Women's Volleyball Brings The Midwest East In 2008
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL BRINGS THE MIDWEST EAST IN 2008
CHICOPEE, MA, Sept. 1, 2008 - To see a flashy brand of Midwest volleyball, you don't need to head west. A trip to the Maguire Center will do just fine.
Elms College women's volleyball interim head coach Sheila Gisbrecht promises a fast-paced brand of volleyball that will feature plenty of in-your-face offense that is sure to excite the Blazer faithful in 2008.
Coach Gisbrecht, a four-year member of the Ohio Wesleyan women's volleyball program during the early-mid 1990's, has served as that school's assistant coach during the past 11 years. In that time, the Battling Bishops posted five 20-plus win seasons.
She hopes to draw upon her coaching experience during the past decade to help the Blazers set roots in the newly-formed New England Collegiate Conference (NECC).
"With our returning players and a large incoming class, I'm optimistic about this season," she said. "I think this is an exciting opportunity to help Elms College establish itself as a perennial contender in the NECC for years to come."
Fast, skilled offensive players are what Coach Gisbrecht needs to bring Midwest volleyball to Elms College.
With the return of junior setter Kim Phillips (Randolph, MA) and senior outside hitter Jeannette Nunez (Canovanas, Puerto Rico), she has just that with arguably the best one-two tandem in the NECC.
Phillips, who was named Second Team All-North Atlantic Conference in 2007, handed out a school-record 629 assists and became the first player in program-history to surpass the 1,000-assist plateau in just two seasons.
"Kim has nice hands, good movement and good presence on the court," Coach Gisbrecht said.
Nunez, who became the first Elms College player in team-history to be named both First Team All-Conference and Conference Player of the Year, shattered the school's single-season kills record with a conference-leading 329 in 2007.
In each of the last two seasons, the Blazers set program records for both overall and conference victories. In 2007, Elms College finished 11-13 and advanced to its first-ever postseason conference tournament semifinal following a 3-0 quarterfinal win over the University of Maine-Farmington.
Although the Blazers have just four returners on their 12-player roster, two of them could prove key - senior middle blocker Sashiann Johnson (Belchertown, MA) and junior libero Christie Sevigny (Chicopee, MA).
Johnson recorded 19 total blocks and 12 aces a year ago, while Sevigney added 10 aces.
"Sashiann has excellent potential at the net for us and Christy has that ‘I want the ball, give me the ball' attitude which I think is great for our team," Coach Gisbrecht explained.
Here's a breakdown of the newcomers set to hit the court for the Blazers in 2008:
SETTER
Freshman Jen Rego (Fall River, MA) has impressed Coach Gisbrecht during preseason training and could provide the Blazers with the option of running a 6-2 - something that could free up Phillips to also hit from the right side this year.
"Jen's been very open to the changes we've made with her so far," Coach Gisbretcht noted. "We also want to develop Kim into a right side hitter as well and once Jen gets some game experience that will help us."
OUTSIDE HITTERS
Junior Anne Norton (Westfield, MA) and Annette Dzidek (Chicopee, MA) will both compete for playing time at outside hitter this season.
MIDDLES
Freshman 5-9 middle blocker Stacy Croteau (Agawam, MA) will provide the Blazers with a versatile option either at middle blocker or outside hitter.
"Stacy has a good swing and is actually one of our better passers," Coach Gisbrecht noted. "She'll play as a middle for us initially, but we plan to move her outside later in the season."
Sophomore middle hitter Laura Kulig (Holyoke, MA) will also look to earn playing time for the Blazers this year.
DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTS
Freshmen Sarah Montes (Saugerties, NY), Marissa Yeager (Dunbarton, NH) and Alexandra Skole (Longmeadow, MA) will all compete for playing time in the back row.
SCHEDULE
The Blazers will be tested right out of the gates with eight road matches over the season's first 10 days - including a trip to compete in the Union Invitational on September 12-13.
After opening the season at Babson on September 3, the Blazers play a tri-match at Smith against the host Pioneers and Westfield State on September 6, and a match at Mount Holyoke on September 9 before embarking to face host Union, Hamilton, Sage and Utica that next weekend.
The team's scheduled home opener is September 16 against Westfield State.
Eight days later the Blazers open up play in the NECC at Bay Path. From there, Elms College plays single conference matches against Becker, Daniel Webster, Lesley, Mitchell, Newbury and Southern Vermont.
WRAP-UP
With eight newcomers and a new system, the Blazers will need time early on to adjust. If they are able to successfully adapt, however, Elms College could prove extremely difficult to contain in conference play later in the year.
"For us it's going to be about getting from where we are early in the year to where we want to be at the end," Coach Gisbrecht explained. "Once we get our basic skills down, we'll eventually be able to stay in a more fast-paced system like I want."