Although they finished only fifth in the American Athletic Conference, the Cougars have their hopes high, as they will use this season to reflect on mistakes. | File photo/The Daily Cougar
With its first season in the American Athletic Conference now given to the history books, UH now has the winter to reflect upon its accomplishments and experiences.
The word “learn” is something head coach Kaddie Platt likes the sound of.
“They learned that we can compete every day, and we can eventually win a conference championship,” Platt said.
The squad, which posted an 18-15 record, placing fifth in the conference, sees no shortage of knowledge to be gleaned from their time on the court.
“I think our team was completely different from last year’s team in the sense that we had a lot of newcomers and people who were redshirts, like me and (junior right side) Cortney Warren,” said redshirt sophomore Kadi Kullerkann. “I think we did pretty well adjusting to the new people. Our team got way better at adjusting to different situations. The coaches decided to change the game plan, and we learned how to cope with all that.”
Platt echoed the sentiments about team advancement on the goal to unity.
“This year was very much about getting on the same page,” Platt said. “I feel like we learned a lot about each other and spent a lot of time at it. We just made big strides at becoming a team.”
Kullerkann, along with freshman outside hitter and right side Sarita Mikals, were named to second team all-conference in the American; both accomplishments were goals these players held for themselves, but were still pleasantly surprised to achieve.
“It was a goal I set,” Mikals said. “I was hoping to reach that goal, so having it all work out just counts as part of my plan. I think I kind of made a name for myself and earned my teammates’ trust.”
Kullerkann, who earned the accolade after a season lost to injury, views it all with an almost philosophical view.
“It was an honor and something I was definitely striving for, ” Kullerkann said, “but like with anything else, I can still feel room for improvement, and I think it’s just the beginning of my career.”
“After every season, I realized that I have to work the max that I can every single day to live up to my potential. You don’t want to have those what-if moments.”
In the offseason, Kullerkann will return to her native Estonia to try out for her country’s volleyball team.
“She has tryouts, and we certainly hope she makes them,” Platt said. “We feel she has the talent to make them. To me, it feels like I have a responsibility to give her the chances to do her best.”
The team’s coaches and players now have an offseason full of strength and conditioning regimens to look forward to, backdropped against confidence that they can compete in their new conference home.
“Not taking conference was a disappointment,” said junior defensive specialist Natalie Keck. “But now we see how much work we have to do over the spring and summer, and next year, I think we have a great opportunity.”
