TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (August 17, 2021) - To say its been a tumultuous year for the Salt Lake Community College volleyball program wouldn't be a stretch.
After all, the Bruins had to suffer playing an abbreviated spring season, went through a change in coaches, and saw the overall flow of their sport season changed due to the COVID-19 changes in the NJCAA. Still, Salt Lake appears sailing for sunnier skies and had the NJCAA recognize that positivity this week, setting up SLCC with a No. 15 preseason ranking ahead of Friday's season openers in New Mexico.
Bruins coach Shay Goulding Meurer said her program has navigated the uncertain climate of the past 18 months with flying colors.
"We are all very much looking forward to a more traditional season schedule," she said. "To be honest, it feels a little crazy to be going again so soon, but we are ready and hoping for more normalcy this year. I couldn't be more proud of how the student athletes have handled the last 18 months. They have learned to have patience, flexibility and resilience in a way that they could not have learned without the challenges of last year."
Salt Lake posted a respectable 12-8 mark in the unusual Spring 2021 season, going 6-3 in an always-competitive Scenic West Athletic Conference. Still, the finish didn't match the recent standards posted by Salt Lake, setting up a preseason camp that has featured on conditioning and intensity.
"We have really been focusing on becoming technically and mentally sound," Goulding Meurer said. "In other words, we have put far more weight on the process over the results. We have encouraged stretching outside of comfort zones and even encouraged mistakes as part of the growth process."
The Scenic West is annually one of the toughest NJCAA conferences in volleyball, with nationally-respected powers like Salt Lake, Snow, Southern Idaho and USU Eastern all taking residence in the conference. Still, Goulding Meurer believes the Bruins have the necessary tools to find great success in the upcoming season.
"I am very optimistic about our upcoming season," she said. "We have some real depth this year and I think the team has truly bought in to the systems and culture they are helping to create. We have the skills – it is the systems and cultures that could put us over the edge and really help us be successful in the Scenic West."
Salt Lake will open its preseason with a four-match appearance in a New Mexico tournament. The Bruins will take the floor of the Lifetime Activities Center for the first time on Friday, September 3, as part of the annual 'Crystal "Inn"vitational' event.
