Indiana University Athletics
Senior Class Sparks Change In Final Season
10/30/2015 11:55:00 AM | Field Hockey
By: Sam Beishuizen | Twitter
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - There was reason for Indiana field hockey's senior class to be uncertain going into their final season.
The four-woman class combined for two Big Ten wins in their previous three seasons. They were coming off a last place finish in the conference in 2014, prompting a coaching change with first-year head coach Amanda Janney being hired in February to revitalize the program.
The way senior Nicole Volgraf sees it, the change could have gone one of two ways. The seniors could have distanced themselves from the new coaching staff and walked their way through their final season.
Or they could have embraced the program's new direction, working together with Janney to lay the foundation for future success.
They chose the latter.
Indiana (8-9, 4-3) will have an opportunity to clinch the No. 3 seed and set a single season program record for Big Ten wins in a season Friday at 3:30 p.m. The program's turnaround in the last 10 months rivals any other in the Big Ten.
"This season has been special," Volgraf said. "I'm so happy for AJ, and I'm so happy for the girls that have one, two, three more years here because they get to do so many awesome things with her. I think the relationships the seniors have built with her are so important. It really showed all season."
Volgraf, a fifth-year senior, will be honored with fellow classmates Karen Lorite, Rachel Stauffer and Sydney Supica before Friday's game.
The four couldn't have anticipated the change and ensuing success before the season, Supica said, but they're excited to be heading into their senior night knowing it's not their last game like it was for last year's class.
"It's very rewarding," Supica said. "Just in general, this experience and senior day and to have your last game still be really important keeps the momentum going into the Big Ten tournament. I'm really thankful for the way the season has gone."
Janney described her first senior class in Bloomington as "special" and "selfless." She knew when she accepted the job that she would be the outsider coming into practice. She didn't necessarily expect the seniors to immediately warm up to her, knowing that she'd have to earn their trust.
That process began right away before spring practices even began. She pulled the seniors aside individually and discussed her vision for the program and made it clear that it was still her senior class's team. Janney explained to them that she was only there to help them build on what they already started.
"I think we all really appreciated that," Supica said. "I don't think we'd have played as well as we have if it weren't for the way she handled it."
Janney said the seniors adjusted to the change quickly. There was little pushback or head-butting along the way, she said. It was crucial for them to work together for the program to move forward.
"If I don't get the buy in from the upper classmen, it takes a while to win over the team," Janney said.
"The seniors, they wanted to win so bad. They wanted to work hard and see the results on the field and on the scoreboard. They were really putting in that extra effort to make sure this team was moving in the right direction, and they were so open to the process behind it, which can be so difficult during a coaching change."
The results have been hard to argue with. Indiana has already build one of its most successful seasons in program history and hosts next week's Big Ten tournament.
The focus right now is less on senior day and more on moving forward, Volgraf said. It's a welcome change for a program trending upward.
"I'm so happy knowing that we're not finished yet," Volgraf said. "To think coming out of last season, ending in ninth place, there's no comparable thing to look at when you're looking from ninth to third place right now. It's been an incredible season.
"For the seniors, it means everything."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - There was reason for Indiana field hockey's senior class to be uncertain going into their final season.
The four-woman class combined for two Big Ten wins in their previous three seasons. They were coming off a last place finish in the conference in 2014, prompting a coaching change with first-year head coach Amanda Janney being hired in February to revitalize the program.
The way senior Nicole Volgraf sees it, the change could have gone one of two ways. The seniors could have distanced themselves from the new coaching staff and walked their way through their final season.
Or they could have embraced the program's new direction, working together with Janney to lay the foundation for future success.
They chose the latter.
Indiana (8-9, 4-3) will have an opportunity to clinch the No. 3 seed and set a single season program record for Big Ten wins in a season Friday at 3:30 p.m. The program's turnaround in the last 10 months rivals any other in the Big Ten.
"This season has been special," Volgraf said. "I'm so happy for AJ, and I'm so happy for the girls that have one, two, three more years here because they get to do so many awesome things with her. I think the relationships the seniors have built with her are so important. It really showed all season."
Volgraf, a fifth-year senior, will be honored with fellow classmates Karen Lorite, Rachel Stauffer and Sydney Supica before Friday's game.
The four couldn't have anticipated the change and ensuing success before the season, Supica said, but they're excited to be heading into their senior night knowing it's not their last game like it was for last year's class.
"It's very rewarding," Supica said. "Just in general, this experience and senior day and to have your last game still be really important keeps the momentum going into the Big Ten tournament. I'm really thankful for the way the season has gone."
Janney described her first senior class in Bloomington as "special" and "selfless." She knew when she accepted the job that she would be the outsider coming into practice. She didn't necessarily expect the seniors to immediately warm up to her, knowing that she'd have to earn their trust.
That process began right away before spring practices even began. She pulled the seniors aside individually and discussed her vision for the program and made it clear that it was still her senior class's team. Janney explained to them that she was only there to help them build on what they already started.
"I think we all really appreciated that," Supica said. "I don't think we'd have played as well as we have if it weren't for the way she handled it."
Janney said the seniors adjusted to the change quickly. There was little pushback or head-butting along the way, she said. It was crucial for them to work together for the program to move forward.
"If I don't get the buy in from the upper classmen, it takes a while to win over the team," Janney said.
"The seniors, they wanted to win so bad. They wanted to work hard and see the results on the field and on the scoreboard. They were really putting in that extra effort to make sure this team was moving in the right direction, and they were so open to the process behind it, which can be so difficult during a coaching change."
The results have been hard to argue with. Indiana has already build one of its most successful seasons in program history and hosts next week's Big Ten tournament.
The focus right now is less on senior day and more on moving forward, Volgraf said. It's a welcome change for a program trending upward.
"I'm so happy knowing that we're not finished yet," Volgraf said. "To think coming out of last season, ending in ninth place, there's no comparable thing to look at when you're looking from ninth to third place right now. It's been an incredible season.
"For the seniors, it means everything."
Players Mentioned
Forward
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Forward
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Defender
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Forward
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