2002 Volleyball Squad Looks For A Return To Top Of ACC
8/21/2002 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 21, 2002
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - For the second straight season, Maryland volleyball coach Janice Kruger returns at least 10 letterwinners and four starters to the Terrapins' lineup. In 2001, the lineup was led by three juniors and five sophomores. Now, they have grown into juniors and seniors, respectively. Indeed, experience will not be lacking.
Behind a trio of senior starters in Carey Brennan, Lindsay Davey and Amanda Ayres, Kruger & Co., expect 2002 to mark the Terps' return to the upper echelon of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
In 2002, a similar formula may re-surface as the one that helped Kruger lead Maryland to three consecutive NCAA Tourney bids in 1995, 1996 and 1997. It has been four seasons since that run - and since the Terps' last serious contention for the ACC title - but an all-conference hitter and an all-conference setter may key a Terrapin march.
Brennan, Davey and Ayres have comprised one-half of Maryland's starting lineup for the last two seasons. All-league hitter Brennan will challenge the Terps' all-time mark for kills this season while Davey will move her name alongside former All-ACC setters Eden Kroeger and Nicole Lantagne as the top assist-makers in school history. She hopes to put herself in position for All-ACC honors, as well.
Says Kruger, "Lindsay has positioned herself to be one of the league's top setters. She is absolutely poised to be at her very best. She's setting the ball very well. The strategy is there. She's in a position to really have an impact on our team's success."
The last time that Maryland produced an All-ACC hitter and All-ACC setter on the same squad was during its regular season championship season of 1997. With the help of Ayres in the middle, returning hitters Lynnsy Jones, Jennifer Dewalt and Sarah Treadwell, and contributions from a trio of freshman blockers, the Terps are planning to continue their climb back toward the top of the ACC.
On Ayres, Brennan and Davey, Kruger added, "Our seniors have made it their mission to get us back to the top of the conference. This is their final season and it looks to be their best. The seniors have shown steady improvement and they are in position to play a large role in our team success. We will look to them for strong leadership."
SETTER
Davey begins her third straight season as Maryland's starting setter after connecting with 1,189 assists in 2001. Nearing 3,000 for her career and buoyed by an experienced Terrapin lineup, Davey will direct the Maryland offense. Her task in 2002 is to blend Maryland's experienced outside attack with an interior unit combining Ayres, redshirt freshman Stephanie Smith, and college rookies Jenny Dunn and Rachel Wagener.
 Maryland's senior setter is on pace to finish among the top assist-makers in Terrapin history.  |
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"It will take the preseason to fine-tune those connections with some of our newer players and get them into our offense," said Kruger of Davey's ability to blend the attack. "She has experience of running our offensive system, combining the fast tempo and rhythm of a sound combination attack. She understands her role as the playmaker for the team. Lindsay's ability to strategize on her feet will be an important factor as we compete in the tough ACC schedule."
Backing Davey for the second season is sophomore Aimee Huddleston who saw action in nine matches last season as a freshman, and saw her role further defined by significant progress last spring. Her most extensive playing time last season came at North Carolina and NC State on consecutive nights when she posted 12 and 26 assists, respectively, but it was the spring season that provided Huddleston with the needed match experience.
Huddleston gives the Terps a bigger physical presence at setter, and will help strengthen Maryland's block.
"We will use Aimee and Lindsay in combination throughout the season," added Kruger, "but it is primarily Lindsay's job. Aimee will certainly have an effect and an impact based on her strengths. Aimee has become a very viable backup in our offensive system, and a big asset in our blocking scheme. She has a very definite role to play on this team."
OUTSIDE HITTER
Technically speaking, Maryland returns two of its top three outside hitters from 2001, with Maria DiLivio expected to redshirt the 2002 campaign.
Primary weapons on the outside are Brennan, the local prep product and second team All-ACC pick last year, and rightside standout Lynnsy Jones who registered 246 kills as a sophomore and should only become stronger this season.
Brennan has notched 310, 441 and 379 kills in successive seasons, and has raised her hitting percentage with each season. As the Terps' go-to hitter last season, Brennan drove the ball at a .258 clip with 3.91 kills per game, sixth in the ACC. Statistically, she is the third-leading hitter in the ACC among returning players.
"Carey is an all-conference hitter that can really frustrate opposing blockers. She is a versatile and mobile attacker and also one of our best defensive players. She is durable and competitive and will be expected to play the role of our offensive go-to player."
Brennan and Jones both should benefit from their continuity together, and with Davey as the Terps' setter for a final season. Jones averaged 2.46 kills per game in 2001, and gives Maryland an outstanding complement to Brennan on the right side of the floor.
"Our point-scoring potential has been improved by a balanced attack. Lynnsy's attack capabilities have made her a valuable hitter in our offense. She has improved her hitting consistency and her ball control. One of her best skills, though, is her jump serve. Her serve is one of the toughest in the ACC."
Dewalt, a sophomore, saw limited action in her first college season, but will factor into the lineup this season. Particularly useful in her game is a 6-1 frame that will be utilized in strengthening the Terps' block and attack. She will combine with Huddleston in role situations at the net.
"Jen's attack is very strong, as is her blocking. She and Aimee can have an impact on our front row defense, helping us to improve our block from the hitter and setter positions."
Perhaps Maryland's most improved player since last season is another sophomore, Sarah Treadwell, who will also see increased playing time at outside hitter. Last season, she saw time mostly in the back row with her serving and defense, but a productive spring season resulted in an increased vertical jump, improved ball control, passing, and hitting.
Adds Kruger, "With Sarah's physical improvements and her unselfish team play we will look for her to be a solid performer this season."
Added to the arsenal this season is Canadian freshman Stephanie Doiron, who likely will see time in serve receive and defensive situations. But Doiron, according to Kruger, has always found her way into the lineup, no matter at what level of competition. "Whether it is her strong ball control, her serve or her on-court presence, she will be a valuable member of this year's team. We're looking forward to continuing her volleyball development."
MIDDLE BLOCKER
If there is a position to be developed, it is at middle blocker. Kruger will look to Ayres to anchor the position vacated by graduated senior Willette Dority who was third in the ACC last season in hitting percentage.
"Our block will need to improve, but we expect exactly that to happen since we're mostly young at that position."
Ayres, a former outside hitter who moved exclusively to middle blocker last season, guides the Terrapin blocking unit despite her 6-0 height.
"Amanda is undersized by most standards as a middle blocker, but we expect her to have her best season so far. Amanda will be expected to help in guiding and encouraging our younger middle blockers. She is a good blocker and a versatile attacker. Her greatest contributions are defensive - blocking in the front row, and passing and playing defense from the back row. We need her to play bigger than she is."
Dority (85) and Ayres (64) led the Terrapins in blocks a year ago. This year, Ayres will command the Maryland middle while helping tutor redshirt freshman Stephanie Smith and a pair of true freshmen: Jenny Dunn and Rachel Wagener. Wagener, at 6-4, may in fact find her way into a starting position based solely upon prep and USA accolades. The highly-touted recruit from Chesapeake, Va., was a second team all-state player in 2001 and was invited to USA volleyball camp as a high school junior.
Ayres, herself, is one of the Terps' most versatile and durable players, having played both outside hitter and middle blocker before assuming her role in the interior beside Dority in 2001. She has steadily raised her hitting percentage each season, and last year participated in all 101 games in which the Terps played.
Smith has vastly improved over the course of the fall and spring of her freshman season, and will enter fall camp alongside Ayres as the incumbent starter.
"Stephanie turned heads with her improvement last spring," said Kruger. "She showed marked changes in her training, her strength and her overall technique. She will continue to gain valuable match experience this season. I am optimistic about Stephanie's future as a middle blocker in the ACC. Stephanie has a great work ethic and her future looks bright at this rate of improvement."
Wagener, however, could also challenge for starting time as the season progresses. The 6-4 Wagener and 6-3 Dunn could join Smith in dramatically changing Maryland's future at the net. The young trio should steadily improve and be a measure for the Terps' success.
"It will be a healthy, competitive environment for our middle blockers. They understand the need to support each other, as they push each other and the team to improve. The team will benefit from these three talents competing daily. All three have different strengths and potentials that vary from one to the other."
DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST
Other returners for the Terps include juniors Fiona DeFreitas, Kathy Shahrokh and Lauren Wilson. All are former prep stars from the state of Maryland, and are joined in the back row by another Marylander, freshman Carrie Lagler.
DeFreitas appeared in 58 games last season and is easily the most experienced of the group. Wilson saw action in just eight games while Shahrokh earned a redshirt. The trio split limited backcourt time as freshmen in 2000.
Says Kruger, "Fiona is a very strong and determined defensive player. She can frustrate the best of hitters with her digging ability."
"All three of our returning defensive players are extremely quick and agile. They have all worked and trained extremely hard the last couple of years improving their technique and backcourt skills with regard to passing and digging. Our back row defense will be important to our team's success. As our block continues to improve, we will need our serve receive and ball control to be one of our team strengths."
ANALYSIS
A setter, two hitters and a middle blocker return to the Terrapin starting lineup - with seven years of starting experience among them. And so with an experienced starting lineup already in place, newcomer contributions need not be immediate, nor extensive.
Two-time ACC coach of the year Janice Kruger will hope for quick development to aid Amanda Ayres at middle blocker, and with any luck, Maryland may find itself back in the race for an ACC title.
Kruger's assessment: "Our serving will be as good as any team in the ACC, and our offensive balance will allow us to mix-up our attack. We have the necessary defensive skills to create problems for opposing offenses. If we control the ball and steadily improve our block, I am very optimistic about this team's success."
