Volleyball Preview Part 3: Wright State
Aug. 10, 2007
The Wright State volleyball team has definitely made strides the past two 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.
Third-year head coach Trina Smith hopes that those strides, along with the returning experience of nine letterwinners and the arrival of three newcomers, will translate into a successful 2007 campaign.
"This year's team brings a wealth of experience on the court," says Smith. "I believe that experience will help move us to another level competitively and also provide leadership for our incoming class."
Outside Hitters
Seniors Alisha Kimbro and Samantha Connor along with sophomores Lexi Leonhard and Becca Awaa and freshman Jessica Woods comprise the outside hitter lineup for the Raiders.
"We have big shoes to fill on the outside with the departure of Sarah Poling and Jenny Schultz, but we do have players who can fill those shoes," says Smith. "We have worked hard on decreasing our hitting errors and I feel that we became a smarter team after we completed spring training."
Kimbro was second on the squad last season in kills with 326 and fourth in digs with 362. She also showed great versatility as she led WSU in service aces with 40, was second in assists with 49 and was third in blocks with 88.
"Alisha has the ability to be an all-conference player," says Smith. "She will split time on the right side and left side this year. I look forward to Alisha having a great senior season and she should be a major contributor to our success."
After playing mostly in the middle last year, Connor moves to the outside this season.
"Moving Samantha to the outside makes us a better attacking team," says Smith. "She`s a really smart player who understands the game very well. Her experience at her junior college and growing up on the beach will make our ball control much better."
Like Kimbro, Lexi Leonhard showed great versatility last season as a freshman as she recorded 61 kills and 10 blocks as an outside hitter along 386 digs as she was the team`s libero over the final month.
"Lexi will be used as our utility player this season," says Smith. "She has good ball control which allows her to play many different positions. She continues to get better at understanding the game."
Awaa tallied 156 kills and 74 blocks overall in 2006, with 94 of those kills and 40 of the blocks coming during Horizon League play.
"Becca started for us as a freshman and continued to get better as the season progressed," says Smith. "She has improved her strength and I look forward to her becoming one of the best blockers in the Horizon League."
Woods comes to WSU after being named the 2006 Gatorade Nevada Volleyball Player of the Year and leading her high school team to its fourth consecutive 2A state championship.
"Jessica is a good all-around player," says the Raider head coach. "She has great ball control and understands what it takes to win a championship."
Middle Blockers
The Raiders feature four middle blockers this season in seniors Tara Geegan, junior Lizzy Gunn, redshirt freshman Adesua Ituah and freshman Shaunda Sandifer.
"We have a good deal of experience in the middle this year with two returning starters in Tara and Lizzy," says Smith. "We have four middles in all this season with varying abilities."
Geegan was named to three all-tournament teams in 2006 and, along with 16 double-figure kill matches, ranked ninth in the Horizon League in blocks per game.
"Tara has emerged as one of the best attackers in the league," says Smith. "She has a quick arm swing and can terminate in serve receive and transition."
Gunn paced the Horizon League in blocks per game last season and also chipped in 130 kills.
"Lizzy is coming off of shoulder surgery, but should still be one of the best blockers in the Horizon League," says Smith. "Her work ethic and mentality to be the best should help us tremendously on and off the court."
Ituah, who was redshirted last season, was named the Most Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year as a senior at Kempner High School in Texas.
"Adesua has made progress and continues to get better," says Smith. "She is one of our best athletes which should help us in the League."
Sandifer joins the Raider program after being named the Female Athlete of the Year by the Windy City Times last season.
"Shaunda is a dynamic athlete that has a high ceiling," says Smith. "She is coming off a club season where she won a championship and is a young athlete that loves to compete."
Setters
The setter position will be led by senior Lindsey Frank with sophomore Tina Paunicka also seeing action.
"Setting should be one of our strong areas this season," says Smith. "We have a four-year starter in Lindsey and Tina has improved with having a year of experience under her belt."
Frank is currently sixth on the all-time Raider list with 2938 assists, including 1274 last season. She also ranked fifth in the Horizon League in hitting percentage in 2006, hitting .273 with 144 kills.
"Lindsey's experience should carry us far this season," says Smith. "Her decision making continues to get better and her leadership on and off the court has made her so much better for this team."
Paunicka appeared in 40 games in 2006, recording 67 digs along with five assists and four aces.
"Tina continues to learn and understand her role as a setter," says Smith. "With Lindsey having more experience, Tina gets the opportunity to continue to grow into the setting position."
Libero
Junior Lili Williams along with freshman Katie Laravie will be the main liberos for the Raiders this season while Lexi Leonhard and Alicia Kimbro could also be called upon as well.
"It is the responsibility of the libero to provide solid ball control and to control the tempo of the game," says Smith. "We have several players who can play this position, which makes us a stronger defensive and ball control team. Having a good libero will be crucial to the success of our team."
Williams recorded 75 digs last season and added 10 aces.
"Lili continues to improve with her strong work ethic," says Smith. "She should be instrumental in our success."
Laravie was part of the Alter squad that won the 2006 Division II state championship at the Nutter Center, combining for 19 kills and 17 digs in two matches.
"We are excited to have Katie join our team," said Smith. "Her ball control will make our team better."
The Schedule
The Raiders will compete in three tournaments this season, starting with the UNI Invitational August 24-25. Along with host Northern Iowa, WSU will face Kentucky and Western Michigan.
After a visit to Indiana State on August 28, Wright State will compete in the Sheraton Hilton Invitational August 31-September 1, taking on host Akron along with Syracuse and Mississippi.
The Raiders open the home portion of their schedule on Tuesday, September 4, against Eastern Michigan before hosting the Raider Challenge the following weekend. The Raiders will welcome in The Citadel, Furman and South Florida.
"We have a very tough schedule the first three weeks with us playing three Mid-American Conference teams and two each from the Southeastern, Big East and Missouri Valley Conferences," says Smith. "It will definitely help prepare us for our conference schedule."
With the addition of Valparaiso to the Horizon League this season, the league slate has expanded to 16 matches that includes an unusual midweek road swing against UIC and Loyola in early October. The rest of the schedule features nonconference matchups with Cincinnati and Dayton at the C.J. McLin Gymnasium and Xavier on the road.
The Horizon League Volleyball Championship will take place in Milwaukee on November 15-18, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which begins on November 30.
"The components are in place to have a successful season," says Smith. "Some of our notable strengths are experience, discipline and a sense of eagerness and you need to have those things to reach the goals that we've set for this year."
--Story provided by Wright State Office of Sports Information
