Southland Arithmetic: Subtraction

With SFA in North Dakota and about to begin the second weekend of tournament play for the 2012 season, we take our first look around the Southland Conference. In two weeks, the ‘Jacks will open SLC play against the Demons of Northwestern State in Shelton Gym. So, this is a good time to begin scanning rosters and sizing up our eventual competition. By the way, new speakers were hung in Shelton Gym today and we are hoping to do a little initial testing on the new sound system on Friday.

This post is actually going to have two parts because we’ll look at freshman making an impact early on in the conference in about two weeks. That will complete the pre-conference play puzzle in terms of analyzing rosters because for now we will look at losses rather than gains. For each SLC team, let’s take a look at what was lost during the off-season and the potential impact of those losses heading into the 2012 slate.

Central Arkansas
Key Losses: Cristin Curl
Impact of Losses: Minimal. Curl was an outstanding player – truly one of the best liberos in the conference the last several years. But, she is really the only impact loss UCA suffers and Shelbee Berringer should step right in.
Key Returners: (6) S Marissa Collins, DS Shelbee Berringer, MB Jessica Nagy, MB Taylor Hammonds, RS Jessica Hays (returns from injury), MB/OH Alicia Dettrich.
New: Five freshman which includes one redshirt.
Outlook: Strong. This is the team to beat in the Southland. They are as good a bet as any to be playing for the Southland Conference Tournament championship on their own floor in November.

Lamar
Key Losses: Megan McStravick (transfer to HBU), Angel Colyar
Impact of Losses: Minimal. McStravick was a key contributor on offense, but Lamar has enough attackers to cover for her loss. Colyar and additional loss Bailey Smith leave a small hole, but again.. not overly substantial.
Key Returners: (5) MB Christina Hobbs, MB Wendy Krell, OH Cynthia McCollum, S Alex Morford, OH Sierra Whittaker
New: Eight freshman including one redshirt.
Outlook: Potential Noisemakers. Not as strong as UCA on paper in my opinion, but one of the "top half" teams in the conference and capable of upsetting some in the very top tier. A four seed seems about right come November. I don’t think they have enough to string together a top seed and a tourney final appearance, but they might get one of those two.

McNeese
Key Losses: Nicole Bowden, Katie Kennedy, Taylor Bustamento, Becky Bekelja
Impact of Losses: Major. Bowden and Kennedy graduate and leave two holes on the front row. Setter Bekelja somehow gets a transfer release to play at Southeastern La. & I have no idea what happened to Bustamento, who was more than decent on the right side.
Key Returners: (2) L Whitney Ellisor, OH Rachel Cagnina
New: Six freshman and two transfers.
Outlook: Bleak. Veteran MB Shaundrea Boulden and OH Maegan Carelton will need to step up or this team is going to be playing essentially all new girls. Now, that might not be bad, but the team is very young and will be in danger of being one of the two teams left at home at the end of the year. Several players have left this program curiously (Massengale, Bekelja, Bustamento), so it is clear the club is trying to start anew and create a new regime and identity. This is the year I get off the McNeese bandwagon.

Nicholls State
Key Losses: Rachel Yezak, Jordan Karst
Impact of Losses: Minimal to Moderate. Nicholls always seems to be stacked with a lot of good, but not great players. File Yezak in that camp. This team never seems to go very far forward, but doesn’t take many steps back either. They have enough returning to hang around the middle of the conference and possibly play the role of spoiler at some point.
Key Returners: (5) OH Kathryn Stock, MB Jessica Addicks, DS Jennifer Dunn, MB Sarah Terry, OH Jennifer Brandt.
New: Two freshmen and two transfers.
Outlook: Hopeful. With a new head coach in place and a lot of returners the team can hope that it takes to new leadership and hovers around .500 in league play. They’ve got enough to get to Conway, but it’s hard to see a big step forward coming this year. Look for a seven or eight seed, here. Possibly higher if the newcomers make an impact.

Northwestern State
Key Losses: None
Impact of Losses: None
Key Returners: (7) OH Stacy DiFrancesco (’11 Freshman of Year), MB/RS MacKenzie Neely, OH Kelly Jimenez, OH Nicole Hajka, L Keelie Arneson, S Emily Sweet, MB Vanessa Coleman
New: Four freshman which includes one redshirt.
Outlook: Oh no, I ain’t making the same mistake twice. Last year written off – this year, I’m on the train. Things are turning up in Natchitoches. The question is: How fast will they progress? Like Nicholls, I’d pick them around 7th, but if they gel faster than what I project then they might upset some people and finish higher. There is something to be said for walking into Fall camp knowing you can throw the exact same lineup on the floor as the previous year. Except now.. the team has had a small taste of what it takes to succeed.

Oral Roberts
Key Losses: Elizabeth McVicker
Impact of Losses: Minimal. McVicker was a very strong player for ORU, but the club has decent depth and returns the entire cast that was around her, so there is just one hole to plug going into 2012.
Key Returners: (6) OH Olivia Ophus, MH/OH Joana Gruber, MB Jessica Pancratz, L Bruna Silva, MB Sheina Fernandes, S Laura Taylor.
New: Three freshmen.
Outlook: Strong. A clear top tier team in the SLC as they begin play with us. Get familiar with Silva: you’ll see and hear her name a lot during the year. The international composition of this team is different than what you see on most league rosters. I think they cause their share of fits. I’ll take either ORU or Sam Houston to face UCA in the tournament final.

Sam Houston State
Key Losses: Carli Kolbe, Kym Loving, Kelly Stewart
Impact of Losses: Substantial, but not as much as you might think. Look, losing Kolbe would be a massive hole to fill for any squad and the fiery Loving will be missed too. However, the coaches’ daughter takes over at setter and this team was deep last year which will allow it to fill holes admirably. I’m high on Kendall Cleveland, but the Bearkats have other weapons to help ease the pain of losing a dynamo like Kolbe.
Key Returners: (5) MB Haley Neisler, S Tayler Gray, MB Kim Black, OH Kendall Cleveland, UTIL Kaylee Hawkins
New: Five freshman which includes one redshirt plus one transfer
Outlook: Headed toward a top seed. “They lost Kolbe, so they won’t be as good”. Go ahead. Believe that. I won’t say I told you so when they finish third and wind up either in or barely missing the conference championship game. Like I said above, ORU will be tough. My reading and studying tells me to pick a UCA/ORU final, but my gut tells me it will be UCA/SHSU. So I can officially be on record for better or for worse, I am going to go with my gut.

Southeastern Louisiana
Key Losses: Paige Dollison, Kinsey Williams
Impact of Losses: Minimal. SLU is a work in progress and they return the majority of their key players from last year. It’s not like a lot can go out the door when there really wasn’t a lot in the gym to begin with.
Key Returners: (5) L Megan McMillan, DS Taylor Buckner, MB Courtney Donald, S Lindsey Young, OH Elizabeth Ramee. The addition of McNeese transfer setter Becky Bekelja is officially a return to the conference, but new to SLU.
New: Bekelja and six freshmen.
Outlook: A long way to go. That being said, with 8 of 10 teams going to Conway, this looks like a window of opportunity to sneak in the final slot and earn the right to be UCA’s first victim. I don’t think that will happen, but it’s a reasonable goal for a team on paper that looks like it should finish at or near the bottom. Regular readers may recall that I always thought more highly of former McNeese MB Nicole Bowden than others. Now that Bowden has finished playing, I’ll shift my underrated MB tag to Donald.

Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Key Losses: None, really.
Impact of Losses: Minimal. There are four players that were on the roster at this time last year that currently are not. They lose Senior Jessica Korda along with Jordan Flemmer. MB Tina Chivas is no longer an Islander and public address announcers everywhere favorite Isabella Arcidiacono (say it five times fast) is also gone. I thought Arcidiacono was going to be a star, but oh, well.
Key Returners: (6 plus?) L Micah Nolan (fairly underrated), OH Shannon Hullum, MB Brooke Alverson, OH Brianna Brink, S Logen Borque DS Renee Ramirez. TAMUCC also played OH Sarah Sanchez and DS Shelby Coppedge substantially last year and they also return.
New: Eight freshman including one redshirt and two transfers. Good gracious!
Outlook: I have no idea. Some folks I’ve talked to are actually kind of high on TAMUCC this year – believing that Graystone has been at the helm long enough now to see some big strides take place in 2012. I think I’ll hold off judgment on them. They are actually one of the teams I am watching carefully in the early going because I am just not sure what to make of the Islanders. I’ve seen Micah Nolan play some serious libero and as readers know.. back row defense is my favorite part of the game as a fan.

Stephen F. Austin
Key Losses: MC Bottles, Melissa Miksch
Impact of Losses: Minimal to Moderate. Bottles is clearly hard to replace since her offense from the MB position was so strong. Sabrina Burns is ready to take over leadership in the middle and the combination of redshirt freshman Jacque Allen and true freshman Cara Leslie will bridge some (but, not all) of the gap. I think Randall, if healthy, can cover the loss of Miksch as a six rotation L2. The ‘Jacks could certainly have used Taylor Gross (transfer to UTA), but hopefully Tori Bates exceeds her freshman offensive output from a year ago. Plus, Bates can play defense, too.
Key Returners: (5) MB Sabrina Burns, L Maddie Hanlan, S Paige Holland, RS Jill Ivy, OH Katzy Randall. SFA also returns Janet Hill who while wasn’t overly key in 2011, looks to be integral on the back row plans for 2012.
New: Seven freshmen including one redshirt plus one transfer.
Outlook: Mostly sunny with a chance of occasional showers. A leap to the top tier isn’t probable. One can hope – a true fan always does – but a team that is trying to reclaim its relevance must get to .500 first. We were close last year and we should be there or a tick above in 2012. A mid-level seed is attainable – could be higher if Lamar and Sam Houston disappoint. Could be lower if Northwestern State takes a big leap and teams like Nicholls and TAMUCC turn out to be more than tournament filler.


Next up for the weekend: Interview with UTPA Head Coach & former SFA Assistant Brian Yale.

Veteran Previews: Katzy Randall & Janet Hill

The Ladyjacks are off to a strong start in 2012 after sweeping UTA on their new floor Saturday night to capture their first tournament title of the year.  Sophomores Katzy Randall and Janet Hill each played instrumental roles in getting the job done over the weekend and this post casts all the light on these two girls.  Below is a transcript of our online interview followed by ant audio interview done prior to leaving for the UTA Tournament. 

Katzy Randall was definitively one of the most anticipated recruits of the 2011 class.  Before all is said and done, she figures to get her shot at being the star of the show.  When healthy, Randall has the skill set to play all the way around and when elevating the way she was early on in 2011 can be a truly dangerous outside hitter.  Her ball control skills keep her integrated into floor time even when nagging injuries keep her from being as aggressive as she'd like on the front row.

A truly great scenario for the 'Jacks would be for Randall to just completely take over one of the outside hitter positions and run with it all season long.  That way, current freshman Tori Bates and Keeley Kainer could carry a lighter load.  Bates and Kainer each turned it up a notch as the UTA Tourney wore on, but Randall has the experience and the talent to allow Humphreys to ease the freshmen along.  Having all three of them healthy makes us deeper on the outside and increases the chance that our offense will be more balanced alongside the efforts of Burns and Allen in the middle coupled with Ivy's strength on the right.

Janet Hill has gone from a role of part DS and part backup setter to fully concentrating on defense in 2012.  I think this shift was inevitable given you don't see many 5'5" NCAA DI setters.  But, the fact that Janet has setters' hands only adds to the dimension she current plays on the back row.  I think the role she had this past weekend suits her just fine and is the type of contribution all should expect going forward.  One thing I failed to mention in stat wraps for the chats during the UTA Tourney is that Hill twice upped her career high in digs.  She had 9 scoops against UTPA and then 10 in the championship against host UTA.  Her 2011 high was 8.  Expect more double digit dig performances out of Hill during the year as she looks to solidify court time on defense.

As always, many thanks to both Janet and Katzy for returning questions via Facebook and taking the time after an intense and long practice to sit down and chat.

SFAVB:  Katzy, describe your off-season routine in terms of workouts, exercise & rehab. Did you do anything different to prepare for workouts beginning this year as opposed to just before beginning your first year?

KR:  I didn't have much of an off season due to having surgery in January. I started doing rehab everyday and was fully released by late May. That is when I then slowly but surely started my off season. I had about two solid months to get back to where I needed to be for this season.

SFAVB:  What is the #1 piece of advice that you would give the incoming freshman as they begin to prepare for their first college volleyball season?

KR:  I tell incoming freshman to just relax and play the game that you got recruited to come and do. It seems so much harder than it really is but if you just relax and play like you know how too, than you will be fine.

SFAVB: Janet, What was the #1 thing that you saw as different in trying to defend/dig college attackers as opposed to those you saw in high school?

JH: One of the main differences in college from high school hitters is their size. The girls in college are the best of the best, and are much bigger than most girls I played against in high school and club. Another main difference is the hitters in college have a higher volleyball IQ; meaning they understand the game better and handle the mental and tactical side of the game better.

SFAVB: You mention experiences coming out of high school and club ball... I  I know – that like others on the team – that you had opportunities to go to other schools to play volleyball and go to school. What was it about SFA Volleyball or SFA in general that convinced you that being here was the right thing for you?

JH: SFA was the first college campus I ever stepped foot on when I came to a camp early in my high school career. All the other schools I went to just couldn't compare to the atmosphere here at SFA. Everything from the coaches and girls to the gym are just so inviting and comforting. It was a pleasant surprise to start going to class and be so enthused by the professors and classes. I started out as a Math major but then added Computer Science as a second major. It’s a perfect fit for me!

SFAVB: Katzy, you may very well be in line for a six rotation spot this season… what do you feel you need to improve the most on: front row or back row responsibilities?

KR:  I need to definitely improve on my front row game because of my injuries.  Because of the injuries, I have put my main focus on defense and it has become pretty solid.

SFAVB:  Hitting from the left side.. you’re known for having a diverse repertoire of shots. Is there one particular shot that you feel is your very best weapon?

KR:  I do have a nice bag of tricks I can pull out come game time but my better shot would definitely have to be my cross-body line shot. I think I have put my focus on that shot for a long time, being such a short outside but it is hard for the defense to read you when you look like your going cross but really your hitting line.

SFAVB: Janet, when playing defense, do you feel particularly more comfortable in any particular back row spot?

JH: As a DS, left back is probably where I feel most comfortable because everything is funneled to that position so you're always expecting the ball and don't have to anticipate as much as you do in right or middle back.

SFAVB:  Janet, you brought up your studies and majors a minute ago... tell the truth: Does a lot of studying get done on the bus or in hotels on the road? Or, is most of the time just spent relaxing getting to know your teammates?

JH: Well...being the size I am, I'm able to get A LOT of sleep on the bus because I can actually lay down unlike many of the girls. Also, I tend to get queasy if I read in a moving vehicle…So not a lot of homework gets done of the bus for me. On the bus and in the hotel rooms many memories are made with my teammates, as well as a lot of down time to keep our bodies well rested.

SFAVB:  Katzy,  was there one or two particular upperclassmen/veterans last year that played the role of mentor to you during your first year?

KR: Definitely Maddie [Hanlan] helped me out a ton, especially in the back row and being a freshman. She just had something about her that would calm me down and I knew I was capable of the job at hand. Les [Jackson] also helped out being a great leader and only being a sophomore.

SFAVB:  Finally, Janet -  like many of the volleyball parents, both of your parents are very active in supporting you and the club as a whole. Describe the support and role that they have played for you as you’ve made the transition to college athletics.

JH:  My parents have always been supportive of me and all my decisions. Once I went off to college nothing but love and support still came from them. They still come to all of my games and that's such an amazing feeling to look up in the stands and see them cheering me on and knowing that they still will put the time and energy into driving many miles to see me. I think they are just as excited as I am to start this season!

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Take a listen to more conversation with Katzy and Janet in the audio file below:

Check back later in the week for two additional posts:  First, on Thursday, we will take a look at each team in the conference and what they lost in 2011 and what they are looking to replace in 2012.  Second, over the weekend at the UTA Tournament, I got a chance to talk with UTPA Head Coach and former SFA Assistant Brian Yale.  Our interview will be available here on Saturday.  Veteran previews continues with seniors Sabrina Burns and Maddie Hanlan.  Also look for the first installment of SLC5 next week after the second weekend of tournaments has finished up.  Finally, the link to Allison Gideon's Trek-X blog will go up soon as well as the first draft of the SLC Lineup Grid.  Check the right sidebar for those two features. 

Lots coming your way - as always - at SFA Volleyball's Strongest Presence on the Net... sfavolleyblog.net

[Credit: Thanks to Connie Ziober for providing some of the photos seen in the above file.]

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