PLAYERS UNDER PRESSURE
IWU Volleyball’s Back-to-Back National Championship Journey
Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) volleyball players Eva Joldersma and Cadee Notter never expected to win their second NAIA championship. Coming off the highs of their previous season and 2023 championship victory, the team felt immense pressure to perform at the same level. With expectations weighing heavily on them, doubts crept in- — could they live up to the standard?
“It was definitely hard, but I also think that’s part of the reason we were able to be as good as we were,” Joldersma said. “We knew everyone was coming after us, so we had to be working at 100% all the time.”
They didn’t face the pressure alone. The team worked to build a culture of support, encouragement and unity. Early in the season, they encountered losses and setbacks, but instead of letting those challenges defeat them, they embraced the idea that “pressure makes diamonds.” They used adversity as motivation.
“Even when people don’t think you’re going to win, if you’ve built a culture like we have — one based on family and support — you can rise above those challenges,” Notter said.
“WE JUST WANT TO POINT IT ALL TO GOD, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY, WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE THAT ON OUR OWN.”
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EVA JOLDERSMA ’26
IWU Student
With that mindset, the team found the courage to keep pushing forward. They fought through the pressure together, ultimately earning their spot in the national championship game once again. The final match was intense, and they found themselves down by six points in the fifth set.
“You have to come to terms with the fact that — this could be it. But we weren’t going to stop fighting,” Joldersma said.
Then, in a stunning turnaround, they scored eight points in a row, securing another national championship victory.
“I think it just proves that God is more than able,” Notter said. “We shouldn’t doubt what He can do.”
The journey of IWU’s women’s volleyball team wasn’t just about winning. It was about answering the call to face pressure head-on, showing up, and rising to the challenge — despite the doubts they had in their abilities.
“I have never seen that happen in a fifth set. And I don’t know if a lot of people have either,” Joldersma said. “But being part of that was amazing. We just want to point it all to God, because obviously, we could not have done that on our own.”