NEWPORT NEWS — Time was when Alyssa Dozier , whose name appears throughout the CNU volleyball record book, was unsure of herself. Any mistake would result in a glance to the sideline for guidance. Sometimes it wouldn’t even be a mistake, even if she thought it was.

That was Dozier’s freshman season, and Captains coach Lindsay Birch made sure to put an end to it.

“If I hit a ball out, I’d look at her like, ‘What do I do?'” said Dozier, a senior middle blocker. “She talked to me at our end-of-year meeting and said, ‘I really want you to work on that. I don’t want to be your crutch.’

“She was trying to give me my own confidence and independence in my own play. Now when I make a mistake, I’m like, ‘Woops, I’ll do better.'”

Dozier, a major reason why CNU is back in the NCAA tournament f

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