If you’re confused by the lack of game coverage thus far this semester, it’s a result of many of the fall sports teams taking road trips early in the season. Fortunately, most teams will be starting home play soon, as they return to Richmond for action.
The women’s soccer team hasn’t had the luxury of a home match since Aug. 25, with its 2-0 win over Longwood. There’s just one negative – it was an exhibition affair. The last two weeks have seen the Rams travel to Philadelphia and Williamsburg for season-opening tournaments.
"I think it’s always nice playing at home. I think our pitch (field) is so well maintained. We miss playing like that on the road," first-year co-head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said. "It’s challenging (playing on the road) … It’s always good to make it rough on your players. We like challenges, so we like that in the beginning."
Playing in a different environment takes some adjusting, but at the very least, it helps to have comfortable accommodations to sleep and travel in.
"Thus far the hotels have been great. We are able to find ones that fit our needs," said other first-year co-head coach Tim Sahaydak.
In addition, the team traveled by bus, which was fully accommodated with Wi-Fi, satellite television and DVD players.
"They could’ve slept in there if they wanted," Tim Sahaydak said.
Neither the men’s nor women’s tennis team hosts even a single match at Thalhimer Tennis Center until January. Both teams play the entire slate of fall opponents on the road. There is a silver lining amid all of the travel, though – the men’s team never has to leave Virginia, and the women’s team crosses the state line just once for a weekend trip to Pacific Palisades, Calif.
"If we’re fortunate, we have tournaments around here. It’s not long trips," head coach Paul Kostin said of his teams, which play mostly in nearby cities, such as Williamsburg, Charlottesville and Newport News.
Why don’t the Rams host any tournaments in the colder months?
"It’s harder to host something, especially if you don’t have an indoor facility," Kostin said.
The volleyball team has undertaken several tough assignments this season, having already played tournaments hosted by Virginia Tech and Penn State, and will fly cross-country to Tempe, Ariz., to play in the Arizona State Tournament this weekend.
"We’ve been ok, but I’m a little concerned with the next back-to-back trips," said head coach James Finley, referring to three road games the Rams play in six days, beginning next Friday. That trip comes on the heels of road tournaments the two prior weekends.
"Absolutely, traveling takes an extra toll," Finley said. "Not being in your own bed, sometimes staying in different cities from night to night."
Completing assignments can also be problematic with excessive travel.
"The kids know their assignments before we travel," Finley said. "We try to have them stay ahead."
Finley added that players can also fax assignments from the road and keep in contact with professors through e-mail.
When a team isn’t hosting, it is inevitably traveling to play. Such is the case for the golf team, which has already trekked to Chattanooga, Tenn., and will go on the road for eight more tournaments before beginning postseason play in April.
"It’s the nature of the beast," said head coach Matt Ball.
Most trips the golf team makes last three to four days.
Women’s soccer plays host to reigning national champion North Carolina Tar Heels Friday night at 7 p.m. in the VCU/Ewing Sports Invitational. Volleyball will not take the floor again at the Siegel Center until Oct. 10, when it hosts Howard. The golf team is hosting its first and only tournament of the season, the VCU Shootout, Oct. 1-2.