MOBILE, Ala. – Coming off another NCAA tournament appearance and SIAC championship, Spring Hill College volleyball head coach Peggy Martin previewed the 2025 season.
 
How is the preseason going so far?
"I think every day we're getting a little better, I think it was a little rocky to start. We have a lot of new faces and returners too. I would've thought we were going to be young, but as I look out there, we're not. We've got some experience and that makes it a lot easier for me as a coach, that they know what I expect, so it's been a fun start."
 
How are the transfers doing after adjusting to a new system?
"They fit right in. They both have good personalities. They're doing a good job with everything out there. You would never know that they were new, actually."
 
Who are you looking for to fill the roles of veterans like Brooke Borgmeyer and Airyonna Weaver?
"I think that's yet to be determined. We're not going to replace a Brooke Bergmeyer on the outside. She did phenomenal stuff for us for four years. We're not going to replace Airyonna – just an all-around good athlete, so everybody has to step up a little bit. I don't want to put a pressure on any of them to think they have to handle those roles, but we've got put two pretty good middles. We have two seniors that haven't really played a lot for us before that are transfers in Claire Hayes and Felicity Evans that have both really looked good in the preseason. They've both been here a semester or two, so they just haven't been on the court much. Claire, this is her first season indoor for us, and Felicity, this is her second year, so she's much more comfortable and relaxed and I think those two are going to carry some of the load, especially blocking and a little bit offensively too. Replacing a setter is also an issue and we're lucky to have three, four kids that are really competing well for that position. [We] certainly have a front runner now I think – Monica Vargo, our transfer from Fairfield has really done a good job and her personality is so good. Emily Cook, our returner, has also done a good job. We also have some talented freshmen that are going to help us down the road."
 
What are you looking for in the first few weeks against a tough non-conference slate?
"Well, I hope we're ready to compete. I think I did a really poor job last year getting us ready in a short time. We have a short window to try to figure this out now. I didn't do a very good job last year. We went on over there and really laid an egg. I'm hoping that with the senior leadership and how much experience we have, it's going to be a better situation and that we'll compete better than we did last year. At the same time, I think the competition will be so good for us. Win, lose or draw, we're going to get better because of it. That's why we schedule so tough those first two weekends. So, hopefully it will be a positive whether we get wins or not."
 
What are some of the goals for the team this season?
"The kids know what we want and where we want to go. What we try to talk about is competing every time out at a high level, regardless of who we're playing. I think that's a challenge for us because the proverbial target on your back. If we let up, it's not going to happen again. I think pressure is a privilege and the pressure on these kids to perform is pretty steep. I think we need to relax and play volleyball and play because we love it and enjoy it. Yes, our goals are to make it to the tournament and win a match but our conference is getting so much better. Obviously, we went five sets with Albany State last year and it could have gone either way. We've got to be on our toes every time out.
 
On Ashlyn Whiteside earning SIAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
"She's just a tremendous person and she plays hard all the time. She's where she's supposed to be. She's the anchor of our defense and I'm pleased for her that the other coaches respect her abilities and voted her into that position. She really makes everybody around her better, and that's the kind of kid you want out there touching the ball and playing six rotations."
 
On the team's senior leadership
"We have a ton of seniors out there and they all lead in a different way. We have the verbal leader on the court and then we have the quiet leader that leads by example. So, it's really fun to see them mesh and everybody be a leader in their own way."
 
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