Making the transition from sports at the high school level to the college level is like Dorothy making the trip from Kansas to Oz.

 

Not only do the freshmen have to deal with the change in scenery and weather, but they also have to get used to a whole new group of Munchkins….I mean teammates. 

 

“The freshmen are still finding their way,” Junior Middle Hitter, Chrissy Knuth, said. “But they are becoming more comfortable every day. They like the challenge.”

 

The Bison filled all the positions on the court with five new faces on the roster this season, including Gabriela Garcia, Danielle Dombeck, Lauren Cammack, Carissa Whalen and Georgia Tech transfer, Jordan Kissman.

 

“Every year with the freshmen, they have to go through a dramatic learning curve,” Coach Erich Hinterstocker said. “They have so many things to learn that there is a sense of being overwhelmed. But after a while they get better and the upper classman have been helping them adjust too.”

 

The new players are not only dealing with college classes and being away from home for the first time, but they also have to improve their game to bring it up to the level of the players who are already on the squad.

 

“There is a huge difference between high school and college. The players are not as good, as big or as fast in high school as they are in college. Plus in high school you can’t recruit so you have to work with the players you have,” Knuth said. “College volleyball is just faster and requires a higher level of play than high school does.”

 

Over the years, Hinterstocker has noticed some big differences between the incoming freshmen and his returning players.

 

“The difference between high school and college volleyball is night and day. The new kids looked like they were playing in slow motion while the players who returned from last year were going in fast forward,” Hinterstocker said. “Playing at the high school level you are used to playing with kids your age rather than playing at college with 22-year-old women.”

 

By this time in the season, the new players should be beginning to feel at home in this strange land of Fargo, N.D. It may not be as beautiful as Oz, but at least it doesn't have any flying monkeys.

 

Go Bison!