The St. Thomas women’s volleyball team will be undergoing a tough and competitive tryout process in response to a disappointing 2015 season.

Head coach Thanh Pham will begin his 14th season at St. Thomas in the fall and is hopeful that making some adjustments will get the team back to its usual winning record.

“This upcoming season will be unique in that we are coming off a 9-17 season. Before, we always had at least 20 wins in a season,” Pham said.

While they have had to make roster cuts every season, tryouts this year will be increasingly competitive. Pham has been recruiting incoming freshman and transfer students to add some new talent. He emphasized the importance of having athletes that are coachable and willing to put the team first.

“We plan on bringing in 15 to 17 new members to try out for our team. We are looking for team-oriented members to fill out our roster and we do understand that team dynamics will change, hopefully for the better,” Pham said. “Those athletes that can respond to coaching and have the athletic talent to compete will be asked to invest their time in our program.”

The tryout process will be the same as previous years, beginning on August 20 and taking place over the course of three days. By the end of the tryouts, they will have formed a varsity and junior varsity team, each consisting of around 24 to 26 players.

Steve Fritz, athletic director at St. Thomas, is supportive of Pham’s decision and feels that this change is necessary to be successful competitively.

“Roster sizes are a coach’s decision. These are collegiate varsity programs and roster sizes are important in attempting to be competitive on a national level,” Fritz said. “We try to make sure that all interested get a chance to try out for the varsity programs, but not everyone with interest has the ability to compete at this level.”

Pham is aware that current players may be worried about their status on the team, but he plans on keeping the process as open and impartial as possible.

“Current team members will have an honest and fair tryout, just like the incoming freshman. Honesty and integrity will be the cornerstones of our communication process,” Pham said.

As a returning player, junior and outside hitter Ellie Etzell is confident that Pham’s decision will benefit the team in the long-run.

“I think that as a team, knowing that cuts are going to be made adds a level of intensity and competitiveness that we haven’t felt before, and I think it’s something that will definitely benefit the program,” Etzell said. “But I think that everyone who takes the offseason and tryouts seriously doesn’t need to be concerned.”

Etzell hopes that making these changes will create a fresh dynamic and result in a team that is focused on returning back to their old form.

“It’s a really good feeling to know that everyone on the team this year will have volleyball as a top priority,” she said.

The volleyball team will begin their season at the Emory Classic in Atlanta, Georgia on September 2.

Mary Brickner can be reached at bric0029@stthomas.edu.