Feb. 4, 2016
By Jack Milewski, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Leadership is a key component on all teams in all levels of sports. For the Penn State men's volleyball team, the leadership extends from head coach Mark Pavlik, all the way down through the ranks of the team. However, if you were to ask the Nittany Lions who the leader of the team was, they would all point to captain Matt Seifert.
Seifert is a fifth-year senior and is now in his third year of serving as a team captain. The captaincy is voted on by both the players and the coaches, as coach Pavlik explained.
"Most of the time the players decide on the captains," said Pavlik. "The coaches can step in if they feel otherwise, but this group has always gotten it right when it has come to choosing the captain and I think Seif is a perfect example of that."
Seifert is a calming force both on and off the court. Though his six-foot-nine frame can be intimidating, Pavlik says that he is one of the most approachable guys on the team and is always looking for ways to help people out. He believes that is one of the main reasons why Seifert has been chosen to fill the role of captain for three years now. Seifert says that he doesn't think much of the actual title of captain, but that he is much more humbled by the fact that his teammates have chosen him now for multiple years to lead the team.
"For me, what means the most is that the guys picked me to be in that role for them," said Seifert. "Just because I'm the captain doesn't mean anything, I still get treated the same I'm just more of a communicator from the coaches to the guys."
Despite Seifert's humility, Pavlik says that he is much more than just a communicator between himself and the rest of the team.
"He isn't afraid to say something and he understands that keeping a team functioning together through the whole season is very important," said Pavlik.
In many people's minds, there are two types of leaders ââ'¬" leaders by example and vocal leaders. Pavlik says that the reason Seifert is such a good leader is because he is great at exemplifying both types of leadership.
"I would say that he is a perfect combination of both," said Pavlik. "I think he models the effort level that we want everyone to have and that is a great quality. I think what you really want in a leader is someone who can stand up in the middle of the locker room and not be afraid to say something."
Seifert also believes that he has both qualities of leadership and says that he understands that being the captain that is expected of him.
"I know that if I talk, the guys will listen," said Seifert. "I think I communicate really well with a lot of the guys and relay messages to all of them pretty well. On the court it's kind of the other way around, I just try and stay as calm as I can. I think if the other guys on the court see that I'm calm they know that we are in a good spot and everything is going well. I don't believe that there should be any added tension by saying too much when you're on the court."
Pavlik says that what really separates Seifert from lots of other players he knows is his work ethic on and off the court. Seifert has battled through injuries for a lot of his career and Pavlik says that he has continued to work hard to get where he is now and to continue to compete at a high level.
"Seif is just a beast in the weight room," said Pavlik. "I don't think he has ever been afraid of the weights, they may have been afraid of him at times, but never the other way around. He has battled a lot of injuries but Seif at 100 percent is really really good. Even when he is 80% he is a very good volleyball player and you know he will always battle for us."
Being a fifth-year senior, this is Seifert's last chance to win a national championship. Add the fact that Penn State will be hosting the national semifinals and finals at Rec and you have the recipe for storybook ending. The finals are also the most intense time of the season and Pavlik says that Seifert has done a great job of preparing the team for the possibility of a tournament run.
"I think Seif has a real good view of what it takes to get there," said Pavlik. "We have to take care of business in the regular season and EIVA first so we can't get ahead of ourselves. I think he has been doing a very appropriate job of letting the guys know 'here is what we have to do first'. The ultimate goal is to get there, but he knows there is a process to go through."
For Seifert and the whole Nittany Lion team, the goal is to walk out of their own locker room for the last game of the season. As Pavlik mentioned, Seifert is fully aware of not only what it takes to get there, but also the uniqueness of the opportunity ahead.
"We have the possibility for an opportunity that not many Penn State teams have had," said Seifert. "Instead of making us nervous I told the guys that it's a unique opportunity so let's take it pretty seriously. It's my last year and I'm from Pennsylvania so it's pretty cool to finish my senior season where I started it."
With Seifert at the helm, the Nittany Lions seem poised for a tournament run, knowing full well what they have to do to achieve the ultimate end goal of a national championship. The team returns to action this Saturday against Mount Olive with first serve set for 7 p.m.