The Ingredients of an SLC Women's Volleyball Win

By Elise Hendricks ‘28

Photo courtesy of Jenna Lehnhart ‘28

The Sarah Lawrence Women’s Volleyball team delivered a strong performance in their match against the Bard College Raptors on Thursday, Sept. 11, where the Gryphons took home the victory with a score of 3-0. This victory highlights the cohesive teamwork that the team brings to the table consistently, contributing to their overall success throughout the season so far.

Winning a volleyball match requires a precise blend of key elements: disciplined teamwork, consistent communication, and strategic execution. The success of the Sarah Lawrence Women’s Volleyball team also runs on the mental toughness and adaptability of its players. These ingredients are important, along with maintaining strong defensive positioning, delivering accurate serves, and executing coordinated offensive plays.

Overall, it begins with routine. They start warmups and do a few different drills together before they begin serving, passing and then hitting lines. 

Jenna Lehnhart, Class of 2028, (#15) walks onto the court, following her routine of listening to music and stretching before going head to head with the players of Bard. She seems calm and focused, something that her routine helps her to be. She is noticeably confident as well.

I talked with Lehnhart to get inside the mind of a middle blocker who keeps her teammates focused on their goal. 

"There are always a million things going through my head during a game,” said Lehnhart. “Mostly, focusing on the play in front of me." 

She thinks first and foremost about what needs to be done to better move the team toward success. The personal goals of the players for each match are different depending on the person, their position and job. Lehnhart is ready to take on any role and help out her teammates. When asked about what it takes to be a successful team, she makes it clear that there is one special ingredient that a team cannot work without: Trust. 

"... I think of trust. Trust in the people around me." said Lehnhart. "Also, trust in myself that I am doing my job to the best of my ability. Additionally, communication is also a big one."

It's proven that the teams with the most trust and communication play as a stronger unit. The success of the SLC Women's Volleyball team this season has the team buzzing with excitement and unwavering confidence for the games ahead. "We have so much talent on this team," said Lehnhart assuredly. "We want to win and we want to do it together which is the best feeling."

The Sarah Lawrence community means a lot to the athletes at the school. Professors and students alike gather together to watch the team play. Friends, roommates, other athletes, other coaches, alumni, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings: all important members of the community that drive athletes to perform the best they possibly can. They want to make those they know in the crowd proud. "We are such a fun team. We love the support that the SLC community shows us when they come to the game," said Lehnhart before continuing, "...So, keep coming to the games!"

The strength and friendship, on and off the court, is evident by the way the team plays as a unit. This is another one of the key ingredients for success.

Nikolet Vataj, Class of 2028, (#4) speaks for the entirety of the team when discussing what the group does in preparation for a game. 

"Our pre-game routine is really about getting focused while also keeping our energy up." While the team comes together to review film as well as discuss goals and strategies, Vataj adds "Most of our pre-game is spent listening to music, doing our hair, and just letting loose." 

Walking onto the court with a game face on, especially in volleyball, is crucial. It’s all about opponents using the art of distraction. Vataj put this into perspective, saying, "Once the match starts, I try to focus on the fundamentals. In volleyball, a game where the opponent's goal is to make you mess up, remembering the basics is key."

In addition to ingredients such as trust and communication, mental toughness is another necessary component. While difficult to master, it’s what ultimately makes players reliable and consistent. “Volleyball is a game of mistakes, and you can't let an error affect your confidence,” said Vataj. “You made a mistake, you shake it off, and you focus on the next play.” 

When asked about what she was excited for as the season continues, she patted the backs of her fellow teammates, saying, "Our roster has a lot of depth, consisting of returning talent and freshmen who are already making an impact." 

Sarah Lawrence competes within the Skyline Conference, an intercollegiate athletic conference based in the New York City area that competes in the NCAA's Division III. 

Skyline currently consists of 11 full-time member schools. Vataj expanded on her hopes regarding future conference matches, saying, "Playing tough, non-conference, matches is really pushing us to improve and I'm eager to see how this preparation pays off against teams with Skyline.”

You could feel the focus put into the game by each and every girl on the court, all glued together with the support of the hardworking coaches, assistants and fans. This win against Bard was a smooth transition into the tri-match held that following weekend where the SLC Women's Volleyball team brought home a win against Curry College (3-1) to begin with and finished off the day with another win against the University of Saint Joseph (3-0). The Sarah Lawrence Women’s Volleyball team stands as a testament to what can be achieved through dedication, unity and commitment to growth: all key ingredients to a thriving team.