Women's Volleyball Season Preview 2008
With plenty talent returning for the 2008 season and a solid recruiting class, the MSOE women's volleyball team will again look to make their mark in the Northern Athletics Conference.
MSOE returns four players for this season including All-NAC First Team selection Allie Sowinski who lead the conference in kills and service aces in 2007. Sowinski is also the MSOE career record holder for kills and service aces. The Raiders finished fifth in the NAC during the 2007 season with 7-5 record in conference matches. The other senior on the roster is middle hitter Ashley Brown who along with Sowinski will be counted on to be the leaders of the team.
"They are the seniors on this year's team that the rest of the team will look up to for on the court and off the court leadership they will provide," said head coach Adam Stikel.
The two other returning players, sophomores Jackie Bertram and Karli Ellwanger are also expected to play important roles for the Raiders this season.
"I think Jackie Bertram and Karli Ellwanger will step up during the 2008 season," said assistant coach Paul Bierdemann. "They both are very athletic and with one season under their belts, they are familiar with the expectations of college volleyball.
Assistant coach Theresa Narveson sees the keys to having a successful season in 2008 as communication and confidence.
"With an expected majority of the team being freshmen next year, it is going to take a lot of communication between the returnees and newcomers, especially at the beginning of the season so we can start off in sync," Narveson said. "Also, confidence that we can succeed is a huge key. Volleyball is a mental sport and the whole team needs to have that mental attitude that you can win, it doesn't matter who you are playing against. Just one person on the court who lacks that confidence can negatively affect the outcome of the game."
With newcomers making up more than half the roster, the Raiders' freshmen class will be integral to the MSOE's success in 2008.
"We are very excited for the freshmen class this year," Narveson said. "This is one of the record years for the number of girls who have shown interest in our program, many of them who have had multiple years of high school and club experience. It will be a huge help especially in practice to have so many talented girls to help each other improve and get better every day."
