At the beginning of an athletic season, a squad usually sets goals it hopes to accomplish by the end of the season.

NIU’s volleyball team was one such squad, and although it did not meet all of its expectations, the overall feeling by both coach and players was a pleasant one.

“The team feels positive about the way the season ended,” Huskie coach Herb Summers said. “My feelings are mixed. We didn’t quite set the same goals in the past and we didn’t meet all the goals I set, but as a coach one sets pretty high goals.”

One of the positives for the NIU spikers was a winning season. The Huskies ended their three-month season with a 19-16 overall record, and they placed second in the North Star Conference. After last year’s disappointing 11-22 slate, Summers and his team wanted to improve.

“I am very excited about how we finished,” Summers said. “The goal was for the team to win 21 or 22 games, so we didn’t quite meet it. Knowing we lose only one player makes me look ahead to next year.”

Anne Polaski is the team member Summers is losing. The 5-foot-9 senior from Roscoe, Ill., finished her career the way it began. The outside hitter started her NIU career with a win over Indiana State during the 1984 season and finished with a victory over the Illinois-Chicago Flames on Nov. 24. During her last game, Polaski had a team-high 17 digs and gathered eight kills.

“This was the most cohesive team we have ever had,” Polaski said. “Instead of ripping a player when she made a mistake, everyone would just help her along. We came out fighting strong. We didn’t want the losing record we had last year.”

“Overall, Anne had the best year she ever had,” Summers said. “She showed resilience. If she got down, she could dig herself out. If she hadn’t played as well as she had, we wouldn’t have won as many games we did.”

While the team ended the season on a high note, there were some lows during midseason. The squad had some disappointing losses.

“We should have been more competitive,” Summers said. “I would love to have some of those teams back.”

The Huskies made a poor showing in their own invitatitional. The Huskies took third place out of four teams. The match against the Iowa Hawkeyes was probably one of the most upsetting for NIU. Against the Hawkeyes, NIU had a below-zero hitting percentage.

“The Loyola tournament was real disappointing,” setter Beth Glisk said. “We weren’t expecting to lose to Loyola, but we played a two-hour match before.”

The Huskies did not let the lows drag them down. They pulled themselves together and that was what pleased the players.

“We had a slump in the middle, but we overcame it,” junior Cathy Holmes said. “We could have very easily gone down the tubes, but we worked it out.”

Holmes was for the team’s catalyst. She led the team in both blocking and hitting and was ranked 13th nationally in blocking.

“I did meet my personal goals,” the 6-foot-1 middle blocker said. “I wanted to be leader on the floor in blocking and hitting.”

“By the end of the year many people matured,” Summers said. “Cathy’s development was a plus for the season.”

With the talent that is coming back next year, the team expects great things. Summers said he is going to work with his players through the spring to improve their consistency.

“We haven’t had a winning season since I have been here,” Glisk said. “We are going to have a lot to work with next year.”