A 2-2 record may not be the start Point Park volleyball was looking for to begin the season, but it is the learning experience this team needed.

If the Pioneers can learn from their mistakes, then last season’s disappointing 21-19 record will be a thing of the past.

Replacing it is a team that, by all accounts, is 100 percent committed to each other both on and off the court. The 11 players that return from last season’s 21-19 team are joined by four freshmen and one transfer student.

While 21-19 may be an acceptable record for many teams, last season was considered a disappointment, not just because the team did not win the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) regular season or conference tournament title, but because the Pioneers did not respond well when facing adversity. 

The team was affected by many injuries and became inconsistent, as evidenced by winning streaks of seven and six to go along with losing streaks of eight and six. In its previous four seasons, Point Park averaged nearly 32 wins.

This season, the excuses are gone and the Pioneers have started the season with an even 2-2 record. The victories were against winning teams with Webber International and Montreat owning 18 wins last season. Coastal Georgia owned 26 wins and swept the Pioneers in three games. Lindsey Wilson was ranked 10th in the preseason National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) poll and was 36-6 last year. It also swept Point Park in three games.

Head coach Mike Bruno likes his team to be challenged throughout the season and has scheduled road tournaments and games against tough opponents.

 Point Park placed second in the KIAC preseason poll but it has quietly gone about its business and is in the process of becoming a powerhouse once again.

Focus has been an issue with the team and at times during the Volley in the Mountains Tournament it cost them, however, I do feel that the team is going in the right direction – a direction that could make them a very tough opponent by the time conference play starts.

For the Pioneers, last season was the exception to the rule. There were a lot of new faces trying to mesh on the court and the injuries only added additional obstacles the team was unable to overcome. This season should be much more promising.