2005 Season Outlook
For the last five years, the University of Southern Indiana volleyball team
has been at or near the top of the Great Lakes Valley Conference standings,
making an appearance in the league championship match in each of those
seasons.
Expect 2005 to be no different as the Screaming Eagles return four starters
and their libero from a squad that went 24-7 overall and 15-1 in the GLVC. USI
captured the conference regular season and tournament titles before bowing out
in the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament.
The biggest change the Eagles will encounter in 2005 is at the top as they
enter the new campaign under the direction of first-year Head Coach
Leah Mercer. Mercer is no stranger to the program
as she was an All-GLVC performer for the Eagles in 2000 and 2001. She helped
the Eagles to a three-year record of 61-27, including a 49-14 mark in GLVC
play.
USI, which lost just two starters, will be bolstered by the presence of
All-America performer Laura
Ellerbusch and All-Region performer
Stephanie Wilson.
Ellerbusch, who is the lone senior on a squad that features four juniors, four
sophomores, and two freshmen, led a balanced Eagle attack with 3.34 kills per
game and a .343 attacking percentage in 2004. She also earned first-team
All-Region and All-GLVC honors, while earning a spot on the NCAA II Great
Lakes Regional All-Tournament team.
Wilson also earned first-team All-Region and All-GLVC honors and was a member
of the NCAA II Great Lakes Regional All-Tournament team. She was a threat in
all facets of the game during her freshman campaign in 2004, leading the
Eagles with 12.79 assists per game while recording a .301 attacking
percentage, 2.31 digs per game, and 0.43 blocks per game.
While Ellerbusch will be one of Wilson’s top targets in 2005, junior outside
hitters Chelse Doubler
and Emily Ryan will be
major attacking threats as well. Doubler, who hits the ball as hard as anyone
in the GLVC, was third on the team a year ago with 3.15 kills per game. She
led the team with 3.35 kills per game in conference matches.
Ryan came on strong down the stretch, averaging 3.43 kills and attacking at a
.305 clip in the GLVC Tournament. For the season, Ryan averaged 2.88 kills per
game, posting a career-best 20 kills and a .405 attacking percentage against
the University of Indianapolis during the regular season.
Also look for sophomore middle blocker/outside hitter
Molly Rahman to fill the
void left by middle blocker Leeanne Gross or right side hitter Natalie
Atzinger.
Rahman was a major factor in the beginning of the season, recording 20 kills
against the University of North Dakota, but saw limited time during the
stretch run as other players such as Ryan and Doubler started to emerge as
potent threats from the outside. She showed positive signs in the middle as a
freshman last season and has the ability to become a major factor for the
Eagles in 2005.
There was a clear turning point of the 2004 season and it came with a position
change. Junior Mandy Probst,
who started the season as an outside hitter, made the switch to libero 13
matches into the season and from that point, the Eagles’ biggest weakness
became one of their biggest strengths. Probst became one of the premier
liberos in the GLVC, earning second-team All-GLVC honors, and the Eagles went
on one of the best runs in GLVC history.
Probst, who performed well as an outside hitter, solidified USI’s defense by
setting a school-record with 475 digs. She also set a single-match record with
32 digs against Quincy University.
Other returnees that will challenge for playing time include middle blocker
Andrea Reising and setter
Cara Keever. Both saw
limited playing time during their first season of action, but each could be a
factor during their upcoming sophomore campaign.
USI’s newcomers include a junior transfer and a pair of freshmen that could
all fill holes and add depth. Junior outside hitter
Megan Wollin comes to USI by
way of the junior college ranks and will add depth to the Eagles’ outside
attack.
Freshman right side hitter/middle blocker
Meg Buschman is a good
athlete and should compete for a starting job, while fellow classmate
Amber Gogel will give the
Eagles needed depth as a defensive specialist/libero.
USI begins the season August 26-27 with the Missouri Southern Invitational and
will be at the Cougar Classic in Edwardsville, Illinois, a week later. After
the Holiday Inn Express/University of Alabama-Huntsville Tournament September
9-10, the Eagles will start GLVC play on the road September 16.
The Eagles, who have 11 matches against teams that were in the NCAA II
Tournament a year ago as well as 10 home matches, start their home schedule
September 21 when they host the University of North Alabama and host their
first GLVC home match September 30 when new GLVC member Rockhurst University
visits the Physical Activities Center.
The GLVC Tournament is November 10-12 and the NCAA II Tournament is November
17-20. The NCAA II Elite Eight is December 1-4.
