After a pair of home wins on February 1 against the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Greenville University, the Wabash volleyball team has jumped out to an impressive 5-0 start to the season. This marks the best start in the program’s existence as the team continues to develop a name for itself in Division III volleyball.
“The weekend went well as we held our undefeated record against some tough teams, especially Stevens Point,” said Graham Volk ’28. “It was definitely more difficult than expected since our starting opposite Patrick Volk ’26 came down with the flu this past Thursday.”
The absence of their starting right side required the Little Giants to adjust. In his absence, an opportunity arose for younger players, including Graham, to take to the court.
“Although I’m usually a setter, I have a lot of experience playing right side in both club and high school,” said Volk. “So when my coach asked me to step in for Pat, I was stoked. It was awesome to play with the starting lineup to contribute to our team’s success.”
Though the freshman performed well over the weekend, the team knew that a successful weekend would require increased efforts across the board.
“I think our outsides and setter really stepped up this weekend to make up for Pat being gone,” said Volk. “It was clear that we weren’t at full strength, and those guys really stepped up their games and showed that we are a serious threat this year.”
The volleyball team has continued to improve year after year. This year’s larger roster full of talented players has continued to build by pushing each other and competing more often. One of the standout stars of this year’s team, Bawibawi Thang ’27, stepped up in a big way during the two-game road stretch by netting 55 kills, which earned him the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL) Offensive Player of the Week.
“Being prepared mentally has been a huge contributor to my success,” said Thang. “This year I’ve been focusing on bettering how I control my game to improve the team overall. I’ve put in a lot of work in the weight room with Coach Dominguez and a lot of reps with my teammates outside of practice which has helped my game out a lot.”
Like any successful team, strength is built in the weight room. In addition to building strength in the weight room to compete against high level teams, Thang has specifically focused on the different ways he can score on the court.
“The single focus of my improvement has been my creative offensive scoring,” said Thang. “The game is changing, so we all have to adapt or we’re left behind. Everyone can hit the ball hard at the men’s level so trying new things such as swiping off the block, dumps and off-speed shots have been a crucial aspect to reach the next level.”
The Little Giants’ development has not just been behind closed doors. They have been playing more games against a variety of new opponents. The team had the unique opportunity to play against Butler University’s men’s volleyball team on January 30th.
However, the Bulldogs do not have a team sanctioned by the NCAA. Though they are a competitive squad, Wabash would typically be unable to put such a team on their official schedule. To allow both squads to play a match that would not otherwise happen, the Little Giants faced the Bulldogs in a home scrimmage.
“The match against Butler helped me improve as a middle,” said freshman blocker Evan Rauwolf ’28. “Certain aspects like hitting fast, hitting away from the block and closing a block on time were all things I was able to work on during the scrimmage.”
This match featured a JV squad of Little Giants (primarily freshmen) who had not yet seen the court this season.
“Although our non-starters compete at a higher level during practice, I think the value of having them compete together and figure things out helps develop their in-game experience,” said Head Volleyball Coach Ashaun Baker. “Game day brings an increased amount of pressure for athletes, and I want all of my athletes to be ready to go when we need them for a varsity match.”
The young squad of Little Giants performed well, defeating Butler 2 sets to 1. Thanks to the recruitment of many skillful freshmen, this is the first year that it has been possible to field an entire second squad.
By showing his skill in practice, outside hitter Andrew Hostetler ’28 has earned appearances with the varsity squad. He played a crucial role in the scrimmage against Butler.
“One difference I have noticed is leadership on varsity due to two experienced seniors,” said Hostetler. “Our seniors both play a big part in leading us in practice and games, but when we played Butler as a JV team we did not have them on the court. However, all of the varsity players were super supportive and celebrated our win on the sideline.”
Due to their larger roster size, the team has been able to win games with more frequency and consistency. Because of this, Coach Baker was able to add games to their schedule to challenge the team even further.
“The team has proven that we can compete and win at a high level, and the current schedule will intentionally challenge our consistency,” said Baker. “We have at least three more weekends where we will play three or four matches against outstanding teams. The benefit of a packed schedule is that it caters to our entire team because we love the game, and competing more gives us more opportunities to learn.”
Following a pair of home matches on Saturday February 8 against Greenville University and Maranatha Baptist University, the Little Giants will travel to Illinois Wesleyan the following day to compete against the host Titans as well as the Eagles of Benedictine University.
As they look forward, this team will continue to compete against high-level teams to highlight the impressive program being built at Wabash.