Grace Cropper goes up for a winner at the net, backed up by Sydnie Metzker, during a home match against the University of Lynchburg on Senior Night last spring. (Photos by Kendall Tidwell)
Women’s beach volleyball club program continues its rise, closes gap on NCAA ranks
9/20/2023 2:26:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball
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Liberty returns 10 veterans complemented by eight newcomers, eager to compete with the region's best.
Liberty University's women's beach volleyball team has hit the sand running over the past month with a seasoned squad of 18 players, including 10 returners and eight new players, climbing the ranks and building both camaraderie and competitiveness.
The Lady Flames are eager to open their season with multiple tandems entering the women's division of the Virginia Commonwealth Games on Saturday at the East Campus courts.
"About half of our team is returning and about half is new," said senior Lizzy Armstrong, who played No. 1 doubles with Kaitlyn Holbrook for the past three seasons before Holbrook graduated in May. "It's exciting to … try to bond the team and work together to figure out that dynamic. My freshman year, I came onto a pretty strong team, but now being a senior, I've seen how much the team has really grown." Cropper congratulates Metzker after a kill during a match in their home finale last spring.
Some of the Lady Flames' top pairs include Armstrong and fellow senior Sydnie Metzker, who are contending for the No. 1 spot, along with junior Jillian Kater and sophomore Grace Cropper, and senior Cara Lecklider and junior Abigail Luke, who have also shown plenty of potential.
"We are still determining our partnerships, I am excited to see how the newcomers fit in chemistry-wise with returning players," Liberty Head Coach Jess Nelson said. "Having seven seniors gives us a lot of experience on the court, and the underclassmen give us depth, and a lot of options with pairings. There is lots to learn and lots to teach, but so far, it's been really nice to see the effort toward culture and the hard work that's being done to come together as a team and getting to know each other."
Nelson has high expectations for her players this season and is looking forward to see them raise the level of their games and build up their teammates along the way.
"I am really excited to see leadership opportunities and people to step into leadership roles," Nelson said. "We've got three spiritual leaders on the team and so far they are doing a really great job of coordinating and directing a lot of our team activities." Lady Flames senior Cara Lecklider spikes during a match last spring.
Since the Lady Flames don't have a conference to play in, they are thankful for any opportunity they have to challenge themselves against higher levels of competition. They will play most of their duals matches in the spring semester, and compete primarily in pairs tournaments this fall. Liberty will travel to Virginia Beach to compete in the women's AA bracket of the Sept. 30-Oct. 1 Neptune Tournament (run through the Tidewater Volleyball Association) before commuting across town to the University to face the NCAA Division III Hornets' and Stevenson (Md.) University's NCAA Division II tandems in the Women's Fall Collegiate Pair Invitational on Oct. 7.
"We've been able to play a lot of really competitive NCAA DI, DII, and DIII teams," Armstrong said. "Every time we play them, we get better and learn some things, which is super awesome. Hopefully, we are able to compete the same … and just really bring the freshmen up to our level and … get some good wins this year as well."
In the spring semester, Liberty will play in two duals tournaments in February, including one in Cincinnati against primarily NCAA Division I teams. After competing in another tournament against DII and DIII schools at the University of Lynchburg, the Lady Flames will travel to a duals tournament hosted by Eastern Kentucky University, where they will also face NCAA Division II Tusculum (Tenn.) University and Carson-Newman (Tenn.) in early April.
"Those will be really great matchups for us," Nelson said. "We're capable of traveling and competing with those schools, but we are going to have to be ready to perform at our best."
"Our culture has changed a lot in competitiveness," Cropper added. "We've kind of changed our mindset from being a club team to seeing that we can compete against Division I teams."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Video by Micah Adams/Club Sports Video & Media Assistant
