The Rockhurst women’s volleyball team recently traveled north for a preseason trip to Alaska, where they faced some of the toughest competition of the year. The trip was made possible through fundraising efforts, alumni support, and donations from families and friends.

“The women’s volleyball alumni are incredible and were so supportive of our team this season and helped fund the trip,” senior Sarah Pyle said. “We really just pushed the efforts on The RU Day of Giving and it worked out extremely well.”

Off the court, the Hawks made the most of their time in Alaska. The team visited North Pole, Alaska, where they saw reindeer and toured an ice museum. They also explored the city of Fairbanks and enjoyed team dinners together before focusing back on volleyball.

“We went to North Pole, Alaska and saw reindeer and hoped to see Santa Claus but he was not there that day,” Pyle said. “We went to an ice museum as well which was lots of fun and a good way to spend some time before we had to focus on our volleyball matches.”

On the court, Rockhurst faced a grueling slate of matches against California State University, San Bernardino (loss 2–3), Rollins College (loss 1–3), University of Alaska Anchorage (loss 1–3), and University of Alaska Fairbanks (loss 1–3). The matches provided valuable experience against teams known for their physical style of play and fast tempo.

“The competition was really tough and I would say a bit tougher than our usual GLVC competition,” Pyle said. “The teams were super physical and played a quick tempo which we aren’t particularly used to, but it was a great experience to have before we enter conference play.”

Although the Hawks didn’t get the results they hoped for, the trip served its purpose of preparing the team for the upcoming conference season.

“I think it was a great way to get the team ready,” Pyle said. “While the results weren’t ideal, it was great competition and a good way to push ourselves as a team as well.”