BEVERLY, Mass.- The Endicott women's volleyball team has announced their captains for the 2013 season as outside hitter Callie Dolan (Westford, Mass.) and defensive specialist Sierra Kenkel (Kalispell, Mont.) received the honors from their teammates and coaches. With a roster that is made of a majority of freshmen and sophomores, the duo will be counted on to provide invaluable leadership both on and off the court.
Dolan, a senior nursing major who has maintained a GPA over 3.0 while also achieving All-CCC honors, will look to be an offensive force on the pin while providing guidance to her younger teammates. 2012 saw her make the switch from middle blocker to outside hitter, and become one of Endicott's top offensive performers as she led Endicott in kills with 302 which averaged out to be 2.72 a set. The senior has seen her hard work pay off over the last three years and is honored to be named as a captain for this upcoming season. "I am so honored to be named captain. I have worked incredibly hard over the past three years at Endicott and I am glad my team can trust me," Dolan stated. "Being voted as captain shows that your team trusts and believes in you to lead them to success and I am so honored that they chose me for this role. I am also excited that I will be sharing this role with Sierra. I feel that we complement each other well and know that we will work together to be the best leaders for our team that we can be."
Kenkel, a junior Biology/Biology Technology major with a GPA of 3.86, has come to embrace her roll of being a defensive specialist in the past and has come to be a calming presence that is ready in a moment's notice. She knows that with such a young roster, leading by example must be a priority for a captain. "We are going to have to work extra hard to set a good example and know that the same rules apply for everyone," said Kenkel. "With a high GPA and consistent weight room presence, I hope to help the underclassmen with balancing and prioritizing their schedules. With so many incoming freshmen, a balanced schedule will be very important."
With the talent the incoming freshmen bring to the roster and the experiences that the sophomores gained last season playing such a tough schedule, Kenkel has her sights set on claiming the CCC title. "We hope to get back the CCC title and head to the NCAA tournament. As a team, we are very talented and know that we just need to play better as a unit. I am positive that will come with time."
Dolan echoed Sierra's sentiments by saying, "Last season was definitely one of the toughest seasons in Endicott history but we pushed each other to be the best teammates and athletes that we could be. Our team is incredibly talented and athletic and we're bringing in many stellar players next year too! We're definitely going to try and earn the CCC title back and make it to NCAAs this coming fall. We have a lot of hard working and dedicated players, so I know we're going to do really well in the fall!"
Behind every successful season is a hard working unit in the offseason. Both captains acknowledge the entire roster is improving and know that to be the best you can't be complacent. "The off season has been going well. Our team has been working incredibly hard as a whole so I am so excited to see how we do well during the fall," said Dolan.
Kenkel followed that up by stating, "We have continued to stay focused and have made vast improvements this offseason. Our spring tournament showed the amount of improvement that has taken place this offseason and also showed how much potential this team really has."
While the tandem will continue to provide leadership over the summer months, their first tests as captains on the court will come August 31st as the team hosts a tri-match with Keene State and Wellesley. With another tough schedule ahead for the 2013 season, the team will look to Dolan and Kenkel to lead them in all scenarios on and off the court. As Kenkel said, "Overall, it's just a great time to be a Gull!"