by Angela Stephan) At the top of the page, the Jaguars, including Alexis Diaz-Infante (21), Alyssa Dutton (14) and Dariana Luna (7), celebrate another point. (photo by Madison Keel)
