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Wichita State's independent, student-run news source

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Wichita State's independent, student-run news source

The Sunflower

Volleyball senior adopts new mentality to increase opportunities on court

Sophia+Rohling%2C+a+senior%2C+sets+up+to+serve+in+the+third+set.+Rohling+made+eight+kills+in+the+game+against+Charlotte+on+Sept.+23.
Kristy Mace
Sophia Rohling, a senior, sets up to serve in the third set. Rohling made eight kills in the game against Charlotte on Sept. 23.

Senior opposite Sophia Rohling has been dominating on the court this season while making crucial adjustments to better herself and the team. 

Rohling said that at the start of the season there was a period of inconsistency, but now she’s reached a point of consistent success with her kills and she’s proud of reaching that goal. 

“That’s what I wanted,” Rohling said. “My main goal was to be a consistent person and consistently perform at a high level and I’m starting to do that and so I’m pretty excited about that.”

As the season is coming to an end, the reality of it being Rohling’s last year playing ball has become imminent. 

Rohling said that this has been her best year yet, it has been her favorite year and she’s created the strongest connections with her teammates. 

“Just having fun, you know all of this is sadly coming to an end, it’s truly going to be over and that’s been a bitter pill to swallow,” Rohling said.

Rohling said she’s better than she thinks she is at times, recently she’s been taking chances and swinging with the possibility of errors and had better outcomes than she could have imagined. 

“I started having this mentality of just go get it, just go swing at it, see what happens,” Rohling said. “And that kind of aggression and just that ability of going for it has opened up a lot of opportunities that I didn’t think I had.”

Chris Lamb, head volleyball coach, said Rohling leads by example and always knows how to take care of business. 

“She is an example of somebody that’s committed and responsible and accountable,” Lamb said. “She’s got everything she needs to be a dominant player in the conference.”

Lamb said that Rohling has recently had high numbers on offense with little errors. 

“It’s like she wants to be that powerful and that clean,” Lamb said. “That’s hard for other teams to keep up with.”

Junior setter Izzi Strand said that Rohling tends to vocally celebrate after a kill to encourage the team in the middle of a game. She said the positive energy can make a large impact on everyone. 

“I think that her showing dominance in the front row is really important for us,” Strand said.

Strand said that she has noticed the past couple of games that Rohling has gotten a high hitting percentage and high amount of kills.

Rohling said she’s now focused on having a positive end to the season. She plans on having a good time with her teammates and playing at a high level to end the season on a great note. 

“There’s some great competition coming up but I trust in our ability and I trust in our skill too,” Rohling said. 

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About the Contributors
Shaylee Jacobs-Wilson
Shaylee Jacobs-Wilson, Former reporter
Shaylee Jacobs-Wilson was a sports reporter for The Sunflower. Jacobs-Wilson is from Olathe, Kansas. Jacobs-Wilson uses she/her pronouns.
Kristy Mace
Kristy Mace, Photo Editor
Kristy Mace is the photo editor for The Sunflower. She's majoring in psychology. Currently a junior, Mace hopes to go on to get her Ph.D. and become a neuropsychologist. She also plays for Wichita State's bowling team and does professional photography aside from The Sunflower.

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