October 24, 2003

Photo by BEN RUEHLMANN Sophomore Lauren Heltsley goes up for a spike.

The Cinderella first season for the women's volleyball team of Virginia Wesleyan College continues with great success. The Marlins, who are now 14-6 and 2-5 in conference, continue to shine with outstanding efforts throughout the team. "I'm very pleased with the efforts that everybody on the team has been showing during the season," said head coach Jenn Strauss. Among the efforts that are being expelled this season is the effort of sophomore Lauren Heltsley. Heltsley who transferred from Tidewater Community College this year making records and is leading the team in kill percentage.

"Lauren has been really solid this year for the team," said Strauss. Heltsley, who is a native of the Norfolk/ Virginia Beach area, graduated from Hickory High School and was recruited by Division I schools James Madison University, University of North Carolina Wilmington, and East Carolina University. After high school she chose to go play at East Carolina, but upon arriving there she found out that there was something wrong with her ankles. "I always knew there may have been something wrong, but I just dealt with the pain in my ankles," said Heltsley.

After the pain became unbearable she finally went to the doctor and found out what the problem was. "A piece of bone on the inner side of my ankle was slowly cutting a tendon in half, and when ever I played on it, it aggravated it more and more," said Heltsley. After she found out what the problem with her ankle was, she had to decide what to do. There were two options for her either have surgery, or play on it and deal with the pain. After much debate she decided to have surgery on her ankle. "It was devastating for me. I had the surgery and I was in a wheelchair for six months," said Heltsley, "but then the doctor told me the worst news that there could have been: ‘you will not be able to play volleyball at a competitive level ever again.' I was traumatized."

After spending six months in her wheelchair she knew that it was going to be a hard road back to where she was athletically, and that only time was going to heal her ankle. “After I got out of the wheelchair I had to rehab my ankle for over a year, and in that time I kind of became a gym freak,” said Heltsley. When Heltsley realized that she wasn’t going to be able to play again she came back home and started going to community college at TCC. “I thought, ‘great I can’t play volleyball anymore, I have a hurt ankle, and to top it all off I have to go to a community college,’” said Heltsley.

However, throughout all of her struggles with school she knew that she wanted to get back in the gym and play college volleyball again. She started looking around at schools and heard that Wesleyan was starting a new program. “I contacted Jenn and she was more than happy to give me a shot at making the team,” said Heltsley, “and that is all I wanted was a shot.” The shot was all she needed, as she is one of the catalysts that keeps the team going in their young existence. “I love the team, we work hard when we play and we are all pleased with how well we have done so far this year, we just hope to continue the play,” said Heltsley.

Playing well is one of the main goals for this young team, as they are in their first season of play and are showing extremely well in Division III volleyball and turning heads. The Lady Marlins have gone 6-4 in their last ten games, including wins over Sweet Briar College, North Carolina Wesleyan and Hollins University. But unfortunately the four losses were all conference games. “I am happy how we have played so far this year but we need to do better in the conference, and we know that,” said Heltsley. The Marlins continue the action on the court on Saturday, Oct. 25, with their final home match against Randolph-Macon Women’s College, and then end the season with five consecutive road games, including three conference games. “We now really need to focus on these last few games and play well,” said Heltsley. “We know we can do it, everyone has confidence in everybody else.”

1. The Field Hockey team was featured in the NCAAsports.com Team Spotlight of the Week after being ranked 17th in the nation.

2. Goalkeepers Sabrina Hurczyn, Sean Wheaton and Margie Baker were selected as ODAC athletes of the week in the same week.

3. Kelvin Murray, a sophomore soccer player, scored on a 1v1 with the goalie versus W&L to secure the 2-0 win.

4. Sharon Hay, a junior soccer player, scored the loan goal to clinch the victory over W&L.

5. Robin Smith, a senior volleyball player, set the VWC single match assist record with 53 versus Sweet Briar College.

6. Margie Baker, a junior field hockey player, tied the ODAC consecutive shutout record with five versus Salem College.

7. Sean Wheaton, a senior soccer player, was the third goalie in 35 years to surpass the 300 mark in saves with 318.

8. Megan Bronstein, a senior soccer player, made her best career goal into the upper side netting after a Guilford defender fell at her feet.

9. Candice Doloresco, a freshman volleyball player, set a VWC record of aces in a row with 6 versus Neumann’s College.

10. Men’s Soccer, with a new consecutive shutout record of eight.

To Marlin sports fans

Dear Marlin Volleyball Fans:

This letter is to express our thanks for supporting our team. As a first-year program, we are working hard to win some matches while gaining more and more campus support. When we have a crowd to perform in front of where we can display our growth, it's incredible. That is why we want and need your continued interest in our sport. Our thanks are despite the fact that two teams have come into our gym and complained about your involvement in the match.

We encourage good sportsmanship and respect for the teams we play, and we feel that you have represented VWC well in the stands! Athletics are about competition and fan interaction. You cheering and sometimes heckling was never out of line, as you were not crude or rude and never vulgar. We have played in gyms where the fans take heckling to a new level. Where we have fans picking on players deliberately. We have had a ball thrown at our team.

We have had players mercilessly picked on the entire match...and we never complained. We never complained because we are there to play volleyball, and quite frankly and athletes should tune out all surroundings except the match. We played in tight matches where we could have made excuses for the loss or close match by blaming the fans. But we focused on our goal: winning the match. It's our job to play and the fan’s job to be the 7th man. It's tough walking into a gym where you feel intimidated because the fans are so supportive of the home team.

We accept wins and losses as a team, with no consideration to the fans at an away gym. It's unfortunate that teams who come here and face not nearly the heckling delivered at their own school, blame their poor performance on you, rather than their own lack of preparation. We are sorry, and hope you come back. Volleyball is a great spectator sport, and we hope you enjoy yourself at the matches. We know that you support VWC, and you have been a great asset to our team. We appreciate your encouragement, and look forward to seeing you back here.

Please accept our thanks, and our regret on behalf of the teams who think you are their biggest problem. Maybe they need to focus on practice and not the fans, after all you're not the one making mistakes out there.

Sincerely,

The 2003 Women's
Volleyball Team

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