Coming off an even season last year, the Chapman women’s volleyball team is looking to bounce back into the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) tournament. 

The team kicked off their 2022 season with two losses but recently claimed a win over Whitman College in three straight sets. 

Contributing to that team effort were senior health sciences major Cat Helgeson and junior business major Marly Johnson, who spoke to The Panther about their excitement for this season. 

“We have a lot of good players and a deep bench,” Helgeson said. “If someone needs to come out, I have no doubt that the next person coming in is going to be great.”

Helgeson has been a part of the team since her freshman year at Chapman. She has been a high impact player during her time at Chapman, starting at libero in her first season with the Panthers. 

Helgeson ranked second in the SCIAC and 18th in the nation with 5.93 digs per set and led all freshmen in all three NCAA divisions in digs per set.

Currently she holds multiple awards across her career, including 2021 SCIAC All-Academic, 2021 ALL-SCIAC First Team, 2019 ALL-SCIAC Newcomer of the Year and Second Team

2019 SCIAC All-Academic. 

With the team sitting at 1-3 at the start of the season, Helgeson talked about her feelings and expectations for the rest of the squad’s matches. She said there is still a lot of work the team needs to put in moving forward.

“Our three starters left so we are changing up our starting team dynamic, it kind of takes a little bit to get used to,” Helgeson said. “I think the last game we had a lot of really good consistent players in. I think we just have to work out our team dynamic, but overall I feel like we have a really good team.” 

As a senior, she reflected on her time so far and spoke about the fond memories she has shared with the team as she starts her last year on the squad. 

“My favorite volleyball memory is honestly all the team bonding we do,” Helgeson said. “We have a lot of traditions within the volleyball team where we host little gatherings when the season starts, and that really helps us all get to know each other at the beginning so we can put that on the court. I’ve met some of my best friends because of volleyball.” 

Also impacting the team is Johnson, who transfered from the University of New Hampshire and currently leads the team in kills with 32 on the season so far. 

“I feel really excited about the season,” Johnson said. “We have some really good skill sets on our team. We’re really finding that team gel and clicking as a team, so we should have a really great season.”

Johnson cites her search for a more balanced academic and athletic experience as to why she left the University of New Hampshire and decided to come play for the Panthers. 

She hopes the team can make it back to the conference tournament after the season last year.

“As a team goal, we want to make it to the final two within the SCIAC championship, which is a pretty big goal,” Johnson said. “We are super excited and dedicated to make that happen.”

The first home game for women’s volleyball is on Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Harold Hutton Sports Center.