JSU volleyball: While learning new system, Gamecocks focus on growth rather than results

Sep. 6—JACKSONVILLE — Winning takes time. Jacksonville State's volleyball team can vouch for that.

After two weeks, the Gamecocks are 1-5 under first-year head coach Derek Schroeder. After a five-set win in the season's first match against McNeese State, JSU has fallen 3-0 in five straight matches, including all three this past weekend in the Windy City Classic at Chicago State University.

A year ago, JSU went 24-6, but as Gamecocks' fans know well, this year's squad is missing the coaching staff and much of the roster from that team. In addition, the current Jax State lineup is missing two starters because of injury: middle hitter Katelyn Crofts and outside hitter Clarke Adams. Crofts will miss the season, while Adams' ankle will keep her sidelined for an undetermined period of time. Adams is leading the team in kills with 59.

Oh, and along with all those other changes, there's the biggest one of all: Schroeder has brought the quick, fast-paced offense that he relied upon in winning four combined conference championships and a division title at Samford and Mercer. It's a big learning curve for the JSU players, most of whom have played something more traditional for years.

"They're all bought in," said Schroeder, who praises his players for trying to adjust to the system he prefers. "But, they're just not all comfortable."

The analogy he gives is that his players are accustomed to running an offense that needs to be played in a coliseum, which will allow hits that go 40 feet in the air while the players get in position to attack.

Schroeder's offense ideally could be played in a room with a 15-foot high ceiling. The first hit — or first contact — won't go higher than that. The pass from the back row needs to be quick, which should allow JSU to attack before the opposing team is ready and in position to defend. That's especially important this season, as the Gamecocks usually are outsized. The regular playing rotation includes only two players 6-foot-0 or taller: 6-3 Morgan McClure and 6-0 Maddie Stayer.

"Sometimes the other team does things so well that you can't control a first contact dig or a serve-receive pass and keep it only 15, 20 feet high," Schroeder said. "Sometimes that happens. If we were playing with a 15-foot ceiling and somebody rips the ball at us, it's probably going to hit the ceiling. Sometimes when we dig the ball, we're going to dig it high. But, I'm asking them to control the ball and put purpose behind the ball on a dig, on the attack, every time out."

Count defensive specialist Gracie Danziger, a Michigan State transfer and the Gamecocks' leader with 79 digs, as someone who is praising the new system.

"I think he has a very specific style of play, and when we do that, it really works," she said. "I mean, it really works."

She added that with each match and each practice, she and her teammates are becoming more comfortable with the system.

"I don't think I can say, 'Yeah, everyone's all the way there,' but more people are realizing this helps us in the long run," Danziger said.

As for this past weekend, when JSU got swept by Southeast Missouri, Chicago State and Cal-Irvine, Schroeder said the blame should rest with him.

"I saw growth in first-contact areas: how we serve the ball and how we passed the ball," Schroeder said. "The mistake that I made was three days leading up to that trip, I focused fairly solely on that and because of that, we didn't make any growth happen in our second contact and our third contact, which would be our offensive system, which we do a little different than most teams in the country."

He added that he did it that way because he prefers working on a limited number of areas and achieving real improvement, rather than try to cover 11 different things and not grow in any of them. And, again, he always needs to consider that much of this is new to his players.

"I do not have a selfish kid on this team," Schroeder said. "Now, I do have kids with performance anxiety and they want to please. They want to do it so bad the way their coaches want them to do it, but when they get out there and it gets a little hectic and frantic, they go back to the way that they used to."

While Schroeder has said from the start of preseason practice that he's looking for growth as much as results, these are still competitive Division I athletes who aren't enjoying losing.

"As frustrating as it is, I'm trying not to focus on the outcome and just focus on trusting the process," Danziger said. "I think if we keep doing that, we're probably not going to have this amazing winning season, but I think over time, it's going to keep growing, and we're going to succeed. I do really believe in his way, and over time, it's going to pay off."

Senior Editor Mark Edwards: 256-235-3570. On Twitter: @MarkSportsStar.