Indiana University Athletics
1998 Season Outlook
8/25/1998 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
1998 Season Outlook
Expectations for the 1998 Indiana volleyball season are at an all- time high for head coach Katie Weismiller. And they should be. What coach wouldn't anticipate an upcoming season where 10 letterwinners and all but one starter return. And of the 10 returnees, seven are upperclassmen.
Experience looks to be the key for the Hoosiers in 1998. Of the group, Indiana's two seniors, Jen Magelssen and Melissa Rooney are the two lone players left from the 1995 squad that participated in postseason NCAA Tournament play. And with all five juniors back, the Hoosiers' sights are set on making a run in the Big Ten, and hopefully, a trip back to the NCAAs.
"When I look at this team, I see experience," said Weismiller. "We have two seniors coming back and both of them have been on the court since their freshman year. The junior class consists of quite a few players who have been two-year starters or who have started at some point in their careers. I really think that this is the first time I can look at this team and say that we have experience."
With experience and depth, brings the luxury of using several different lineups in 1998.
"This fall we are going to see a lot of different lineups," said Weismiller. "Whoever the starters are, will be determined on how they have played that week in practice. Because we are so deep, if somebody's in trouble swinging on the outside or in the middle we can put someone else in. It won't be like we are losing anything."
Not only are the expectations high for this year's squad but one can also see that there is a new sense of commitment to the program and the upcoming season. When you talk to the players and coaches about the future, you see that everyone involved has a strong commitment to winning and taking the program to a higher level.
"I think there is a real strong commitment to this season," said Weismiller. "The players have stayed around Bloomington this summer and have pushed themselves both in weight training and running. Everyone should be in great condition when the season starts."
After getting off to a school record-breaking 15-0 start in 1997, but then struggling to an 18-15 overall, 5-15 eighth-place Big Ten finish, the team feels they have learned from their mistakes and errors made down the road and will benefit from the lessons learned a year ago.
"You look at last season, and our errors haunted us," said Weismiller. "There were a lot of situations where we could have limited our mental errors and won more matches. I think that is where we will see a difference in the win-loss column this season. We will be mentally tougher."
The schedule will be one of the toughest the Hoosiers have had in years. Indiana will be tested early in the season as five of its first six opponents participated in postseason NCAA play in 1997. IU will kickoff the season, playing Colorado State, Arizona, Southern California and Notre Dame.
That doesn't even include the six Big Ten Conference teams who saw postseason action last year, including Penn State who advanced to the Final Four Championship match.
"When you look at our schedule, we will be tested in the nonconference and conference matches," Weismiller said. "Of course when you look at the Big Ten, at one point last year we had eight teams ranked in the top 25 and this year should be no different. I believe that Indiana has a legitimate chance. What we have to do is take care of business at home and really focus on the close games and get over the mental hump."
The Left Side
The Hoosiers are strongest on the left side and will count on senior Jen Magelssen, junior Ryann Connors and sophomore Jill Mudge to provide the majority of the offense.Magelssen averaged 3.03 kills and 2.89 digs per game while leading the team from the service line for the third straight year with 47 aces. Already the school record holder for career aces (160), Magelssen is just 309 kills and 19 digs shy of becoming the career leader for both kills and digs.
Connors returns as Indiana's kill leader, averaging 3.89 kills per game in 1997. Connors possesses a lethal swing and should benefit from having participated in the U.S. National Team tryouts this past summer in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Mudge averaged 2.19 kills as a freshman and should only improve after having spent one season in the collegiate ranks.
"We are going to be deep on the out- side," Weismiller said. "We have Jen, Ryann and Jill, along with freshman Katie Klink coming in, and those are four strong outside hitters who love to swing. We've got a lot of power and a lot of finesse, so we can go with any different angle to out-smart the opponent."
The Right Side
The Hoosiers will have to replace the services of graduated All-Big Ten, All-District II team member Julie Flatley who held down the position the last three years. Sophomore Amanda Welter and senior walk-on Katie Parmenter will be sharing time on the right side until a starter emerges. Welter had 41 kills in 27 matches as a freshman, but at 6-3, will be counted on heavily for her big block."I look at the rightside and I see that position up for grabs," said Weismiller. "Right now it is Amanda or Katie. One of the biggest sur- prises has been Katie. You talk about leadership. She's been with the team less than a year and she just steps in. She loves the game and loves to play, and that is so refreshing.
Amanda is one of our true compet- itors. She is a great blocker and the sky's the limit for her. It is going to be a commitment from one of these two players as to who will hold down that position."
The Middle
For the first time in a long time the Hoosiers will have depth and experience at the middle blocker position.Returning for her final season is Melissa Rooney. Rooney, a three-year starter, averaged 2.56 kills, 1.08 digs and .80 blocks per game last season while also recording a .253 attack percentage.
Two-year starter Cydryce Carter returns for her junior campaign after setting a new school single-season record with 152 blocks a year ago. She also reset the school match record with 14 block assists against Illinois.
Junior Laura Mettes and sophomore Laura Dewitz will also add another element to the Hoosiers' blocking game with their speed and ability to get above the net.
"I smile when I think of our middles," said Weismiller. "If we need speed, blocking or a terminator, we've got it all in our four middles. You look at that position and we've got to figure out what we need for each opponent, so I think that's where you're going to see different players playing at different times. We are deep and experienced and that is something we haven't been able to say for a while."
The Setup
With the same person occupying this starting position over the previous two seasons, it's no surprise that Kristina Sanderson will continue to run the Hoosiers' offense with freshman Laurie Gardner providing backup. Sanderson, the lone setter a year ago, broke the school single-season record with 1,577 assists last year and moved into fourth place on the career charts with 2,394 career assists. As a sophomore, she averaged 13.14 assists per game to rank third in the Big Ten. She also ranked seventh in the league and led the team with 3.0 digs per game.Newcomer Gardner earned first-team all-State honors while setting for West Bend East in West Bend, Wis. As a senior, she collected 855 assists, 146 kills and 255 digs while leading her team to a state title in 1997.
"Kristina definitely has the advantage going in after setting for a season and a half, but I think the biggest plus for her is that she will have someone to challenge her. Laurie will not only challenge Kristina but also give her more of a comfort zone, so if she is not on one night, it will not hurt the team. I think there's a lot of pressure when you're the only setter and you have to perform at your peak every night."
Defense is their Speciality
The Hoosiers have always been a strong defensive team and that should not change this season. IU returns a very capable defensive specialist in Erin Heimann. Heimann, who can also set, averaged 1.63 digs per game last season. She will be supported by newcomers Crecia Keithley and JoAnne Amstutz."You look at our defensive specialists and you look at Erin Heimann, who at times was one of our best setters last season," said Weismiller. "Erin has a great serve, a great attitude and just loves to play. She's got to be the forerunner in that position but will be challenged by freshman Crecia Keithley. Crecia is tough and will run through a wall for you. I think we will see a lot of her on the court this fall."
Go back to the Top
