Digging In: Volleyball Using Chess to Enhance Mental Performance
7/11/2023 2:19:00 PM | Volleyball
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EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State volleyball is partnering with renowned mindset and peak performance coach Seth Makowsky in 2023, adding another wrinkle to the program's mental training regimen that also includes high-performance mentality training with Dr. Molly McQueary of Michigan State athletics. The Spartans are the first collegiate women's team in the country to partner with Makowsky and his program, Poison Pawn.
Seth Makowsky (pictured) speaks with the MSU volleyball team on July 10, 2023
Makowsky uses chess as a vehicle to help top performers throughout the world get better at what they do, with his client list including NFL quarterbacks, MVP caliber baseball players, Olympians, CEO's, NCAA champions and now Michigan State volleyball. Makowsky's training is geared towards transforming how athletes think and make decisions in real time, helping athletes become a player in their own game, not a piece in someone else's.
"As I was thinking of what our team needed, I wanted it to be something that didn't demand much from our bodies and instead focused on our minds," said head volleyball coach Leah Johnson. "I started researching and came across Poison Pawn. We invited everyone that participates in our program, including support staff, because we don't win alone. As the first collegiate women's team Seth has worked with, we are setting the standard."
Johnson's goal is for Poison Pawn to help the team make quicker decisions, implement game plan and in-game adjustments faster and communicate in match under pressure.
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) July 10, 2023
In the first session on July 10, student-athletes, coaches and support staff learned the basics of chess, including proper board set-up, rules, piece movement and basic strategy. Makowsky walked the team through a strategy he calls CDP (Control the Middle, Develop the Players (pieces), Protect the King).
Roster Complete, Final Spartans Arrive on Campus
At long last, all 18 members of the 2023 Michigan State volleyball team arrived on campus in early July with freshmen Makya Clayton, Karolina Staniszewska and Zuzanna Kulig joining their teammates along the banks of the Red Cedar River. Sophomores Nil Okur and Selin Aşlayan also returned from Turkey after completing their final season of club competition with Fenerbahçe.
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) July 3, 2023
Since arriving back on campus the team has been actively participating in voluntary workouts in preparation for report day on August 7.
B1G Media Days on the Horizon
B1G volleyball media days are set for August 1-2 at the Big Ten Network studios in Chicago. The Big Ten Conference continues to raise the bar as the premier volleyball conference in the country hosting this flagship event for the second consecutive season. In 2022, the B1G was the first collegiate conference to host an in-person volleyball media event, putting volleyball on a platform equal to football and men's and women's basketball.
Michigan State will take the podium on August 1, with head coach Leah Johnson, junior outside hitter Aliyah Moore and junior setter Julia Bishop in attendance representing the Spartans. All three will participate in various interview sessions and creative content opportunities throughout the day that will be shared via social media.
For more information on B1G Volleyball Media Days, click here.
From Selma to Montgomery
Sophomore Jayhlin Swain and junior Aliyah Moore have been selected to represent Michigan State at the second annual Big Life Series hosted by the Big Ten Conference in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama on July 14-16. Every current Big Ten University, in addition to future members USC and UCLA, along with several HBCU institutions will be in attendance.
The goal of the Big Life Series is to empower student-athletes to become better leaders and inspire change in their communities. Attendees will participate in a variety of experiences including recreating the 1965 march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and visiting museums in Montgomery to add further historical context on the Civil Rights Movement. Museums in Montgomery include the Rosa Parks Museum, the Freedom Riders Museum, the Legacy Museum and the Alabama Archives Museum.
Student-athletes, coaches and administrators from each institution will also visit the Civil Rights Memorial Center.
ALUMNI ROUND-UP
Jazmine White '14 Wraps Up Play at Volleyball Nations League
Michigan State volleyball alum Jazmine White '14 and Team Canada wrapped up play at the 2023 Volleyball Nations League on July 1, falling just short of a top eight finish in preliminary play, which would have advanced the Canadian squad into the quarterfinals. White and Team Canada finished in 10th out of 16 teams, two points behind eighth place finisher Germany.
Canada went 6-6 overall, including a win over fourth place Brazil. White finished the tournament strong with three double-digit point performances in Canada's final four matches. Canada was 3-0 in games when White posted double figures. White's 12-point performance against Brazil was instrumental in the team's five-set victory over the two-time Olympic champions.
Spartans Sign Professional Contracts
The Grand Rapids Rise, part of the newly established Pro Volleyball Federation, signed a pair of Spartan greats to its roster in early June. Former Michigan State standouts Alyssa Garvelink '17 and Holly Toliver '17 will each play for the Rise when the league debuts in 2024. Garvelink and Toliver played four seasons together for the Spartans from 2014-17 leading the program to four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and an Elite Eight berth in 2017.
One of the top middle blockers in program history, Garvelink ranks No. 6 all-time in attack percentage (.304), No. 5 in total blocks (557), No. 5 in blocks per set (1.21) and No. 3 in block assists (499). Garvelink was a two-time team captain, a two-time team MVP, a two-time First Team All-B1G selection, a two-time First Team All-Region selection and a two-time Second Team All-American.
A master of the serve, Toliver previously played five professional seasons in South America, Europe and Asia before returning stateside to play for the Rise. Toliver was a member of the Collegiate National Team in 2017 during a senior season that saw her named an All-B1G honorable mention, an All-Region honorable mention and All-America honorable mention, showcasing the strength of the Big Ten that year.
Digging In is a notebook for the Michigan State volleyball program written by assistant director of athletic communications Austin Overmann, who is entering his second season as primary contact for the team.
