St. Andrews’ Elleanor Stark (21) hits the ball during a home match.
St. Andrews Athletics
Smith’s patience and dedication allows young team to grow into potential future conference contenders
LAURINBURG — St. Andrews Knights head women’s volleyball coach Tessa Smith knew the 2023 season would be a “rebuild year” with a young, inexperienced team.
She approached the season with a healthy mix of understanding and a desire to be competitive as she led her players through a season of hard-fought battles and incremental growth.
Her 22-player roster consisted of four seniors, no juniors, seven sophomores, and 11 freshmen after seeing a large class graduate after the 2022 season.
“You bring in a big class, and most of your players are new players,” Smith said. “The people that you are subbing in are new players. You’re going to have the problems that we had. You’re going to have people struggling with the systems that you run, knowing where to be, what you do, and the gelling. It just takes time.”
Through the difficult moments, the second-year coach hung in there with her players so they could familiarize themselves with the systems and on-court communication. They fought every step of the way to progress, eventually seeing dividends for their perseverance.
They delivered an upset against Appalachian Athletic Conference powerhouse Milligan on Sept. 16, taking the match 3-1 on their home court. The Buffaloes finished second in the AAC with a 19-2 record.
“We beat Milligan, which was a huge win for us,” Smith said. “We got asked multiple times, how did we win? How did we beat them? And the reality is, we were on that (match). We had everybody on, and we had everybody working. It shows our potential, and it shows what we can do. We just have to get more consistent.”
Smith remains steadfast in elevating the competition level in the offseason. During her recruiting process and search for high-caliber student-athletes to start their career as a Knight, she is upfront with the potential recruit. She lets them know about the culture and future goals of the team.
“When we recruit, we are very upfront with the expectation, and when they do come here, they are going to have a family,” Smith said. “A lot of our kids are from further away. So when they come in, we make sure they are taken care of, and we provide an environment where they feel like they can come to the office, they can talk to us, and we do develop player’s character.”
Beyond the recruiting process, Smith plans on implementing weight room workouts, cardio conditioning, and working on their on-court skills.
The hard work and dedication are motivated by Smith’s desire to see 2024 postseason action. The Knights finished 12th in the AAC this past season with an overall record of 8-20, missing a spot in the conference tournament by two positions. But she is ready to change that narrative come next fall.
“Our goal next year is 100% to make it to the conference tournament. That is our number one goal. That is the expectation. We are bringing some kids in. We should be able to do that.”