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Junior Sarah Morton returns for the 2008-08 season as SU's leading blocker.
Syracuse Volleyball Opens 2008 Campaign at Clemson
8/28/2008 9:49:31 AM | Volleyball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse University volleyball team will open its 2008 campaign at Clemson’s Big Orange Bash on Friday, August 29. The Orange will kick off the tournament facing the Clemson Tigers at 7 p.m. in Jervey Gym. On Saturday, the Orange will take on Florida International (10 a.m.) and close out the tournament facing Charleston Southern (4 p.m.).
Season Preview
With a schedule jam-packed with tough competition and exciting matchups, the 2008 version of Orange volleyball is ready to begin a new season. Head coach Jing Pu and his team have set high goals for the fall built on the confidence developed from last season.
“The whole team is very motivated to be strong and competitive on the court, do better in the conference and beat strong teams,” Pu said. “We would like to have a chance to compete in the NCAA Tournament, but we must do well and demonstrate that we are one of the top teams in our conference first.”
Pu is also very proud of his team’s academic accomplishments. The team was honored for the fifth time in 2007 with the AVCA Academic Excellence Award for achieving a team GPA above a 3.3, and was honored with the BIG EAST 2007-08 Team Academic Excellence Award for earning the highest collective grade-point average among all schools in each sport.
Outside Hitters
Stepping in as captain is junior outside hitter Kacie MacTavish who appeared in 123 games last season. She finished second on the team with 414 kills, 3.37 kills per game and 350 digs. In addition, she was second on the team in double-doubles with 13.
“Kacie improved significantly at the left-front position last season,” Pu said. “She is an effective hitter with very few hitting errors. Her all-around abilities have benefited from her being a top beach volleyball player.”
In addition to MacTavish, Pu has three returning players coupled with freshmen for the outside positions. Sophomore Mindy Stanislovaitis, senior Emily Kaier and junior Annabelle Pellerin comprise the returners.
“Mindy’s backup setting skills are solid,” Pu noted. “I expect her to become a powerful and effective hitter, and to be more successful on blocking.”
Both Kaier and Pellerin saw limited playing time last season due to injuries.
“After a shoulder surgery in the spring, Emily’s recovery has been very good,” Pu said. “I look forward to seeing Emily’s success in playing in front as one of our major hitters. Annabelle has been primarily a left-front hitter, but she is also comfortable and hitting successfully on the right side.”
New to the team this year and competing for a spot as an outside hitter is 5-foot-10-inch freshman Noemie Lefebvre, 2008 CEGEP Player of the Year in Quebec and 2008 CCAA Player of the Year in Canada. Pu believes she will be able to step in and start contributing early on.
Incoming 6-foot-1-inch freshman Erin Little, the 2008 New York State Gatorade Player of the Year, has plenty of experience as a middle blocker, but is prepared to step in as an outside hitter.
“She has a quick jump and competitive height on the net,” Pu said. “Erin is also able to handle passing and defense in the back row.”
Middle Blockers
Senior Brittany Kern, junior Sarah Morton and sophomore Hayley Todd will compete for the starting middle positions. Kern led the Orange with a .348 attack percentage last season, in addition to tallying a career-high 251 kills and 85 total blocks.
Morton, one of the top-five blockers in nation according to CVU.com, set an SU single-season record in 2007 recording 72 solo blocks. She also earned the team award for Most Improved Player. Todd had limited playing time last season due to a leg injury, but is expected to participate in full capacity this fall.
“Our middle positions are strong,” Pu said. “I look forward to our middle players delivering competitive blocks and successful offense for the team this year.”
Setters
Senior setter April Quigley is back for her final season with the Orange and will take charge of the offense. Quigley, a first-team ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree, has led the team the last two years. She is third on the single-season charts with 11.59 assists per game and leads the Orange with a career average of 11.30.
“April gained tremendous experience last year and lead the team to the BIG EAST Tournament,” Pu said. “I hope her final season with the team is the most successful and memorable part of her athletic career.”
Freshman Hallie Morse, a two-time first-team All-Pennsylvania honoree, will join Quigley in leading the team offense. While Pu admits it may take some time for a new setter to get familiar with the team offensive system, expectations of new setting standard and each hitter’s style to develop offensive connections, he is confident Morse will become an all-around competitor.
Defensive Specialists
With two seniors, a junior and a sophomore, the Orange is stacked at the defensive specialist position. Led by junior Shanetha McLaurin with 211 digs last year, Pu will also rely on seniors Jacki Kliment, Marissa Kanemura and sophomore Sarah Hayes.
“Our DS players have different styles. Each one has something to contribute to our games,” Pu said. “To build a solid team, it will be a significant part of our practice to improve our overall level in defense, from passing to digging, from ball control to movement, for the DS and the whole team.”
2008 Schedule
Going into the 2008 season, one of the challenges the team faces is its strength of schedule. The team will face three teams ranked in the final 2007 CSTV/AVCA Coaches Poll and five teams ranked in the Top-50 of the 2007 NCAA Women’s Volleyball RPI.
“This year we are going to compete with more nationally-ranked, top-20, 30 and 50 teams,” Pu said. “This is going to be a mental and physical challenge for the team, but it is my intention that we need these kinds of game experiences to prepare the team to move forward and up to a new level of competition.”
The Orange begins the season with three tournaments, heading first to Clemson’s Big Orange Bash, where the team will face its first ranked opponent. From there, the team will remain on the road at the Delaware Invitational before returning home to Syracuse to host the Big Orange Tournament. While the tournaments are critical to the team’s development throughout the rest of the season, Pu hopes they serve to prepare the team for conference play.
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