NAMPA, Idaho – With just six matches left in the 2017 regular season, the Northwest Nazarene volleyball coaching staff made a change to the starting lineup.

A big change.

Doug English removed junior Shayli Siegfreid as the starting libero, handing the job to senior Jacquelyn Johnson.

NNU was 20-2 at that point and coming off of a five-set loss at Alaska Anchorage, but the Nighthawks had been struggling with their serve receive and needed to improve if they were going to go on a run in the postseason.

"I was frustrated with myself," Siegfreid said. "I really had to dig deep and recognize that I need to want what is best for the team. And I did feel that way. If Doug thought it was best, I was OK with that."

Siegfreid's reaction to the demotion is part of why she is so important to the team. She didn't complain to her teammates or pout or whine.

"I think she was still a great teammate and supported the team and wanted us to win," middle blocker Natalie Knauf said. "She still got extra reps in after practice and most people wouldn't do that after they got benched."

Siegfreid and the Nighthawks open the 2018 season at 12 p.m. Friday in the Fairfield Inn Invitational against Cal State Monterey Bay at Johnson Sports Center.

The Denver native's struggles last season weren't for a lack of trying.

She was the first on the floor for practice and one of the last to leave, often staying for extra reps.

"You see someone work so hard, it is hard to make that decision when she is putting in the work," English said. "There is nothing else I could have asked her to do or want her to do stay on the floor. She was doing everything she possibly could from her end and we thought we were doing everything we possibly could from our end.

"As a coaching staff, we failed her because she is getting all these extra reps and doing all these extra things and yet it's not working."

Siegfreid, a captain this season, and the coaches went over film and worked on her technique to try to help her find a repeatable motion. The Nazarene pastor's daughter was fine defensively where she just reacted to the ball but struggled when she had time to think before a serve came her way.

"I realized in the offseason that I need to have more focus reps instead of getting 50 serves, getting 25 focused reps and seeing what my body was doing," she said. "It didn't make sense that I was working so much and still not improving."

Her hard work is finally paying off, though.

Throughout the spring and preseason, she has been much more consistent than she was last year.

"It is tough to change when you've been doing something one way for your entire life," English said. "Shayli is one of the most positive, optimistic people we have and also one of the hardest workers we have. That is why we recruited her, because of how hard she tries and her body flies all over the floor. And you want kids who never want the ball to hit the floor on your team."