The University of the Cumberlands Volleyball team has been working hard in the off season to become a stronger united team. In the process, the players have taken action to become more well-rounded individuals as well.

On Friday April 4^th, the team hosted a scrimmage match against Union College, however; this wasn't just any scrimmage. Thirty-nine middle school aged volleyball players from McCreary County were invited to watch the match and have the opportunity to ask UC volleyball athletes any question they desired. Directly after the Varsity match the students gathered and raised their hand one by one in anticipation. One student asked, "Do you do a lot of running?" Sophomore Kalen Suttles (Cincinatti, OH) replied, "Yes, we do run a lot but we also work on hitting, defense, blocking, and serving on different days". Another student was curious about a different aspect of the game. She asked, "Was it hard changing from high school to college?" Several of the Patriot Ladies answered, "Yes, it's hard but you have to always build your way up and keep working hard and giving your best".

 After the students had time to ask questions they broke into smaller groups for some one-on-one discussion with the Patriot Ladies. Each player took four to five students and talked with them about any other questions they had. The McCreary County students were intrigued by the fast pace of the game and even invited the Patriot team to one of their home matches.

To make this night even more significant, the students learned that McCreary County volleyball coaches Justin Bozman and Jessi West are both alumni of UC. Bozman attended Cumberlands from 1987-1990 and was a member of the football team while West attended from 1998-2002 and was a member of the volleyball team. Both coaches were enthusiastic about the night and happy to be able to share with their team a part of what was given to them at Cumberlands. 

West commented, "It has been an awesome experience tonight. We have been trying to get this together for a while and it's just good to see the team take something away from Cumberland. It has also been fun for them to see the campus. I can see a lot of these girls making Cumberlands their college of choice one day". Bozman added, "Cumberlands is always willing to give back and has always been good to me. I received a good education here and I have always felt very welcome to come back."

The Patriot Volleyball team took Union College into a five-game match but wasn't able to come out on top this time. However, it was more important to make a statement to the middle school students and the Patriots did just that.

Head Coach Kara Clemenz stated, "It was such a pleasure to have the McCreary County middle school team at our match tonight.  Our team was already excited to have them come visit and to hear them cheering for us made it all the more exciting.  A few of my varsity players told me after the game that they ‘felt like famous people' as the middle scholars were asking them to sign their t-shirts after the match". 

The selfless acts of the Patriot Volleyball team have proved that the individual players are true NAIA Champions of Character. They may work hard on the court to become better athletes, but they have shown they are already a number one team off the court.

Article Provided by Staci Wilham, University of the Cumberlands Sports Information Student Assistant