University of Northern Colorado volleyball player Syd Cole, an all-American and all-conference selection with the Bears, received a confidence boost on the court earlier this year.
Months ahead of her final season in Greeley, Cole competed in the USA Volleyball Women’s National Team open program at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
The event in late February allowed Cole to play with more than 200 other college athletes from all over the U.S. while being evaluated for selection to two national teams.
Cole, a fifth-year student and setter from Parker, was not chosen for either of those elite squads, the U.S. Women’s National Team or the U.S. Women’s Collegiate National Team. But what Cole learned or relearned in those three days was that she’s absolutely capable of playing with other athletes she called “amazing.”
“I was like, ‘Oh, it’s actually not as scary as you think, playing with these amazing hitters,’ ” said Cole, whose position as a setter is the equivalent of a football quarterback or basketball point guard.
As a setter, Cole’s job is to set up the hitters for a kill and a point against opponents.
Cole and her UNC teammates reconvened Thursday for the first day of fall camp for the 2024 season. UNC begins its schedule hosting Power 4 schools Michigan State and Florida on Aug. 30-31 at Bank of Colorado Arena. The Bears host Arizona in an exhibition match Aug. 24.
She said her idea of what the open program would be going in was that other players would think of Cole as a player “from this small school.” Instead, the athletes mixed together and played together as teammates, and the interactions were collegial, friendly and supportive, Cole said.
Cole has been one of the best players in the Big Sky Conference for much of her career at UNC. She’s a two-time all-Big Sky first-team pick, she was the conference player of the year in 2022 and the setter of the year in 2023. In 2022, Cole was also an American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I All-American honorable mention selection.
University of Northern Colorado’s Syd Cole, left, sets the ball for teammate Maddie Rink during practice Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024 at UNC in Greeley. Cole was the Big Sky Conference setter of the year in 2023 and a first-team all-conference selection for the second-straight year.(Jim Rydbom/Staff Photographer)
Bears coach Lyndsey Oates calls Cole a natural and gifted athlete. Cole’s parents, Aaron and Erin, played football and volleyball, respectively at Adams State.
“She moves well. She jumps well. She sees the game well,” Oates said. “A lot of it is very natural, and she’s put the work in.”
Playing the open program showed Cole she might want to play professionally overseas after UNC. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and is now pursuing a master’s degree in the field.
Makenzie Harris, a standout outside hitter from Eaton, played for UNC from 2019-23 and is now playing professionally in Finland. Harris returned for a fifth season in 2023 as UNC tried to win third-consecutive Big Sky regular-season and tournament championships.
The Bears didn’t accomplish those goals last season, partly leading to Cole’s decision to return. She also didn’t want to leave her teammates.
UNC finished tied for second in the Big Sky regular-season standings with Montana. Both teams had 12-4 records. The Bears earned the second seed for the conference tournament, which they hosted at Bank of Colorado Arena as the defending regular-season champions.
Seventh-seeded Eastern Washington beat UNC 3-2 in a tournament quarterfinal.
The Bears were selected for the postseason National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) after failing to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Big Sky Conference Tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAAs.
UNC (18-12 overall record in 2023) beat Valparaiso 3-0 in its first NIVC match before ending the year with a 3-set loss to Wyoming. Both matches were at Bank of Colorado Arena.
“Last season, it kind of didn’t end how we wanted it to,” Cole said. “So, just kind of wanted one more year to get that back. We weren’t done yet.”
UNC volleyball goals under Oates are to qualify for the Big Sky tournament, win the tournament and advance to NCAAs. The program has certainly been one of the university’s most successful athletic program in the Division I era, which dates to the early 2000s.
Starting her 20th season, Oates has guided the Bears to 18 Big Sky Conference Tournaments with seven titles and trips to the NCAA Tournament. UNC, though, remains winless in those NCAA Tournament appearances. Snapping the losing streak is again a team goal. Despite the record in NCAA Tournament matches, Oates and Cole believe this year can be the year UNC finally earns a win.
“Absolutely,” Oates said. “But there are three, four, five teams in the Big Sky also saying the same thing. So we’re not alone in that. But do we have the talent? Absolutely.”
Sacramento State is the defending Big Sky regular-season champion and will host the conference tournament Nov. 27-29.
University of Northern Colorado head volleyball coach Lyndsey Oates talks with her team during practice on the UNC campus Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024.(Jim Rydbom/Staff Photographer)
Cole said she expects Sacramento State, Weber State, Portland State and “the Montanas” — the University of Montana and Montana State — to be among the conference’s best teams. Weber State is a UNC rival, and the Wildcats won the conference tournament last fall in Greeley.
Cole recommends fans pay attention this season to graduate transfer Samantha Steele and sophomore Gabi Placide. Steele is a defensive specialist who joined the Bears from Ohio University. Placide is an outside hitter from Centennial and Grandview High School.
“She’s going to carry a heavy load,” Cole said.
Cole said Steele is “all over the place” on the court, and she has strong passing skills. Steele’s position is also known as the libero, a position that plays only in the back row and doesn’t serve.
Oates said Cole has to be a difference-maker for the Bears this season. This is a new request of Cole, outside of certain moments in previous seasons. She can’t go unnoticed. Oates said Cole has to create better situations for the hitters and not rely on the hitters to beat opponents’ blocks.
“She’s got to create that,” Oates said. “She’s got to turn a bad pass into a good pass. We need more. We need her to take a bad pass and get our hitters a swing out of it.”
Originally Published: August 9, 2024 at 3:30 p.m.
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Publish date : 2024-08-09 16:35:00
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