Pratt, Kan. - The Pratt Community College volleyball season ended last Friday, October 28 against Independence Community College. The Beavers swept the Pirates 3-0 to end their season winning three out of their last four matches.
The Beavers finished 7-22 overall and 0-16 in conference play this season. We were able to sit down with Head Coach Brittany Urenda to wrap-up the season and get a glimpse into the future of the Beaver volleyball program.
-
Talk about finishing the season on a high note with winning the last three out of four matches?
It was just a change of mindset and really focusing on making the best of what we had left with one another. It was made clear two weeks left in the season that we were not going to make it to the postseason, and I do not know if the girls knew that, but we did not focus on it. We just focused on making the best of what we had left. In August, it never hits you especially for the sophomores that oh this is my last season to ever play with these girls. For the freshman it never hits them that these people are my friends, but you never get to play with them again. Towards the end of the season, they started realizing that and I think that is something they really held on to.
-
Looking back over the season what were some of the positives and challenges of the year?
There were many outside issues that we allowed to affect us on the court and even within our program. Even stuff that did not involve us that we involved ourselves in. That took away from what our goal was. We had a big team and the issue of only being able to play six at a time played a bigger role than what we had anticipated in terms of positivity. When you have a negative mindset, it carries over to a lot of people. One of the biggest challenges was just allowing outside influences and emotions to get the best of us.
The positive is that we had a few people who decided not to be a part of the program throughout the entire season, but regardless of the way the team and myself carried on from that and did not let it affect us was positive. That allowed the girls who were there to stick it out and truly ride that wave with me, believed I was after their best interests and not my own. It allowed us to get the most out of them.
-
Talk about your sophomore class and their mindset to stick together through coaching changes and their adversity through it all.
Some of them in the class were hesitant to truly buy into what I was saying and trying to do. Only because I was their third coach in three months. It was not always easy for them to fully put their trust in me. During preseason most of them really understood what my vision was. There were a couple of times during preseason where the group would talk about last year and how it was not like this. About a week in I told them I did not want to hear about that and that we are moving on from the past.
-
Tell us about what you saw from the freshman this season that could help your program build for the future?
The challenge was being late in the recruiting game coming here and not getting the chance to truly know some of the girls they come on campus. Normally with a freshman class they are pretty bought in with what you have said after months of conversations. The positive they do bring for the ones still here is they really have bought in with what I am trying to do. They genuinely believe in the foundation they set this year whether our record was good or not. The progress that we made they are responsible for upholding that standard.
-
Tell us about the future of your program and some of the recruits you are working on bringing in the fall.
Right now, I have every offer that I can make we have out. We got some talented Kansas kids committed. We have two kids from the Dominican Republic and we have a Brazilian kid commit. Normally I do not search for international players because the process is something I am not super comfortable with. The two Dominican kids reached out to me, and we have had some good conversations, and not only will they bring a different level to the game, but they believe what we are trying to do. With the Brazilian she just wants the opportunity and is excited in my vision for the program. During my interview, I mentioned I wanted to make Pratt the place where Kansas kids want to go and although we are not there yet, with the talent of our Kansas kids coming in we are already making progress on that goal.