As defending Big Sky champions, the Viking women’s volleyball team has a lot to live up to this season. After graduating four key players from the successful 2010 roster, a younger team will hit the court for their first match at the end of the month. The preseason schedule is set to be a competitive one, and the team will use the non-conference action to prepare for the regular season beginning in mid-September.
As defending Big Sky champions, the Viking women’s volleyball team has a lot to live up to this season. After graduating four key players from the successful 2010 roster, a younger team will hit the court for their first match at the end of the month. The preseason schedule is set to be a competitive one, and the team will use the non-conference action to prepare for the regular season beginning in mid-September.
Portland State is scheduled to hit the court on August 26 and 27 at the El Paso Sports Commission Volleyball Invitational, hosted by the University of Texas El-Paso (UTEP). Head coach Michael Seeman said this weekend will be a way to figure out a solid lineup on the court.
“We have a lot of questions to answer our opening weekend at UTEP. We have two matches a day on back to back days, so ultimately we have a lot of information for us to use to evaluate a core group,” Seeman said. “I would like to see many combinations at UTEP while still coming back with a winning record.”
The 2011 roster boasts seven returning players, but also brings in six freshmen. After a 14-2 record in conference and a 21-9 record overall, the Viks said goodbye to last year’s leaders who helped the team to their second NCAA appearance. Without starting outside hitter and the 2010 Big Sky MVP Whitney Phillips on the roster, the team will turn to returners like setter Garyn Schlatter and junior outside hitter Megan Ellis for leadership in the scoring department.
Ellis was second in kills per set last season and was a leader in blocking during the 2010 season. Sophomore Schlatter earned Big Sky Outstanding Freshman of the Year in the 2010 season. Seeman said that Schlatter will be a key player this season and he has high expectations of the sophomore.
“I think that Garyn has the greatest potential to put together some big nights in the points earned category,” Seeman said. “She was very close to multiple triple doubles last year and I believe she will be in similar situations this fall.”
However, the Vikings won’t leave it all up to the veterans, as Schlatter noted that she and her fellow returners have a solid group of new recruits to help give them a boost.
“The girls coming in are very talkative [on the court]; they hustle, they’re very involved,” said the sophomore setter. “You wouldn’t know that they haven’t played college volleyball if you saw them play, so it’s not as much [leading] in playing and technique wise, but in understanding how things are on a college level.”
With Schlatter leading on the offensive side, it will be lone returning senior Nicole Bateham on the defensive end. Bateham will be back in her libero position after an injury early in 2010 kept her from playing the remainder of the year.
“Nicole will help anchor down our passing and defense,” Seeman said. “And being a contributor since her freshman year, she has a lot of experience to share with this young team.”
Alongside Schlatter, Bateman and Ellis, the remaining four returners consist of up and coming players like sophomore outside hitter Aubrey Mitchell who finished out last season with 17 appearances in the final 19 matches.
Middle blocker sophomore Cara Oden will come in for graduated senior middle blocker Lana Zielke. Sophomore Kaeli Patton will get a chance at outside hitter after having limited playing time in the 2010 season, although she did register the second most kills per set for a PSU freshman.
The final returner coming to the court is junior Dominiki Kristinikova, who is expected to share time at setter with Schlatter. Kristinikova was a strong server in the 2010 season leading the team in aces four times over the season.
With the veterans looking to solidify chemistry with their new teammates, the upcoming UTEP tournament and the rest of the preseason will be key in completing another successful regular season. The Viks were picked to finish 2nd in the Big Sky preseason polls behind 2010 co-regular season champions Northern Colorado.
“It’ll be good for us to have challenging games [in the preseason] because come conference time we’re going to be facing good teams,” Schlatter said, “Of course [preseason matches] matter, but ultimately conference matches are the goal and winning conference. Having the chance to prepare will help us know what to expect.”
Following the opening invitational, the Viks have two more tournaments lined up in the preseason in addition to a match against the University of Oregon during the first week of September. Portland State’s Big Sky season kicks off at home against Idaho State on Sept. 16.
