Ladyjacks Focus on 2002
5/31/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
May 31, 2002
A step away! That is how the 2001 SFA Ladyjack volleyball season could be summed up...one lousy step. Within an eight-day time span the Ladyjacks played for the Southland Conference regular-season title but lost to eventual-champ Lamar in three games. Eight days later, SFA had its chance for redemption in the SLC title match. SFA led Texas-Arlington, 2-1, heading into the fourth game, only to fall to the Mavericks, 15-12 in the fifth game. That, added to the fact that SFA graduated three players, including 2001 SLC MVP Kristy Rhodes, would leave the most optimistic fans uttering of the phrase "rebuilding year." But SFA head coach Debbie Humphreys doesn't quite see things that way.
"This is probably the most physically talented squad I've ever had here," said Humphreys. "We are not going to be able to replace a Kristy Rhodes with one player. We are going to look to a lot of different players to raise their level of competition. This is a very talented, yet different, team that we have returning. These girls don't have the same level of experience as some of the teams we will be facing but we do have an equal level of talent across the team. That is a nice advantage to have because it allows you the freedom to interchange players if someone is hurt or is having an off night."
The following is a position-by-position breakdown of the 2002 Ladyjack volleyball team.
Setters SFA should be strong at the setter position in 2002 despite the loss of third-team All-SLC pick Marissa Dorcheus. The Ladyjacks return the versatile Sunni Williams who has waited three seasons for her opportunity to lead the Ladyjacks.
"Sunni has certainly paid her dues as a role player for this team over the years," said Humphreys. "She has been primarily a passer and a defensive player in the past while serving as the backup setter. It's not that she hasn't been able to fill the starting role for us but she is such a versatile athlete that we felt we could best utilize her abilities for the team in other areas. Coming out of the spring, she earned the starting role. The incredible thing about Sunni is that her teammates have a great deal of respect for her and rally around her."
Another setter that will be pushing Williams for playing time is sophomore Marlo Nordt. Nordt is coming off a season where she saw limited action playing in only four games.
"The amount that Marlo has improved during her time here has been amazing," said Humphreys. "She came to SFA very young in her volleyball career and had not played at a high level. She has a really good work ethic and that shows in how much she improves every year." Middle Blockers
The Ladyjacks will look to two veterans to lead the way at middle blocker. Although SFA returns two of the league's most talented middle blockers, in Jennifer Wilson and Brittany Burton, the Ladyjacks do not have a lot of depth at the position.
"Jennifer and Brittany bring a lot of talent and experience to the middle blocker position but we are thin at this spot," said Humphreys. "Jennifer has seen a lot of court time in her three years here. She is just a tremendous athlete and is capable of doing many things on the court. But I've been most impressed with how mentally prepared she's been during the last half of the spring. She is playing much smarter volleyball than she ever has and that will make a big difference in her senior season.
"Brittany returns to the team after a very successful freshman campaign where she led the team and was among the league leaders in total blocks. She finished the spring with some incredible numbers attacking the ball and during the course of just a year has developed into a go-to player," added Humphreys.
SFA can't rely on only two players at this position and that is where Humphreys is hoping that her incoming class of freshmen will make the quick transition to NCAA Division I volleyball. The Ladyjacks signed two middle blockers who it hopes can come in and fill that void, Amelia Mayeaux and Adrianne Greene.
"Amelia and Adrianne are both very capable players but as all freshmen do, they will just need a little time," said Humphreys. "Amelia played at Clear Creek High School and is a very tremendous athlete. In fact, she reminds me a little of Jennifer (Wilson), because she is a quick player and can get up in the air real well. Physically speaking she isn't as big as most middle blockers but she plays the game much higher above the net than her size would indicate.
"Adrianne was a player we initially signed as someone we thought would help out in the middle, and she will see some playing time there, but now we feel that her talents could be best served playing on the left or right side. Right now it looks like she will receive a lot of training on the right side," added Humphreys. Outside Hitter
SFA returns 2001 third-team All-SLC selection Angie Wood, from a junior campaign that saw her finish fourth in the league with 3.91 kills per game.
"Angie had a great spring but really started to take her game to the next level toward the end of the 2001 season," said Humphreys. "She is playing smarter and her numbers at the end of spring proved that she was cutting down on her errors. Angie is coming into this season knowing it is her final season and she will be ready to go. She is also our vocal leader on the court."
Sophomore Joanna Benestante will be battling for playing time at the outside hitter position. Benestante is coming off a rookie season that saw her record 30 kills and 151 digs. The SFA coaching staff is working with Benestante's consistency from match-to-match.
"Joanna had a solid spring," said Humphreys. "We are trying to get Joanna to become a more consistent player. She had matches this spring where she would put up some big numbers but we need her to be at a more consistent level night in and night out. She is one of our defensive leaders and passes the ball really well."
Junior Kelly Gorychka will also be a force for the Ladyjacks at outside hitter. Slowed by injuries during the 2001 season, Gorychka was still able to post solid numbers (161 kills, 173 digs and 19 blocks) despite playing only half the season.
"Kelly was slowed by some back problems during the spring so we didn't want to rush her back into the mix. We chose instead to just focus on her back row game and let her ease back into it. We just didn't want to force the issue and cause her to take steps backward physically. But Kelly provides us with another threat at the outside hitter position.
"We also return Julie Goodson and Deborah Kirkham. Julie has really matured into a team leader over the spring and improved her consistency in both the front and back row. Deborah is another player who has seen time on both the right and left side. She is a very good hitter because she sees the court so well," added Humphreys.
The Ladyjacks also signed Lauren Stevens to add depth at outside hitter. Stevens is a raw talent who doesn't have a lot of volleyball experience. She has the type of personality that the coaching staff believes will allow her to catch on quickly to the Ladyjack system. Libero
A new rules change to the 2002 season is the addition of the libero. The libero is designated back-row player that is inserted into the lineup as a ball-control specialist, who can replace any player without being counted as a substitution. The Ladyjacks are a solid ball-control team and will turn to Gorychka and Kirkham to solidify the position in 2002.
The Ladyjacks return a very solid team overall in terms of ball control, and improved their depth in that area with the addition of 5-8 freshman Robyn Daniels.
"Robyn will strengthen our team in terms of our ball control," said Humphreys. "She spent the spring with her club team filling a passing and defense role and I believe that she will provide us with depth at that position."
