Bishop’s outside hitter Kaia Grieve talks about doing the “eye work”—reading where opposing hitters are, and where they’re going to be setting up—as she and her Knights teammates attack the net in their fine-tuned offense.
Fellow senior Nalani Muniz also thinks in advanced terms, about “what’s going on on the other side of the net” so that “we have good match-ups versus the blockers on the other team”.
Alongside the lethal, high-performance technical skills Grieve, Muniz, outside hitter Matsa Shi, and libero Anna Balsdon — each an All-Coastal Conference selectee for 10-0 Bishop’s under 28-year coach Tod Mattox and first-year co-head coach Katie Meyers — exhibit, the four seniors also help to cultivate a relational, supportive culture within the team, whether it be coordinating as teammates on the court, or giving advice to underclassmen on schoolwork and life as a student.
Balsdon, the defensive specialist, says, “I’ve been a mentor for younger players.” She is interested in health science and anatomy and is thinking of studying cell and molecular biology, or ecology and evolutionary biology in college.
After an intense Monday afternoon practice, teammates exchanged bracelets with each player’s name — “teammate acknowledgments” in Meyer’s parlance — and ate mini-ice cream cones, a refreshing treat after a nearly-two-hour workout closely monitored by Mattox, the “old silver fox”, who gruffly barks old-school pointers, alongside a more benign presence by Meyers, always smiling, who concentrates on team culture with her technical know-how.
Shi, a co-captain, is named after 2005’s Typhoon Matsa. Think MLB pitcher Hideo Nomo, “The Tornado.” Born in Shanghai, the 5 feet 9 inches tall outside hitter plays libero for her club team. “It’s very easy to go from libero to outside,” she says, “You pass in both. You’re also a service receiver.”
“There are a lot of ups and downs during the season,” the projected economics/business major at D3 Tufts University next year said. “We’re able to fight back because we trust each other.”
Grieve said the team’s sleepover, escape room experience, and Arizona tournament trip played key roles in building relationships. Even Meyers says, “We spend a lot of time on team culture.” At the small, private school, it seems the seniors and juniors welcome the three freshmen in more of a lateral relationship than a top-down, hierarchical one.
Nalani shares how her mentors, last year’s graduating seniors, were “real welcoming” and modeled friendship over upper-class/underclass differences.
Balsdon, the libero, characterizes herself on the court as “very calm and composed. I don’t get upset. I used to be very nervous, but I’ve played a lot of beach volleyball, my number-one sport. That gave me the playing time and experience.”
Says Shi, “I think (Coaches Mattox and Meyers) are the perfect combination.” He brings the wisdom from three decades of coaching, she “brings the calmer side. They have different opinions.” In practice, they also gain the benefit of middle school coach Faimie Kingsley, an adept hitter, scrimmaging with them when she can. The high level of play during the Monday practice was evident.
