On Loss & Love: Women’s Volleyball Plays for More

By Brandon Petersen

October has once again arrived, and while the leaves depart the trees, the pumpkins get spiced and Terrifier 3 tops the box office, so too has returned a familiar color to the sporting world.

Pink.

For a little more than a decade now, Breast Cancer Awareness Month has been commemorated on playing surfaces around the world by players wearing pink.

For Westcliff Women's Volleyball, Pink Night has been celebrated since the program's inception, and especially for the 2024 Warriors, the night meant a little bit more than usual Thursday at JLAW.

Close friends and family were the minds of several Warriors as they took the time during a pregame ceremony to share their stories of love and loss.

And when the game began, a familiar story played out for Westcliff.

After losing their three-time Cal Pac championship Beach Volleyball program in the offseason, the Warriors experienced unprecedented defections, and Head Coach Andy Cole essentially had to rebuild from scratch.

Only Sam Swanson remained from a group of starters that took Westcliff to the Cal Pac playoffs once again a year ago.

Besides Swanson and Ella Beck, every other face on Westcliff's roster is new to Irvine.

It's a mix of talented veterans, like Samantha Carelock and Amanda Ferreira, and a growing group of younger players who are learning on the fly how to compete at the collegiate level.

As a result, the Warriors have struggled. After Thursday night's 3-0 sweep by Simpson, Westcliff now stands at 1-19.

But 1-19 doesn't begin to the tell the story of this particular group of Warriors.

When you watch the team play, two players in particular stand out: The Samanthas, Swanson and Carelock – who both go by Sam – one, an anchor libero and spiritual leader, the other a sweet swinging southpaw and Westcliff's biggest threat at net.

And while Swanson and Carelock clearly lead the Warriors both from a talent and wisdom perspective, they also share something in common – something that, as it surprisingly turns out, makes this 1-19 team so incredibly compelling to watch.

They are both relentlessly positive.

Swanson is constantly coaching up her teammates with a beaming, infectious smile, while Carelock provides the hype, the electricity, both with her killer instincts, and her killer smile, which, like Swanson's, is the glue that keeps the group together when the going gets tough.

And 1-19 is about as tough as it gets.

"We're two really big leaders on the court," Carelock said of her relationship with Swanson. "Us feeding off each other really helps the team. We both have really positive mindsets, and we both just want the same stuff. So, I think our chemistry just comes with that."

Because the Warriors are a very young group, Swanson and Carelock tend to carry the team. Both are consistent All Cal Pac and Warrior of the Week performers, but they aren't alone.

Beck has also become a consistent setter, but Beck was the Warriors' most inexperienced player a year ago, and while her role has grown exponentially this season, she's still not immune to the mistakes that young players make while learning on the job.

Thursday night, Beck struggled on defense, so Cole allowed freshman Elisa DeLosRios to play extended minutes at setter. It's all a part of the learning process, both for Beck and DeLosRios, but also for Cole, who is learning his players as much as they are learning his standards, strategy and style.

During postgame, Cole was both positive and pragmatic.

"As I look at the results, we have 40 errors, they have 21, so that's 19 points right there," he said. "They have 36 kills, we have 24. And we lose by eight, 10, 12. That's the difference right there – their production and our errors.

"We play with them. It's just a matter of, when we need to make that play, in a rally of three or four, we're just not making it. So, I think the emotional maturity is there, but not enough volleyball maturity is there. It is nine people who are brand new, so it's about finding that right combination of what works, and then hopefully it clicks one day."

And while Cole and his coaching staff continue to craft their team's burgeoning chemistry, Swanson and Carelock never allow their teammates to lose perspective.

Sometimes the final score is irrelevant.

"I think it just comes with the maturity some of us have after being on the court so long," Swanson said. "I feel like we all want to be here, we love this sport, and we love playing with each other. So, even when we lose, it doesn't always feel like a loss. We're fighting for every point. We're always in it to win it, even if things don't go our way.

"So, we always have each other's backs on the court, and I just like that encouraging, and that building up."

Said Carelock, "It just goes all the way back to passion. The want for the game. I think we all just love to play volleyball, so regardless of how the season is going, or even what the score is in the middle of a match, I think we all just want to be here, and we all just want to play."

For his part, Cole has loved the time spent with his team this season, regardless of record.

"At 1-19, it's been a joy," he said. "They have fun. They love the game. When I recruit, that's the first question I ask. I say, 'What do you love about volleyball?' So, setting that tone makes it something where like, 'Why are we playing?' 'Why are we here?' That's never a question."

There's something about loss that teaches the soul to appreciate what limited time our lives offer, freeing us to find the joy revealed by pain – a beauty that can't be taken away.

As Swanson spoke before the game, she talked about her own loss, and the lives of loved ones who impacted her own journey.

Then, eyes bright, her smile providing a guiding light, she stood side-by-side her teammates and fought hard in a losing effort.

And it hardly mattered.

"Tonight, I was just playing for my Mom," Swanson said. "For my Grandma, and my Aunties. Everyone else's Aunties and Moms and family members. It just means a lot to play for one another and play for those we love.

"That pushes me. And I can see that it pushes everyone else on the court to work hard as well. Tonight, I felt like we just left it all out on the court."