By Alex Riley
Special to SMUMustangs.com
DALLAS – For the longest time, it didn't seem real. And, even after a year, it's sometimes hard for SMU junior Lily Heim to comprehend all that has happened since March 2020.
One minute, the Mustangs were preparing for spring workouts in anticipation of fall 2020. Days later, Heim and her teammates were wondering if there would even be a 2020 season.
"At first it was like, 'OK, we're going home for a couple weeks, like an extended spring break. This is kind of nice.' And then, we found we wouldn't be going back and every single week it was like we would get different updates, different news," Heim said. "It was hard to grasp your head around anything because there was so much unknown going on. There was so much unknown."
COVID-19 has reshaped athletics and education across the country over the last year, with schedules being shifted, classes moving to virtual formats and uncertainty remaining the buzzword. The Mustangs are no strangers to these changes.
College volleyball occurs during the fall semester, but the current season was shifted to the spring for safety concerns. That meant SMU went 14 full months between the Nov. 29, 2019 regular season finale against North Texas and the Jan. 29, 2021 season-opener against Rice.
Along the way, players had to figure out a lot on their own.
College athletes often lead very structured lives with classes, workouts, study sessions and practices strictly dictated to keep everyone on a routine. When learning moved online, campuses closed and students had to return home, all of that was gone in an instant.
"When those blocks aren't as definite, you can say, 'Hey, I'm working out at 3.' But once 3 rolls around and it becomes 3:05, there's nothing there that's like you have to do this," SMU senior Meryn Kennedy said. "That was definitely probably my biggest challenge, but eventually you do have to hold yourself accountable if you do want to succeed once you do get back on the court."
Zoom team meetings were eventually replaced by small group workouts once campus reopened in August. The team was split into two pods as gathering mandates meant everyone couldn't be in a room together. Eventually, those restrictions were lifted, allowing the entire team to return to the gym and practice together. The big question – what would happen when the entire team got together? Would it be like old times or starting over?
"It was tough for that first month, but once we got all on the same track and were able to be in the same building, it was just the best feeling," Heim said. "And honestly, the team chemistry, it felt like we never left. I don't think we ever struggled with losing that team chemistry because we are such a close knit group of girls and we are super lucky that we have that."
Of course, it hasn't always been easy.
Three matches, including the originally scheduled season-opener with North Texas have been canceled. Players have been asked to remain within very tight bubbles, limiting contact with people not from the volleyball program to minimize the risk of exposure. Even simple things like going to a restaurant for a bite are off limits. A winter blizzard also didn't make matters easier, as Dallas essentially shut down for more than a week.
But with four regular season matches left and a chance to shine at the American Athletic Conference Tournament, no one is complaining. The season has brought everyone in the program closer together, even as they are asked to stay further apart.
For Kennedy, it's a moment to pause and reflect. The Mustangs have been given an opportunity to feel normal, even if for a moment. It's something she and her teammates have wanted to relish and make count.
"It's just amazing to be able to do something that you love in a world right now where so many things have been taken from others," Kennedy said. "When you see so many people fighting and pushing for you to be able to continue with things you're passionate about, it's very inspiring and it kind of shows how blessed we are to have these opportunities that we're given. It's something I'm very grateful for."
