Volleyball Preview Part 5: Wright State

Aug. 18, 2005

A new era of Wright State volleyball begins this season as Trina Smith, an assistant at South Carolina the past eight years, takes over as head coach. While the Raiders have a new leader on the sidelines, there will be plenty of familiar faces on the court as WSU returns 10 letterwinners and five starters from last season.

SETTER
The setter is often referred to as the quarterback of volleyball and if that is the case, Wright State looks to be in good shape as the Raiders have two with experience returning this season.Senior Nicole Scheltema recorded 849 assists last season to raise her career total to 2334, which is good enough for sixth on the school's all-time list and is on a pace to finish in third. Scheltema, who ranked eighth in the Horizon League in assists per game, also tallied 222 digs and 17 service aces.Sophomore Lindsey Frank also returns after posting 428 assists a season ago along with 124 digs. She ranked ninth in the Horizon League in assists per game in 2004.

OUTSIDE HITTER
Outside hitter should be one of Wright State's strengths again this season as three who totaled 564 kills and 414 dig last season return.Junior Sarah Poling led the team with 373 kills and 39 service aces in 2004 and was third in digs with 344. She finished seventh in the Horizon League in kills per game, was in double figures in kills and digs 19 times each and had 14 double-doubles.

Sophomore Alisha Kimbro looks to build upon a solid freshman campaign of 113 kills, 18 aces and 37 block assists. She closed out 2004 on a high note with 13 kills, six block assists and three aces against UW-Green Bay in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament.Junior Jenny Schultz had 78 kills and 46 blocks last season as she mainly saw action as a middle hitter.

MIDDLE BLOCKER
WSU will have five middle blockers on the roster this season, including one senior and two freshmen.

After missing the 2003 campaign due to an ankle injury, senior Lisa Griffith hit a team-best .237 last year as she recorded 223 kills. Griffith, who ranked eighth in the Horizon League in hitting percentage, also had 126 digs, 83 blocks and 31 aces.Sophomore Tara Geegan hit .236 with 137 kills and 53 blocks last season. Like Kimbro, she also finished on a high note as she posted 13 kills, eight digs and seven blocks versus UW-Green Bay at the Horizon League Tournament.

Redshirt sophomore Cara Ziegler looks to be a factor in 2005 after appearing in just five matches last season before going down with a season-ending ACL injury.

One of two freshmen on the roster, Jill MacMillan comes to Wright State after a solid prep career at Muncie (IN) Burris, one of the top programs in the country. She had 216 kills in 2004 as Burris won its eighth straight state title and was named the National High School champion by Prepvolleyball.com.

The other freshman, Lizzy Gunn, had 277 kills, 86 blocks and 31 aces for Franklin (IN) High School as a senior.

LIBERO/DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST
Like the other positions, Wright State has experience returning in this area as well in 2005.

Junior Taylor Gerlach posted the third highest dig total ever in Raider history last season with 501, including 25 against UW-Green Bay at the Horizon League Tournament. She finished second in the League in digs per game at 4.39.

Sophomore Beckie Lowery appeared in 17 matches and 54 games overall in 2004. She tallied 73 digs, including 13 against UIC, and added eight aces, including two each at Georgetown and versus Youngstown State.

THE SCHEDULE
The 2005 schedule will have more of a local flavor than those of past seasons as all but three matches will be played within the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Kentucky.

Wright State opens the season on Saturday, August 27, with the Ball State Nike/Active Ankle Classic in Muncie, Indiana. Along with the host Cardinals, the Raiders face SMU in the one-day event. WSU then heads to Atlanta the following weekend for the Georgia State Invitational, which also includes LSU and Jacksonville State.

The Raiders face both Eastern Illinois and Kentucky in Lexington on Saturday, September 10, before making the short trip to compete in Miami (OH)'s Classic the next weekend against Northern Colorado, Virginia Tech and the host RedHawks.

Along with the Horizon League slate, the rest of the schedule features matches against local rivals Cincinnati, IPFW, Xavier and Dayton.

Story Provided by Matt Zircher, Wright State Sports Information