Volleyball Season Preview
8/27/2008 12:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 27, 2008
The Wright State volleyball team has definitely made strides the past three seasons.
After advancing to the Horizon League championship match in 2005 despite being the seventh seed, the Raiders tied for second in the League standings in 2006 and improved their win total by four matches overall. In 2007, WSU finished in a tie for third in the League and advanced to the tournament semifinals despite being picked seventh in the preseason poll.
Fourth-year head coach Trina Smith hopes that those strides, along with the returning experience of seven letterwinners and the arrival of five newcomers, will translate into a successful 2008 campaign.
"We lost four starters to graduation, but we have seven returnees that are ready to make their mark with this program," says Smith. "Their growth along with the development of our five newcomers should result in a very exciting season."
Wright State lost two outside hitters to graduation in All-Horizon League honoree Alisha Kimbro and Samantha Connor, but juniors Becca Awaa and Lexi Leonhard along with sophomore Jessica Woods are back in 2008, joined by freshmen Leilani Tafuna.
"We have big shoes to fill on the outside with the departure of Kimbro and Connor," says Smith. "We do, however, have a nice nucleus of returning players and newcomers."
Awaa was third on the team last season in blocks (121), fourth in kills (205) and service aces (19) and sixth in digs (190). She reached double figures in kills five times in 2007, four of those coming in League play and had five or more block assists on 12 occasions, including 10 against Valparaiso on September 28.
"This should be Becca's best year and I look forward to her being one of the top players in the Horizon League," says Smith. "She is a two-year starter and has matured as a player tremendously. We will count on her experience to lead us throughout the season."
Leonhard, who will be one of Wright State's two captains this season, has served as the libero for much of her Raider career so far. Her 518 digs in 2008 were the third-highest single-season total in Wright State history and she has 904 for her two-year career. Leonhard, though, has also seen time as an outside hitter, having recorded 61 kills as a freshman and posted 15 kills against Liberty and 10 versus South Florida during last year's Raider Challenge.
"Lexi has the ability and work ethic to take over a match," says Smith. "She will split time on both the left and right sides and our younger players will be able to feed off of her experience on and off the court."
Woods looks to build on a solid freshman campaign that she saw her tally 142 kills and 243 digs. She reached double figures in kills four times, including 20 against Mississippi and 19 versus Liberty, and posted 12 double-figure dig matches, including a stretch of 11 straight matches during August and September.
"Jessica is a good all-around player with a great work ethic and the drive to be the best," says Smith. "She has shown tremendous growth from last year and her experience will be helpful for our success this season."
Hawaii product Tafuna was the team MVP in each of her final three years and helped lead her high school to a fourth-place finish in the state in 2007 while McAuley was a Second Team Division II All-Ohio honoree as a senior after being selected to the Third Team as a junior..
"The incoming freshmen will definitely challenge for the starting positions," says the Raider head coach. "Leilani brings a knowledge and skill level that should make her one of the leaders in the Horizon League while Alaina will give us athleticism when she is on the court."
All-Horizon League honoree Tara Geegan has graduated, but the Raiders should remain strong in the middle blocker area in 2008 with senior Lizzy Gunn, sophomore Chanel Gillies.
"We have two of the best middles in the League this year in Lizzy and Shaunda," says Smith. "Both have improved a great deal since last season and will be key for our success this year."
Gunn, who joins Leonhard as captains for Wright State this season, has been one of the top blockers in the Horizon League the past three seasons. She led the conference in that category as a sophomore, ranked third last season and was sixth as a freshman.
Gunn's 12 block assists against Valparaiso last September 28 tied for the second-best match total for a Raider in the program's 21-year Division I history. She also reached double figures in kills four times in 2007, all of those coming against League opponents.
"Lizzy's leadership and work ethic will lead her to her best season ever," says Smith. "She is completely healthy and her understanding of what we are trying to accomplish will be greatly needed for us to be successful."
Sandifer saw limited action as a freshman, but provided a glimpse of her potential on October 23 against Cincinnati as she helped lead the Raiders to a four-game win by hitting .571 with 13 kills and 10 block assists. She also had six kills against The Citadel and five block assists versus Liberty during the Raider Challenge.
"Shaunda is a dynamic athlete," says Smith. "She had a good spring and her hard work will pay off this fall. I expect Shaunda to be a real force for us."
Gillies recorded 245 kills and 104 blocks for Franklin (IN) High School last season as she was named All-Mid State Conference and the Johnson County Player of the Year.
"Chanel is a young athlete," says Smith. "She will spend time developing behind the experience of Lizzy and Shaunda."
Lindsey Frank, who tallied 4279 assists as a four-year starter for the Raiders, has graduated, leaving the setter duties to juniors Tina Paunicka and Michelle Hammond.
"The setting position should be very competitive this season," says Smith. "It will be tough to replace Frank's leadership and experience, but I feel that we have two players capable of doing that."
Paunicka recorded 72 digs last season and added 16 assists.
"Tina has grown into the setting position and she continues to learn," says Smith. "Her understanding of the game has gotten much better and she is ready to lead this year's team."
Hammond, a transfer from Columbus State who walked on at Ohio State as a freshman, was named All-Ohio Community College Athletic Conference and All-Great Lakes Region in 2007 as she posted 953 assists, 161 kills and 390 digs for the Cougars. She was also selected as the NJCAA Division II National Setter of the Week on September 19 after recording a pair of triple-doubles.
"Michelle is a dynamic setter that has trained at a high level," says Smith. "Her competitive spirit will be an asset for our program both on and off the court."
Senior Lili Williams along with freshman Elle Dobin will be the main liberos for the Raiders this season.
Williams tallied 48 digs, including 11 at Youngstown State and 10 against South Florida, with three aces last season.
"Lili's experience and work ethic will be called upon this season," says Smith. "She will be a key to our success."
Dobin, who recorded 130 kills for The Woodlands (TX) High School before going down with a season-ending knee injury, was twice named Player of the Week by the Houston Chronicle.
"We are excited to have Elle on our team," said Smith. "She will be a great addition and impact us defensively."
Volleyball has under gone several rule changes over the past decade, including rally scoring and the libero, and 2008 will be no exception. Three changes that fans will notice are in terminology, points required to win a set and substitutions.
Previously, a Division I college volleyball match consisted of games, in which the number of points required to win games one through four was 30. In 2008, however, the games are now known as sets and the number of points required to win sets one through four is now 25. The fifth set is still played to 15 points.
The maximum number of substitutions for each team is 12 per set, down from 15 a year ago.
The Raiders will compete in three tournaments this season, starting with a short trip down I-75 for the State Farm/Vernon Manor Bearcat Invitational August 29-30. Along with host Cincinnati, WSU will face Marshall and Tennessee Tech. The following weekend, September 5-6, Wright State will compete in the UAlbany Classic, taking on host Albany along with Connecticut and Buffalo.
Wright State visits Eastern Michigan on September 9 before opening the home portion of its schedule with the Raider Challenge September 12-13. The Raiders will welcome in Morehead State, Niagara and Florida State.
"The 10 matches we play the first three weeks will definitely help prepare us for the Horizon League schedule," says Smith. "We play a good variety of teams during that stretch, including two from the Big East Conference, two from the Mid-American Conference and one each from Conference USA and the ACC. It's a very tough slate that will only benefit a young team."
The Horizon League will again feature a 16-match schedule, but the format is slightly different in 2008. When Valparaiso joined the conference last season, the Crusaders were without a travel partner (Detroit does not have volleyball). This year, the schedule has been altered with Wright State now not having a travel partner. That means that during a League weekend for the Raiders, WSU will play twice while its opponents will play only once.
The change in the schedule also resulted in two weekends where the Raiders will be completely off from League play. Wright State instead will take on Robert Morris on the road on October 11 and visit crosstown rival Dayton on November 8. The rest of the schedule features nonconference matchups at IPFW and against Indiana State at the C.J. McLin Gymnasium.
The Horizon League Volleyball Championship will take place in Cleveland on November 20-23, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which begins on December 4.
