RANGELY, Colo. (August 20, 2022) – The Colorado Northwestern Community College Volleyball program is in an enviable spot entering the 2022 season.
 
The Lady Spartans are in the place where hope is abundant, energy is strong, and change brings confidence. Entering the first season under new coach Melissa Hardman, CNCC is looking to build on a number of successes over the past few seasons and propel towards an improved place in the Scenic West Athletic Conference under its new coach.
 
Entering her first season in Rangely, Hardman said she is looking forward to establishing a new template for the program.
 
"My primary goal in preseason is to get the team chemistry going," she said. "I want to see where we are with mental toughness and physicality. Ultimately, I want to make sure we are ready to go physically and mentally. Fundamentally, I want to make sure our serve receive and defense is where it should be. We cannot do anything without a solid pass."
 
After a 2021 season that saw frustration in the results, CNCC has a freshmen-laden roster filled with talented newcomers. To bond those players together in advance of an arduous schedule, Hardman is focusing much of her offseason activities on team bonding.
 
"We will have a team activity almost every evening," she said. "I have the team paired up and they will come up with the team activity for the evenings. Also, we will do a water workout at least once during a conditioning practice."
 
Academics are also a prime focus of CNCC's preseason camp, with the Lady Spartans spending an exorbitant amount of time on setting expectations.
 
"Academics is always of importance," Hardman stated. "We as females do not get multi-million dollar contracts to play our sports; therefore, our degrees pay our bills. During the preseason, we make sure they are registered and good to go when classes start. If our players already know they will need additional assistance with certain classes, we will get the help needed put into place prior to classes starting."
 
Looking ahead at a 2022 schedule that opens in the coming weeks and will feature multiple conference matches against nationally ranked competition, Hardman said the focus of the program will be on individual improvement amidst challenging competition.
 
"This season is going to be a growing season," she said. "We will be a young team in an extremely competitive region. We will grow mentally and see where we need to be physically."