By Chris McLaughlin
For the second straight year the CCSU volleyball team elected Amanda Bayer as their captain.
“Each year we vote for captains and for my teammates to elect me for a second year shows me that my efforts to be a leader on and off the court are visible. As well as showing me that they have confidence in me to lead the team again, hopefully to a NEC championship this year,” said Bayer.
Bayer, who is the team’s primary ball handler, led the team in assists last year with 991. She also led the team in service aces with 44 for the season. Her efforts last season saw her named All-NEC second team for the second time in her career at CCSU. Bayer’s on court presence has been vital to the success of the Blue Devils the past three years, and she will continue to strive for the same excellence that made her captain.
“My goal as a captain is to inspire the team to perform at the best of their abilities every match to utilize the talent and desire that each individual possesses and mold that into a team attitude,” said Bayer.
While Bayer’s on court abilities are what made her captain, her presence off of the court is just as important to both her and her team.
“Other than wins and losses success for the volleyball team can be measured by our performance in the classroom. We all take pride in how we represent ourselves, as well as the volleyball program. We understand that we are here first as students and that being an athlete is a privilege,” said Bayer. “I think the entire team considers performance in the classroom as equally important to performance on the court. If we are all successful as students and play to the best of our potential, then I will consider this season a success.”
Both Bayer and her teammates really pride themselves on how well they do in the class room. For four years in a row they have been the recipients of the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award, and it’s something they will all strive for again this year.
As captain, Bayer sees a lot of potential for her team this season.
“I have extremely high expectations for this team; we have a very talented group. I expect us to the competitive in regular season NEC play and then to peak around the NEC tournament,” said Bayer.
Bayer shows faith in her team one would expect from a captain, but she still expects more.
“I have no doubt that this team has all the tools necessary: talent, desire, work ethic, great leadership in my co-captain Dani Gasser, as well as dedicated coaches to win the NEC tournament and take the conference. I expect this team to live up to our potential, and then to surpass my own expectations of it,” said Bayer.
In addition to the high expectations, Bayer is still excited at watching her team develop.
“This season I am looking forward to seeing the development of this team. Although we have the majority of our players back from last year and have more experience this season, I believe that we still have amazing potential for growth as a team,” said Bayer. “This season, in November, I want to look back on how we started the season and see how far we’ve come. Every member of this team works incredibly hard every day at practice and throughout the course of the season that individual work translates to stronger team performances.”
Following a great season last year, Bayer will look to pick up right where she left off and lead the Blue Devils back into the NEC tournament and beyond.
