West’s mantra: Live like ’Line

IOWA CITY -- The music has returned to Iowa City West's volleyball practice.

"It took a week to turn it back on," said West Coach Kathy Bresnahan. "Caroline was in charge of our music."

Caroline Found played so many roles for the Women of Troy.

The setter. The captain. The disc jockey.

The pulse.

"She was the energy of our team," said Olivia Fairfield. "It's been difficult without her here."

A two-year starter who quarterbacked the Women of Troy to the Class 4A state championship last season, Found died in a moped accident Aug. 11. The last two weeks, her teammates have varied between reeling and healing.

"There are good days and bad days, good moments and bad moments," Bresnahan said. "For each of us, there are little triggers that really bring out the emotion. It might be something as simple as seeing her picture.

"(Monday), I drove by the accident site for the first time since it happened."

She paused a moment, then continued.

"It was hard. Really hard."

It undoubtedly got even harder after Tuesday night, when Caroline's mother, Ellyn Found, succumbed to pancreatic cancer, 12 days after the death of her daughter.

Thursday, the Women of Troy open the season at the MVC-MAC Challenge at Cedar Rapids Prairie. They will play three matches, against Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley and North Scott.

As Bresnahan said after Found's death, there is no roadmap on how to move on.

Found's jersey, No. 9, will make the trip and will inhabit an empty chair. Her shoes will be placed beneath the chair.

"Thursday will be a big day," said teammate and friend Shelly Stumpff. "I'm excited about it, but nervous. I don't want to, but I feel nervous about it. I feel pressure to do well.

"We're not playing for her. But we want to play how she would play if she were with us."

In other words: Smile, laugh and have a blast.

"She always kept us relaxed," Stumpff said. "If someone made a bad play, she said, 'You'll make the next one.' "

As she practiced Tuesday, Stumpff wore four wristbands in Found's memory; included was a green one that said, "LIVE LIKE LINE."

"The Marion (High School) team made these for us," Stumpff said. "They're really cool."

Support from the volleyball community has been extensive.

"We've probably been directly contacted by more than 100 schools," Bresnahan said. "A lot of them, we never play.

"It just goes to show how many people Caroline reached. It's very humbling."

Bresnahan has been working with four setters in practice, including Fairfield (a middle blocker) and Kelley Fliehler (an outside hitter). She said she may employ a 6-2 offense.

"You just don't replace a two-year starter, just like that," Bresnahan said.

Still, the Women of Troy aren't writing off the season. Anything but.

"I still think we have a good chance to get back to state," Fairfield said. "We'll work hard and we'll get better every day."

West will play on without Caroline Found. And so will the music.