Stewardship is about taking care of something.  In Volleyball, the goal of the team is to take care of the volleyball.  A unique aspect of volleyball is that the team usually makes three contacts on the ball by three individual players before returning it to the other team.  This brings us to the volleyball expression, “Better the ball”.  Each player’s job is to make it a little bit better and easier for their teammate to make the next contact.  The passer ‘betters the ball’ for the setter.  The setter betters the ball for the hitter. If everything goes well, the result is a great spike. Each time a teammate comes in contact with the ball, it is his job to make it better for the next person.  If everyone were to make things better for the next person, Isn’t that stewardship in life?

Our team defines stewardship as looking out for one another. We always have each other’s backs, and one man’s problem is everyone’s problem. No one has to go through anything alone, because that person has his team right by his side. We were all created by God, thus making us equals. We treat every single guy on this team as we would treat the others, since we are all equal in the eyes of God.

Stewardship is not only helping one another on the team, but lending a hand to the community and the environment as well. Our team builds and maintains stewardship by volunteering as much as we possibly can. From helping the freshmen move in, to volunteering at the phone-a-thon, this team strives to give back and help out whenever the opportunity arises. We appreciate this tightly knit community that we have at Neumann, and it is a pleasure to contribute to its success.

Through Stewardship, there is a sense of respect that we share to those around us while we are always looking out for one another. We deem respect to be of the utmost importance and try to show it in every aspect of life, on and off the court. From the officials, to our opponents, to our own teammates, everyone is equal and deserves to be treated as such. Our team knows that we are representing Men’s Volleyball and Neumann no matter where we are, and we will demonstrate the values that this school teaches us to the rest of the world.

The “Play Pillar” plays a significant role in our team’s culture. The concepts of joy, freedom and creativity are imperative aspects of our team dynamic. We understand that joy is a gift from God, and our team highly values the joy and happiness that we gain from playing volleyball. The “Play Pillar” teaches us that the ever lasting relationships and memories that we make along the way are truly more important than wins and losses. 20 years from now, we will hardly remember our team’s record, but we will always remember the memories that we made during the bus rides, overnight tournaments, and playing on this team in general.

All of the pillars, especially “PLAY”, are important, and our goal is to act them out as much as we can. We will respect others, try to maintain balance in our lives, and enjoy playing the sport we love. Not only that, but we will reflect on our endeavors and appreciate the beauty of it all along the way. We are eager for the upcoming season and wish the rest of the teams the best of luck!