The Saint Mary’s College volleyball team improved from 6-14 two years ago to a respectable 10-13 in the fall of 2024, successfully taking a step forward after spending the entirety of last offseason with that expectation.
Now, the challenge for next year becomes building on that success once again to get back above .500 for the first time since the 2017 season. For head coach Denise Van De Walle, getting above .500 next season is more of a goal than a hope.
“I look for the team to be in the conference tournament next year,” Van De Walle told The Observer. “It’s exciting to think about just how good we’ll be next year with another year under our belt.”
It would have been hard to imagine a trip to the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Tournament after 11 combined wins between 2022 and 2023, but Saint Mary’s nearly reached that win total in 2024 alone. Their roster consisted of just one senior, outside hitter Cali Allen.
“Cali has been a big part of our program since she arrived her sophomore year,” Van De Walle said. “She’s been a captain and dean’s list and All MIAA Honor Roll. She’s very competitive, and we will miss that for sure.”
Allen played in all 23 matches and 80 sets of the season, recording 147 kills to eclipse the 500 mark for her career. Her team jumped off to a 7-2 start in 2024 before sputtering once conference play began.
A turning point in the year was a loss to Alma on Tuesday, Oct. 1. Van De Walle recalled how the five-set loss, which pushed the team below .500 for the first time in the season, was a gut punch.
“When we lost to Alma in five sets, it hurt our confidence, and we had trouble with the next several matches,” Van De Walle admitted. “Also, at that time, the level of competition rose quite a bit, and we struggled until the end of the season.”
Saint Mary’s ended the year with two 3-0 wins to reach 10 for the season. That, along with the overall youth of the roster, means another year-over-year win increase is more than a stretch goal. Freshman player Kalli Lewkowski could be a huge part of this improvement.
Lewkowski paced the Belles with a .302 hitting percentage, which ranked fourth in the MIAA, and was second on the team with 214 kills. A midseason position switch seemed to unlock her potential — the Belles’ staff moved Lewkowski from a left-side rotation hitter to a middle blocker, yielding exceptional results.
Middle blocker Caroline Carens was named to the All-MIAA Second Team. The 6-foot sophomore led Saint Mary’s in kills (221), blocks (62) and points (273). She was named MIAA Player of the Week in September, a week that included a Belles victory over Manchester in five sets.
The win was the Belles’ first over the Spartans since 2018. Carens had 13 kills and a .579 hitting percentage to lead the way.
More performances like this will help the Belles get over the hump in 2025, along with an entire supporting cast returning and new recruits joining the fold. The improvements are already visible for Van De Walle.
“We are in the gym three times a week making big improvements,” Van De Walle said. “Our returners are getting better every day in practice.”
