In the first month of the school year, the Eastern volleyball team has traveled to Peoria, Wisconsin and Oregon and all they have to show for it (besides fond memories and potential souvenirs) is a disappointing 3-10 record as the Ohio Valley Conference schedule begins this Friday.

Despite the sub-par record, I see two reasons why no one should give up on this team before the OVC season starts.

The first case for optimism is the opponents the Panthers have faced. Eastern certainly did not schedule the William and Mary of women’s volleyball.

Week in and week out, I ask head coach Brenda Winkeler about the opposition the Panthers will battle, and every team seems to be among the upper echelon or playing well when the Panthers come to pay a visit.

Often I will hear, “this is the best team we have faced so far,” Or Winkeler will add, “this team is faster than us and we really need to stop their middle to win.”

When you sit down and look at the opponents’ statistics and players, it’s clear Winkeler is not trying to sugarcoat things. Take the recent trip to Oregon for example.

Eastern started the tournament against host Portland State, which just happened to be 7-1 going into the match.

In the 39 games the Vikings have played this year, they have won 30 of them. Portland State has outscored opponents 1095 to 945 in those contests. So it’s not hard to see why the Panthers were quickly ousted in three games.

If you thought the Panthers would get any help against their next opponents, then you thought wrong. It’s tough to find a team with a better winning percentage than Portland State’s .875 but the Panthers managed to do so.

In the first match the Panthers faced a team with one loss, now they would take to the court with a team that was undefeated and looking to tie a school record with its 14th consecutive victory to start the season.

The Panthers were overmatched and Winkeler said, “It will be the toughest team they face in the tournament.” The Dons convincingly defeated Eastern in three games.

The Panthers finally received relief against their last opponent as they faced Air Force who only had an 8-4 record entering the match.

The Panthers played their best match of the tournament as they took the Falcons to five games before losing 16-14 in the final game.

When Eastern begins its OVC schedule this Friday, the Panthers will find themselves squaring off against a more even playing field.

“The conference will go back and forth,” Winkeler said. “There is a lot of parity in this conference.”

But not all was lost playing in those difficult tournaments. Winkeler said the traveling helped to improve the team’s camaraderie which she hopes will show on the court beginning Friday.

The second reason not to think about Panther basketball two months early is the play of Mary Welch. The talented freshman is playing far beyond her years for Eastern, and in the process, could make the conference season very interesting.

For the year, Welch has started all 13 matches and has played in 43 games. She is second on the team with a 125 kills and her play has impressed Winkeler to the point that she no longer thinks twice about starting a freshman.

“It is apparent that Mary is a very determined person,” Winkeler said. “I really don’t worry about playing a freshman. Even if she has a bad game statistically she is still a person we need out there.”

To prove what a determined person Welch is Winkeler brought up a situation against Air Force where the freshman scrambled early but quickly regrouped and nearly led the Panthers to an upset.

“Mary struggled (in the first few games) and we took her out, but when she came into the game she played very aggressively.”

All of this has Welch becoming an important figure in the Panthers quest to win the OVC.

“She is a big key for conference,” Winkeler said. “Last weekend she led us in kills twice and was a real positive.”

When you throw First Team All-OVC member Erica Gerth and last year’s hitting percentage leader Shanna Ruxer into the mix, don’t be surprised if the the Panthers end their slump and make some noise in conference play.