Not unlike their school counterparts on the football field, Houston Christian volleyball has experienced a revival recently.
After taking over the team three years ago, head coach Zshanelle Jones started from scratch. The culture exploded after her arrival, to the point where the Mustangs have over 50 athletes that span across the various teams at the school.
“The volleyball program has undergone an extraordinary transformation due to the power of our community and our culture,” she said. “We stepped in and faced a lot of challenges, mainly in terms of mindset and creating an environment of high-level volleyball."
“Fast forward to today, we’ve been doing really well and have found a new drive with athletic competition in the gym. At this point, we’re the largest female athletic program in the school, and that’s because we fostered that sense of family and community to overcome those challenges.”
It hasn’t always been easy, but nothing worth having ever is.
“I think that my team’s greatest strength would be our resiliency,” said Jones. “We face adversity but we never give up. Because the love is there, we won’t give up on each other, no matter the challenges.”
Jones has had plenty of stars to depend on – particularly her captains Emma Samuelson (Sr. OH), Madison Krieger (Sr. S), Karli Kapche (Sr. DS) and Oyinkansola Ajimotokan (Sr. OH/MH) – who she says have “very much been the glue and the core of shifting the culture while setting the expectation.”
Emma Samuelson
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
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Madison Krieger
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
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Karli Kapche
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
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Oyinkansola Ajimotokan
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
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That buy-in has evidently paid off, now that Houston Christian currently ranks fourth in the conference. A possible second seed in SPC-3A Tournament is on the horizon, which begins November 2nd.
“Ultimately, our goal is to finish strong,” she said. “We want to take State this year. Collectively, we should be able to take care of business. The growth over the last few years should reflect that at the conclusion of this season."
The ultimate goal is an SPC Title, but one step at a time.