Chemistry and communication are important in any team sport, but few rely on every player being in synch under fast-paced and unpredictable circumstances as much as volleyball. For as talented as the Mott Community College volleyball team has been on the court this season – and they’re plenty talented, as their 15-0 start to the season exhibits – that actually starts with how they get along off the court.
“I think we’re very vulnerable with each other, and we communicate a lot, and that is really huge for us,” said sophomore Alisiya Bodecker, a setter and defensive specialist who graduated from Flushing High School. “Last year was kind of rough, we definitely have broken barriers that we struggled with last year, and I think that has contributed to our success big time.”
It’s not that last season was an unsuccessful season – Mott finished 24-15 and 9-3 in conference play. But the team’s communication has improved and that, combined with an influx of talent from a highly competitive freshman class and leadership from five returning players has the Bears positioned well to compete for championships this season.
Maggie Elliott, a sophomore outside hitter from Freeland, said that part of the team’s success comes from understanding the talent they have as a collective group and not allowing each other to take shortcuts.
“We are really good at holding each other accountable because we know everybody’s potential, and we know that we can go into every game with a really good fight,” Elliott said. “We’re very competitive with each other, especially in practice, which just pushes us to be better, and it really translates well to the games.”
Elliott also pointed out the team’s familiarity with each other prior to playing at Mott has been a big help early in the season. They are also familiar with coach Eric Lazowski, who is in his third year leading Mott’s program. Lazowski is also the founder of Five:1 Volleyball Club, which is based in Clio, which is the club many of Mott’s current players built their skills with while in high school.
“I think we learned a lot of the same values there (with Five:1),” Elliott said. “Playing together really helps. And we got a lot of open gyms in during the summer, which helped with the chemistry between the freshmen and sophomores because a lot of the freshmen played together. Just getting more reps together through the summer really put it all together for the season really well.”
Lazowski is a veteran coach, but could immediately tell the mix of talent combined with how well the players get along with each other was a recipe for a potentially good season.
“They’re a great group of kids, and I’m enjoying the season more than I have in a long time coaching,” Lazowski said. “It’s a fun group. They put as much into it as they want and reap the rewards from that.”
Those rewards, in addition to the undefeated start, have already been abundant. Mott is currently ranked No. 8 in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II volleyball rankings, one of just two Michigan teams ranked in the top 25. The other team, Grand Rapids Community College, is among the teams Mott holds wins over this season, beating them 3-0 on September 2. That win was significant, as Grand Rapids is a perennial volleyball power in the state of Michigan. Grand Rapids had won 38-straight matches in their home gym prior to that loss.
“The thing about junior college is your roster can change so dramatically over one season,” Lazowski said. “We brought in nine freshmen this year, almost all of them are seeing playing time, which changes our dynamic. So each team can go through that. We haven’t seen every team yet this year. We’re taking every team that we play like that’s the most important match for that day. We’re not looking towards anybody or looking beyond anybody. We wanna play whoever’s against us every night.”
That depth has actually been a strength that allowed Lazowski to load up the team’s early-season schedule.
“We’ve played some really good teams early in the season,” Lazowski said. “Almost double what some of the teams in our conference have at this point in the season. And the reason is because we’ve got 14 athletes on the roster that are all very good. I can only play so many of them, so we scheduled some extra matches and I can play different rotations, different lineups, different kids on the court. So everybody has seen time in important matches. So when we need them later in the season, they’re ready to go. We’re gonna keep our heads down and keep working every match to see what we can do.”
The strong team play has also already resulted in several individual honors, recognizing their prowess both offensively and defensively. During the first week of the season, Hannah Schummer was named offensive player of the week and Jesi Caron was named defensive player of the week in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) Eastern Conference. Lily Sukup was named offensive player of the week in the conference by the MCCAA during the season’s second week and repeated that honor in the third week.
Sukup, a freshman outside hitter from Goodrich, has quickly transitioned to college competition. She is leading the team in many offensive categories, including in points, kills, and total attacks and credits how comfortable she is with her teammates combined with her willingness to push herself for her quick adaptation to college volleyball.
“I just know they would have my back through anything,” Sukup said. “I love competition 100% of the time. It’s my favorite thing. It pushes me to be a better player. I think it pushes everybody else on this team to be a better player. And just like having people that you met through the sport that you love that also want the same goal and the same passion, it makes them your best friends.”
Defensively, Caron leads the team with 136 digs, while Bodecker, Makalah Habina, and Elliott all also have 75 or more. Jenna Derosia leads the team in blocks with 14 and Schummer has nine.
That balance should continue to be a strength as the team gets into the heart of its conference schedule. In addition to Grand Rapids, St. Clair Community College and Schoolcraft College are regularly tough opponents.
“We have hitters everywhere, we can hit from all along the net, we can swing from back row,” Lazowski said. “We’ve got two really good liberos that can handle serve receive and play really good defense. So we’ve got really good pieces in every position this year.”
That athleticism results in an exciting environment inside Ballenger Fieldhouse for home games. Volleyball as a spectator sport is growing in popularity nationwide because of how fast-paced and entertaining it is, and Mott provides fans with a chance to see high-level play up close.
“We have a lot of energy in the gym, and it does get really loud,” Elliott said. “Volleyball is growing a lot because of the intensity and the way the game fluctuates, and nobody’s really ever done. Even if you lose a set, you still have four more chances to come back. I think it’s just a really exciting game overall, and the energy’s just great in here.”
The enthusiasm the players have on the court also translates to the stands and creates more excitement for the people watching.
“This team has a lot of passion, and we all push each other to be better,” Bodecker said. “Our practices are really tough and we want the same goal. That just kind of keeps a fire in us, and I think going forward, if we maintain that, we will really just shoot for the stars.”
Lazowski isn’t getting ahead of himself with what the team might be able to accomplish, but he is proud to continue building on Mott’s long history of good volleyball teams and hopes more fans will follow along on their season – the team’s Instagram page posts several updates each week.
“There’s a long winning tradition here at Mott,” he said. “That’s something that every coach wants, not only to be a part of, but hopefully to help continue to build in our own way. The coaches that came before set a great foundation. Katie (Naves) was here before me and had a strong winning tradition in the conference, and now we’re finding our way of how we can continue that. The administration is supportive and wants to see volleyball be successful, and we’re able to get kids from this area that can come out and put some wins on the board, and hopefully put a banner in the gym one of these days soon. I just hope everybody comes out and watches because it’s a fun team.”
Next Chance to Watch is a Special One
The Mott volleyball team hosts Schoolcraft at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, in a special pediatric cancer awareness night. Both teams will wear special jerseys, there will be t-shirts available for purchase, and proceeds will support McKenna’s Squad Beauty Bar, an organization founded in honor of McKenna Schummer, who lost her battle with cancer at age 11. The McKenna Beauty Bar Box provides children undergoing cancer treatment and other medical procedures at Hurley Children’s Hospital and other organizations with boxes filled with makeup, hygiene products, socks, hats and other items designed to provide comfort during challenging times in their lives and during treatment. McKenna Schummer was the younger sister of Mott player Hannah Schummer.
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