It’s been 19 seasons since COD’s women’s volleyball team won a Region IV volleyball title, but this year’s Chaparrals put an end to that streak. 

This season’s Chaps started off with a 12-game win streak, and with not a single home game lost, the team rose its way to the top being ranked as the top seed in the region. 

Oct. 29th was the final NJCAA Region IV tournament game against Joliet Junior College, where COD pulled through on a 3-1 victory capping off an incredibly successful season for the Chaps who showcased a 29-3 record throughout this year’s play.  

Chloey Myers is one player who, as they thought back to the beginning of the season after the first Region IV tournament win, is immensely proud of where the team stands now.  

“We didn’t look like much. We don’t have that much height on us,” Myers said. “Then we started playing and winning games, and I was like, ‘We’re actually really good.’” 

The team’s ability to win its way into this year’s national championship came as a bit of a surprise to some other players as well. Alyssa Fountain was another player who didn’t necessarily anticipate such a successful season. 

“I was like this is a year to just have fun,’” Fountain said. 

But as the team started to gain more victories throughout every match, the competitive spirit began to change. Particularly for Fountain, after she saw what the team was capable of in the first tournament of the season, confidence was at an all-time high. 

“I sat down in my room and was like, ‘We’re going to do it; we’re going to win.’ After the Rockford tournament, that’s when I knew,” Fountain said. 

Fighting their way to the top, one court at a time, did not come easy. What everyone has been able to achieve collectively as a team is what separated them from the rest of the competition. 

“We are all very smart players, and we all take accountability for ourselves,” Fountain said. “If anybody is down on the floor they will immediately pick themselves up, and in the huddles we are always improving ourselves. We call each other out, but we love each other so much. It took us a while to get into that groove, but we know we’re better than any team.” 

And for player Ava Garcia, it’s the camaraderie which has stuck out the most. 

“I wouldn’t want this experience with any other school to be honest. We play together like we’re all best friends,” Garcia said.  

The Chaps head off to Rochester, Minn. next for the NJCAA DIII National Championship from Nov. 10-12. A promising victory lies ahead, because as the “Court Cobra” Chloey Myers puts it, “we can do anything with this team.”