Fall sports have started off with a bang, and the coaches are enthused by what they have seen in the first few competitions.

Volleyball: fresh faces fitting in well

Volleyball is off to a 3-1 start after last weekend at the UW-Whitewater tournament. Head Coach Rachelle Dosch is excited about how her team is performing already in the season.

“We are young, but at a very good spot so early in the season,” Dosch said. The 2012 Volleyball team has 21 women on the roster, including 12 first-years. Despite all the new players, Dosch believes the team has bonded well.

“The team gets along extraordinarily well, and the chemistry on the court improves at every practice. New players fit in great; it’s like they have been here for years,” Dosch said.

Dosch feels that the strengths of the program include the young and talented players, along with their defense and their ability to adapt.

“We definitely have a tough schedule, so I am excited to see how the players develop over the season and come together as a unit on the court,” Dosch said.

Men’s Soccer: playing professionally

Men’s Soccer has begun their season with a 1-0 loss to UC-Santa Cruz and a 3-2 overtime win over University of Puget Sound. In their first five games of the season they will play four teams who are in the top 20 in the nation.

“We are playing a schedule that is almost unparalleled. When you’re playing teams that are in the top 10 or 20 in the nation, they’re very difficult games,” Head Coach Mike Middleton said.

Despite losing five seniors last year, the men’s soccer team is still quite an established team. “It’s relatively hard for a freshman to break into that environment. It’s just so different, the tempo of the game is different, the speed of play is completely different, the organization is different, it’s a much higher level so everything is happening much quicker than they are used to so it takes a while to adjust,” Middleton said.

Unlike many of the other soccer teams in the conference, the Gusties follow a style of play that is less direct, but is modeled after professional teams.

“We are trying to play the game as a professional team would play it, rather than just get wins. It’s a harder commitment from that perspective, in that we demand more from our players. But it’s a much more fun way of playing, and educationally it’s a much better way of playing if they try and develop. It’s quite advanced stuff really,” Middleton said.

Women’s golf: young and talented

Although they are a very young team, Women’s Golf is already off to a strong start. They had one senior, three sophomores, and one first-year compete in the team’s first tournament in Eau Claire, and the Gusties finished second.

This season the team has brought in several first-year players and has also picked up a sophomore transfer student.

“I think we’ve added some depth on the women’s side. We’re going to be pretty young, but really talented,” Head Coach Scott Moe said.

Moe said he is happy with how the new players are fitting in with the team. “It’s going really well. Our upperclassmen have made it easy for them to fit in and get along, and I think ourcaptains have done a very nice job of making sure everyone’s included,” Moe said.

According to Moe, the team’s goal is to win the MIAC in October so that they can qualify for the National tournament.

“I’m pleased with how we did the first week and I’m excited to see what we can do down the road. My goal for them is every day of the week to get better, and if we do that on a consistent basis, we’ll be in a great position at Conference,” Moe said.