The “What it Means to Be a Marist Captain” series sees Marist team captains and coaches speak on the role of a captain and its value to each team. Football, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball each will have a separate edition.
Marist volleyball head coach Sean Byron is fascinated by what makes a good leader. Through his own interest and reading, he believes there is not one exact way to lead, but instead infinite ways to be a successful leader.
“Number one is that they’re true to themselves. I don’t want anybody to say ‘oh, coach wants somebody that’s super peppy all the time. That’s going to be the captain.’ Be true to yourself,” said Byron. “[Captains are] people who have good character and are willing to help others be better and sacrifice themselves for others to be and take time from rehab to give somebody else extra reps.”
The 2023 Marist volleyball team is led by three seniors who each were captains for the first time. The group includes senior outside hitter Jordan Newblatt, senior outside hitter Sasha van der Merwe, and senior middle blocker Vanessa Zolg.
“They have just been really accepting. They’ve really been accepting of others. I mean, we have three other seniors who aren’t captains and I think that they’ve employed their knowledge at times too. ‘What do you think we should do?’ Or ‘How do you think we should move forward?’ and that’s the true sign of a leader, is that they’re not looking to make all the rules themselves. They’re looking to engage the others so they can kind of self-lead,” said Byron.
Jordan Newblatt
“Jordan’s the more on-the-court motivator.”- Byron
“She wants to be good at everything she does. It’s not just matches, it’s the warmup, she wants to win the warm-up. She wants to win. I mean, if we’re keeping score, say ‘Hey, go get a drink quick and come back,’ she’s the first one to get a drink and the first one to be back. I think that the other players see that and they hopefully want to emulate like, ‘I just want to be better at everything.’ If it’s going to be the first to register, I want to be the first. If we’re going to do community service time, be the first to volunteer. She wants to win at everything.”- Byron
Newblatt has been a staple of the Marist volleyball program since she first arrived as a freshman in 2021. Last year, Newblatt received well-deserved recognition, including being named to the All-MAAC Second Team for her consistent play. As a senior, Newblatt ranks in the top three on her team in digs and kills, showcasing her value on both offense and defense and leading to an All-MAAC First Team selection in addition to her value as a captain.
“Everyone has a goal of first playing college athletics and then being a captain as well. It says a lot about how your team feels about you as a player and as a person, and that goes a lot beyond your volleyball skills,” said Newblatt. “I think it’s about being able to work with everyone on the team. People see you as a leader, which means a lot and has always been a goal of mine.”
Newblatt is admittedly a late bloomer in volleyball. She started playing later than most and, despite now playing at a very high level, keeps that perspective with her while leading her team.
“As a captain, I’ve been on the complete other side of the spectrum where you’re a freshman coming in and you’re terrified and you’re scared of everyone. So, it’s nice to be able to have that too,” said Newblatt. “I think as much as it’s learning from the other people and their leadership skills, it’s also about using your own personal experience and using that to drive the things you do.”
Even though she can lean back on her freshman experience to empathize with her teammates, Newblatt is a fierce competitor and occasionally gets caught in the competition.
“I’ve had to slowly learn how people can take criticism or advice by the way you say it. So sometimes I do get worked up and I say things. This year, I have done a good job of making sure if I’m saying things in the heat of the moment to kind of go back and say ‘Hey, that was me when I was very intense in matches. I wanted to say it in a different way.’ I have been working on this year too, when things get a little frantic, that I don’t let that affect me. To make sure I calm down because people do look to me as a leader. So, if I’m getting frantic, everyone might be getting frantic and to make sure that I can remain calm and help others through it too.”
Togetherness is crucial for Newblatt. She wants to win and believes that, in order to win, a united team is just as important as a talented one.
“For me, it’s making sure we keep a strong team culture. The past couple of years, the team culture hasn’t been the greatest and it kind of seems like that’s been our downfall when it comes to getting to the MAAC tournament. So I’ve made a really strong effort to make sure that we’re all united as a team and that we all have the same common goal to win. And so I’ve tried really hard to make sure everyone’s on the same page and everyone feels heard and has an opinion. So then once we get to that tournament, we are still one team, and there’s not the cracks in it that will show. Make sure if you’re here, you want to win, and we all want to work together and do whatever it takes to get there,” said Newblatt.
Off the court, Newblatt was named to the MAAC All-Academic team in 2022 and hopes to earn that distinction again because she feels it is part of her responsibilities as a captain.
“Academics are something that we are very competitive and Sean [Byron] shares the rankings with all the teams and everything. So that’s something we all work hard on and, coming in, you don’t want to be the person that brings down the team GPA,” said Newblatt.
Sasha van der Merwe spoke at length about the myriad reasons she believes in Newblatt’s leadership.
“Oh gosh, I can give you a laundry list of the reasons why Jordan should be captain. I think she is one of the main drivers for the pace in our gym. One thing about Jordan is that if there’s a way to win something, she will probably win. If it’s bowling or something, Jordan is very competitive. It’s great because her competitive level brings up the competitive level in the gym,” said van der Merwe. “She wants to win. She always goes that extra mile. She’s always like, nine times out of ten probably playing the hardest, not to diminish how anyone else is playing but, just because that is how competitive and how hard she pushes herself and that is contagious.”
Sasha van der Merwe
“With the three of them, that’s why they’re so perfect because Sasha is at the third point of the triangle. She’s just got positive energy. She’s the first one to start dancing. She’s the first one to pick somebody up when they’re having a bad day and all three of them are really good at relating to individuals. They’re really good about connecting with the team as a group, but on an individual basis.”- Byron
“I had a meeting with somebody about Sasha coming back for a fifth year and we had reached out to a professor in accounting and the dean called the professor and said, ‘I have a student here, we’re looking to do a fifth year, her name Sasha van der…’ and the professor, ‘oh Sasha is my best student in accounting ever. I’ve been here for five years, best student I’ve ever had in accounting.’ And I think that’s the relationship that they have with everybody that they come in contact with is the same.”- Byron
Along with Newblatt, van der Merwe has also been a staple of Marist volleyball since she arrived her freshman year. Even with a large role during her first two years at Marist, van der Merwe broke out in a major way her junior year. She earned a spot on the All-MAAC First Team and led the MAAC in regular-season kills. Coming into her senior year, she was named MAAC Preseason Player of the Year and earned a captain role with her team. Van der Merwe followed up the Preseason Player of the Year award by winning the 2023 MAAC Player of the Year Award.
“I think being a captain is very important, but I also think it’s something you can’t let get to your head. Sometimes people think captain means dictatorship or captain means ‘I’m the head of the ship and that means what I say goes.’ I feel like part of being a captain is you’re there because you are, especially coach-to-team communication, there to represent the team,” said van der Merwe. “Especially seniors, you’re a captain because you have experienced the collegiate level, all three of the years prior, and all levels like a freshman. Even though now you’re seniors, you understand how scary it was in the freshman year, you understand how hard everything was, and you understand the culture shock that you were entering. So it’s like now that you’re a senior and a captain, you have that responsibility to recognize that for the other freshmen and help them go along.”
While her personal play for the team is important, as a captain van der Merwe believes that being on the same page with all of her teammates is just as crucial.
“The biggest thing for me is being able to communicate with different team members because I think not everyone always responds to the same things. So, being a leader, I think it’s also your job to be conscious of how people like to be talked to whether it’s off the court, any aspect of that like taking the time to understand how to communicate with all of your players,” said van der Merwe. “I mean, that’s not the easiest task, we have twenty girls on our team plus coaches. But I think it’s stuff like that that not only really helps to get through to people, but then once you understand how someone is normally, then you can also see if maybe they’re going through it or something like that and then you can help them in an extended way.”
Van der Merwe was also a part of the MAAC All-Academic team in 2022 as well as a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District member. These recognitions are part of van der Merwe’s efforts to represent Marist volleyball off the court as well as she does on it.
“Making sure to participate in staying engaged in class. Trying to be a good student, especially. Sometimes athletes get a bad rap for their academics, so I feel like just trying to make sure that I’m excelling in the classroom or at least looking good in the classroom,” said van der Merwe. “In general, just want to be kind in my day. People open the doors, say thank you, and hold the doors for people. I think you’re always told that you represent Marist volleyball so I think just trying to be generous and kind in any aspect to anyone that you cross throughout the day is kind of something that not only Marist instilled in me but my parents too. Always being the best version of yourself.”
Vanessa Zolg reiterated van der Merwe’s qualifications as a team leader.
“She’s absolutely deserving of being captain. She works so hard, not just on the court, but as a person,” said Zolg. “She’s always really tried to make sure she’s there for everyone on the team and she is an excellent student and incredible volleyball player. She’s been such a huge thing for this team. So I think she’s so deserving, like on and off the court of the attributes that she has.”
Vanessa Zolg
“Vanessa is really good with organization and players who come to her with personal issues.”- Byron
“She is calm, cool, and collected all the time. Her personality is consistent every day. You’re never gonna get a bad day from Vanessa. You’re never gonna get a great day followed by a medium. You get Vanessa’s emotional level the same every day. It’s consistent. She comes in, she’s got kind of a workman’s attitude where she just comes in and does her job and works with other people and is very neutral. I think that that’s really stabilizing for a big group.” – Byron
Zolg saw consistent playing time in her sophomore year and has not looked back. She always ranks atop the blocking statistical categories and is a consistent contributor offensively as well. During her time in the program, she gained an appreciation of the previous leaders and is grateful to now be one of the captains.
“It means a lot to be a captain on this team. There’s just been a long-standing tradition of excellence,” said Zolg. “So to be chosen, it really means a lot. And I think it means that we have a responsibility to kind of uphold our core values, which would be respect, passion, open-mindedness and family.”
Zolg aims to set an example with her actions, as she is not the most vocal individual. However, she will always do what she can to make sure the core values of Marist volleyball are maintained by herself and others.
“Trying to support each individual. Constantly checking in on how are you doing, helping to motivate them on the court and always trying to treat everyone with kindness and respect, and being open if they have different suggestions on how something could be done being open to that and not having a hierarchy necessarily, but knowing that everyone’s voice can be heard,” said Zolg. “The most important thing, for me, is to show that I’m always gonna have their back. I think I’m 100% behind every single one of my teammates, and just knowing that they can come to me for anything is super, super important because I don’t want to be seen as someone who’s better or that there’s a difference in anything. I want to be on the same level as everyone and be there.”
Zolg was on the MAAC All-Academic Team as well, only further proving the importance of academics within the Marist volleyball program.
“Holding myself really accountable with the schoolwork. Our team is known to be one of the highest academic achieving teams. So contributing and making sure that I’m always on top of my work,” she said.
Newblatt feels that Zolg’s leadership stems from how nice she is to everyone she encounters.
“Vanessa is, we always say, one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. You think it’s almost fake that someone can be that nice, because she is like the nicest person, which is good to have because Sasha and I can be both very competitive and maybe a little bit b****y at times,” said Newblatt. “Vanessa is very level-headed on the court and she is always calm and doing her job and you can go to her with whatever you need. She also takes on the role of doing our core, our stretching, and all that kind of stuff to make sure we’re all staying healthy, which is important too. We sat down at the beginning of the season and looked at us three captains and what roles we each could take. So, she’s more of like the mom role that if anyone needs anything, you can go to her and she is just kind of making sure we all stay healthy and together as a unit, which is really nice to have.”
The three captains of Marist Volleyball are in lockstep with how they lead and are acutely aware of what is needed from each of them in any given situation. The example they’ve set has even resonated with those who are not a part of the program.
“Recruits are always saying, ‘How high do I have to touch? What do I have to hit?’ We’re like, ‘You have to be like [our captains]. If you’re more like them, we’re in a lot better spot,’” said Byron. “Whether it’s community service or in the classroom, everywhere you go, anybody that has any sort of interaction with them is impressed.”
Edited by Ben Leeds and Luke Sassa
Graphics by Ben Monrad; Photos via Marist Athletics
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