After multiple seasons of less-than-stellar finishes for the Seahawk volleyball squad, Coach Amy Bambenek approached this season brimming with optimism.

“Last season we had three conference victories, which is more than any of the girls on the team had gotten in a year before,” said Bambenek.

Three conference victories might not inspire confidence in the average Seahawk fan, but the 3-1 start to the season this Seahawks posted definitely lends some credibility to Bambenek’s optimism. The turnaround didn’t happen overnight, or even over the last offseason, though. According to Bambenek the turnaround is the product of “a change in culture.”

“Over my first two years here I had to instill a new culture,” said Bambenek. “We’re trying to do everything right now. There’s a process to it. The girls are hustling in practice, putting in time and effort in the gym, and they’re mentally preparing for matches properly.”

There to assist with setting the culture properly for newcomers to the Seahawk volleyball team is senior Jennifer Mallard, who is also president of the Student Athlete Council. In 2009 Mallard suffered an ACL injury, and the way she fought back from it is indicative of her leadership ability.

“That’s a tough thing to come back from, but she fought and came back from that injury even better than before,” said Bambenek. “She’s a motherly figure and she is there to help all the girls on the team bounce back from bad plays, or anything they might be struggling with. Everyone really looks up to her.”

Mallard has also been a leader on the court for the Seahawks, earning inclusion in the All-Tournament Team at the Deacon Invitational, where she had 34 kills in the two matches played on Saturday.

The team is currently 4-3, and Bambenek expects the Seahawks to keep up their early success throughout the season.

“Our goal for the year was to make the conference tournament, which the top six teams make,” said Bambenek. “But our focus is really more on continuing to do things the right way, preparing mentally and physically, and keeping our focus in each match.”

According to Bambanek, if the Seahawks continue to take the correct approach, making the tournament might be setting the bar a bit low.

“I feel that from top to bottom this is a really talented team,” she said. “We’re very deep in all positions and every player is working hard and can do well, so we’re able to rely on a number of different people. It makes practice more competitive, which prepares us better for each match.

“This could easily be our best season yet.”