Summer vacation didn’t mean a break in training for some ISU women’s volleyball players.

Mandi Harms and Sara Stribe, senior captains for the women’s volleyball team, have both stayed in Ames the last two summers to sharpen their playing skills.

“I stayed because of the facilities,” Harms said. “The gym’s opened up, we have the weight room and the trainer’s here. We’re able to work with that.”

Both Harms and Stribe also used the summer to get ahead on their studies.

“Summer is a good time to take classes so we have less of a class load during the season,” Stribe said. “It’s also a way to get some of the harder classes out of the way so we don’t have as much to worry about during the season.”

Head Coach Linda Crum said more student athletes are beginning to use the summer for training, which may give them an extra edge in particularly strong sports divisions, such as the Big 12.

“The Big 12 . is one of the best in the country,” Crum said. “If you look at programs and teams in the sports that consistently make it into tournaments, you’ll quickly understand that the athletes who want to be successful at that level have to know what [they] do has to continue year-round.'”

Both Harms and Stribe said staying in Ames made a difference the following season.

“I became a stronger player just [weight] lifting over the summer,” Harms said.

Stribe said the summer is a good time to improve as a team as well, when a larger group of new players, who are still getting used to how the team works, are able to concentrate on volleyball.

“It’s important for us to be clicking at the same time,” Stribe said. “It’s a way for the newcomers to see our philosophies, see the program.”

She said four players stayed for the whole season, while a few others floated between campus and various camps during the summer months.

Six players also traveled to Colorado for a summer tournament.

Stribe said playing over the summer allows the team to keep in shape between seasons.

“We have a spring season, but if people go home, they lose everything during the summer, while we keep moving forward,” she said. “The off season really is the most important time. You get the most work done.”

Crum said she does not require her players to stay in the summer, but she strongly encourages it.

“Summer training is something the athlete has to buy into,” she said. “We really have the mentality that after their freshman summer – when we understand a lot of people want to go home – we like to have them find work in the area, go to summer school – anything to get them to stay around, when they can use our strength staff, use the weight room,” she said.

Crum said summer training is “especially important in the case of women’s volleyball,” because an early season leaves little time for team preparation once classes begin.

It’s something more players are beginning to recognize.

Crum said about half of the older players stayed around Ames to train, more than any other year.

“This was by far the best class,” she said. “Our people understand that’s what it takes to be competitive.”

Harms said the summer training will have a positive impact on the upcoming season.

“If the team stays here, the more we play together, the better we play as a team,” she said. “I think as a team, it’s the most important time. You can’t just work hard during the season.”