The Knights volleyball team continues to impress this season. The team moved to 7-0 after sweeping the Houghton College Highlanders (25-21, 25-20, 25-16) at home on Tuesday Sept. 9. Sophomore libero Dani Sayler, a defensive specialist, had 10 kills on the evening and contributed heavily to the Knights’ sweep. “I think I did well,” Sayler said. “[I’m] getting back into the flow of things, coming off of surgery this year … Getting back was my ultimate goal.” Sayler noted that part of the team’s early success comes from pre-game routines and team camaraderie.
“In our team room we blast music and have a little dance party,” she said. “It helps me and my teammates prepare.”
The Knights have a dynamic mix of players from several years here at Geneseo. Sayler believes that this close-knit group of players is an important part of their success. From talking to the players and observing how they interact on the court, one can see how close they all are. Sayler believes their chemistry, both on and off the court, is a large factor in the teams’ success so far.
“[My teammates] are some of my best friends here. I live with most of them and we are a family,” Sayler said. The Knights have swept all but one of their matches so far this season. As the libero, Sayler can be seen moving quickly around the court trying to cover all of the responsibilities the position calls for. She stated that her most memorable play of the match was a dig at the end of the third game that helped secure the victory. A dig is when a player stops a spike or a serve from the opposing team from hitting the ground. When talking about being undefeated this season, Slayer was ecstatic.
“It’s so hard to describe the feeling,” she said. “Especially coming off of last season [with a 13-19 record], it’s great just to come out strong.” The Knights will try to remain undefeated when they face Medaille College, Clarkson University and St. John Fisher College at the Rochester Institute Of Technology Tournament starting on Friday Sept. 12.