In the excitement and energy of Memorial Hall, the Muhlenberg volleyball team competed in their first conference game on Sept. 28. The Mules faced a tough game against the Diplomats of Franklin & Marshall (F&M). This was a very important game for the Mules as they had lost to the Diplomats in playoffs two years in a row, so the Mules came ready to fight. After starting strong in the first set and coming back to win the third, the Mules unfortunately lost 3-2. It was an especially important game for both captains Esmae Oehler ‘25 and Rachel Jacobs ‘25 as they both surpassed milestones in their careers. Jacobs has racked up over 500 kills and Oehler over 750 kills over the course of their careers.
Going into this game, the Mules had a few goals they had hoped to accomplish. When asked, setter Jenny Ryan ‘27 commented, “We definitely achieved a lot of our goals throughout the game that we set beforehand. Some of them being a high energy level, defense and winning those long rallies.” She then continued on to talk about the game plan for the Mules. “Our team’s game plan today was to make sure nothing hit the floor without effort and also to be loud and have fun with it.” Jacobs built upon these plans by commenting on more technical aspects that the Mules hoped to improve upon. “Our game plan was to leave it all on the court and to make them earn their points. Defense was a big theme for us the past couple of weeks and I think that our defense came together exactly how we had been practicing on Saturday.”
The culture of the team was also vital to the performance of the Mules. Ryan commented, “Our team culture is incredible! We are all each other’s best friends and our biggest supporters. We have such an amazing group of girls and our team dynamic is like no other.” There are seven first-years on the team this year and they have fit right into the team. Oehler said, “We have an amazing group of freshmen who really embraced who Muhlenberg volleyball is right off the bat. We are a very high-energy, fun team with a lot of love for each other and volleyball. The freshmen bring so much positivity and hustle to our team.”
“Our team culture is incredible!” – Jenny Ryan
Another thing that the Mules have going for them in their season is their team chemistry both on and off of the court. They are a lively group that loves to support each other. Ryan said, “We work well together and always know how to make each other laugh or pick someone up when they are down. Our team loves getting hyped. We do a pre-game hype circle before every game which translates to the court and our bench.” Oehler echoed these sentiments, “We have been having so much fun as a group from coming up with bench cheers to celebrating on the floor.”
Despite losing, there were many highlights for the Mules. This was the first time in two years that these teams have competed at Muhlenberg and the first time in seven years they have won more than one set against F&M. This game also was a turning point for the Mules. It showed what they are capable of and gave them a new sense of confidence. When asked about the season going forward, Jacobs said, “We are entering conference play now, and we have developed confidence in each other over the past couple months. Our performance against this highly-ranked team is going to be the standard for the rest of the season going into conference play. Looking forward, each individual on the team is going to be holding themselves to this standard no matter if they played six rotations, three rotations or were providing the energy from the sidelines.” Oehler shared these hopes moving forward, “This was one of the best games we played all year against a very good team. It makes me really hopeful for the future. I’m so excited to see what we can do in conference play this year.”
The Mules hope to build upon their performance during their next game on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 1:00 p.m., when they travel to Gettysburg College for a match against the Bullets.
