George Washington University Athletics
Volleyball Kicks Off 2006 Season Friday in DC Challenge Tournament
8/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 21, 2006
WASHINGTON, DC - The George Washington Volleyball team will kick off its season this Friday in the DC Challenge, a new tournament that pits locals American, GW, George Mason and Georgetown in a two-day round-robin which begins at AU on Friday and concludes at GW on Saturday.
GW volleyball in 2006 will be both recognizable as well as quite unfamiliar, as the Colonials return 11 letterwinners from 2005 and add five newcomers to this year's squad. "Despite the loss of some key seniors, our biggest strength heading into this season is our experience and athleticism," said head coach Jojit Coronel. "Everyone saw significant action this past spring and the incoming freshmen have all been playing at high level throughout the summer."
Coronel is excited about the way the team performed during their spring training season, which included developing a new defensive and offensive philosophy. "We'll be able to build on what we started in spring and introduce even more system information as well as more efficient training protocol. Once we're back in the gym, I think we'll be able to really focus on team play and build our chemistry so that we can become smarter and better competitors. I feel that we'll be more than up to speed and be able to win and compete at a very high level."
Setters
The offense will be directed by senior Kaimana Lee (Wailuku, HI). Lee spent her first season backing up Lauren Dunning and moved into the starting position in 2005. Backing her will be junior Jess Buche (Lake Odessa, MI). Buche split time with Lee last season when the Colonials ran a 6-2 offense. She gained valuable experience and confidence this past spring as she helped lead the team to some outstanding wins in tournament play. Newcomer Madelyn Bagby (Houston, TX) has experience playing at a high level and will create some exciting competition in the gym. "We certainly have depth at the setter position," said Coronel. "Maddy will really add to the mix and they will all bring out the best in one another."
Middle Blockers
Five players will come into fall camp wanting to make a positive impression on the coaching staff. Returning starter Kelly Kabbes (Cary, NC) will lead the way as the most experienced middle on the team having been a starter the past three seasons. "Kelly is a very smart player and has been extremely succesfull connecting with Kaimana the last two seasons," says Coronel. "We'll rely on her consistency and experience throughout the season." Junior Erica Williams (Samford, CT) played considerably this past spring and was the first middle off the bench in 2005. Newcomers Abby Syverson (Minneapolis, MN), Stephanie Sharp (Columbia, MD), Katie Butz (Columbus, OH) and sophomore Jackie Yaniga (Miami, FL) will all be competing for considerable playing time. "Each one of the newcomers is extremely athletic and have the ability to make a huge impact immediately," says Coronel. "How much of an impact is dependent on how simple we can make things for them and how quickly they can adapt to the speed of play at our level."
Outside Hitters
Two of the three outside hitter positions are expected to be covered by senior Juliene McLaughlin (Ontario, Canada) and Janine Brown (Jacksonville, FL). "Both Juliene and Janine came into their own at the conclusion of last season," says Coronel. "I have the utmost confidence in them and will rely on them to be great models for the rest of the team. Both are extremely strong, physical athletes that have incredible court awareness and ball control. We're fortunate to have one of the best 1-2 punches in the Atlantic 10," said Coronel. Vying for the third starting spot the Colonials will need a less-seasoned hitter to step to the forefront. Senior Abba Greenleaf (Iowa City, IA), redshirt sophomore Brittney Retzinger (Lake Bluff, IL), sophomores Liz Moult (Shillington, PA), Jen Leftwich (Powhattan, VA), Yaniga and Butz will compete for the third starting spot. "It's extremely important that we have a balanced attack across the entire net. We don't want to be too left-side dominant," says Coronel. "I'm confident that someone will step up and become that consistent and dynamic attacker at either antenna."
Libero
With the graduation of Jessica Vesey, libero became the team's biggest question mark until Maggie Wright made the transition from setter/defensive specialist to libero this past spring. "Maggie has done an outstanding job training for the libero position," said Coronel. "She has excellent ball control, plays good defense and has become a passing machine. More importantly, Maggie has a tremendous work ethic and will go 100% all the time."
The Schedule
"Like previous years, the schedule seems to get tougher as we compete against teams from the ACC, Big East and other top mid-major programs," says Coronel. "However, we need our non-conference schedule to be difficult to better prepare us for the A-10 matches. The Atlantic 10 Conference is extremely rich with talent and athleticism and we need to make sure that we're not only prepared, but also peaking at the right time. With six teams advancing to the A-10 Conference tournament, competition will be even more fierce this season."
GW begins non-conference play for the first time in late August by kicking off the season with the inaugural DC Challenge against local rivals Georgetown, American and George Mason. Labor Day weekend, the Colonials will host the annual George Washington Invitational featuring Farleigh Dickinson, Coppin State and Loyola College. After a nice two-week homestand, the Colonials will travel to Virginia Tech followed by a trip to Wake Forest the next weekend.
Conference play begins on September 22 and 24 with the Colonials hosting not only Parents & Alumni Weekend, but also Xavier and defending A-10 champion Dayton.
