Indiana University Athletics
2005 Indiana Volleyball Outlook
7/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
July 25, 2005
The 2005 edition of Indiana volleyball will feature a large influx of vibrant newcomers to match a pair of starters and seven letterwinners overall returning to the Hoosiers this coming season. Following the loss of seniors Christina Archibald and Katie Pollom, the team will look to reload with a corps of nine freshmen rolling into Bloomington.
Leading the fresh-look Cream and Crimson will be senior middle blocker Mandy Eberle (Sussex, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) and sophomore right-side hitter Lauren Ditteon (Terre Haute, Ind./South Vigo). The pair of returning starters will help solidify the front-line for the Hoosiers.
Senior outside hitter Rachel Gerling (Orange, Calif./Golden West JC), junior outside hitter Anne Grabow (Urbana, Ill./Urbana) and sophomore front-liners Gabrielle Allison (New Palestine, Ind./New Palestine) and Annie Moddrell (Freeburg, Ill./Freeburg Community) will be asked to fill the shoes of IU's departing standouts at the net. Additionally, junior Sara Diehl (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington South) will be counted on for her defensive skills in the backcourt.
Meanwhile, the Hoosiers welcome 10 newcomers to this season's squad. Setter Jessica Batliner (Clarksville, Ind./Our Lady of Providence), outside/middle hitter Carrie Deal (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North), setter Laura Holm (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North), defensive specialist Jessica Langert (Downers Grove, Ill./Montini Catholic), defensive specialist Kari Morgenstein (Lincolnshire, Ill./Stevenson), setter Christina Nolen (Spokane, Wash./Saint George's), defensive specialist/setter Hana Ros (Muncie, Ind./Burris), middle blocker Ashley Shaufler (Salem, Wis./Westosha Central), middle blocker Erica Short (Orrville, Ohio/Orrville) and outside hitter Emily Zulauf (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) all will have an opportunity to make an immediate impact in Bloomington.
Seniors
The seniors will be asked to lead this year's young and athletic club. The pair of Eberle and Gerling will pace the Hoosiers and have solid credentials to prove they can direct this squad. Both are coming off career years and should help the Cream and Crimson bounce back from a rough campaign in 2004.
Last year, Eberle led the team in total blocks with 118 and block assists with 106. She also placed second on the team with 12 block solos. Additionally, Eberle posted single-game career highs in kills (13), attempts (32), hitting percentage (.500), block solos (3), block assists (9) and total blocks (10) throughout the year. For her work in the classroom, she earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition and captured Alpha Beta honors.
"Mandy has welcomed her new leadership position," Weismiller said. "She has been working behind the scenes for sometime now as a leader, but with the new title of captain, also has emerged as a great vocal leader. Mandy's experience as a starter in the middle in 2004 will provide much needed experience on the court this fall. Her blocking has improved every year and, this spring, she became a go-to player on offense."
Gerling, a junior college transfer from Golden West (Calif.), played in 23 matches and 54 games for the Hoosiers last season. She also registered single-game career highs in kills (12), attempts (19), hitting percentage (.333), service aces (2), digs (10) and total blocks (6) in her initial campaign in the Cream and Crimson. Her best match came when she nearly had a double-double against Michigan Oct. 2 with 12 kills and nine digs. The senior also garnered Academic All-Big Ten recognition and Alpha Beta honors for her work off the court.
"Rachel filled in as our setter this spring and opened all of our eyes," Weismiller said. "She provided great leadership on the court and became a true candidate for the setting position this fall. Rachel will find herself on the court in some fashion this fall. She could be a primary ball control outside or right side. She could also find herself dishing out the sets to her teammates. She is most likely the best technical blocker we have had at IU since I've been coaching. She will cause problems for a lot of opponent's outsides this fall."
Juniors
A pair of juniors (Diehl and Grabow) returns to Indiana this campaign. The two players will be asked to provide a transition for the underclassmen.
Diehl participated in 30 of IU's 31 contests in 2004 with a pair of starts. On the court, she notched five double-digit dig efforts and tied a career high with three service aces against Ohio State, Oct. 8. Meanwhile, Diehl garnered Academic All-Big Ten recognition and Alpha Beta laurels.
"Sara spent most of the spring as one of our two primary passers," Weismiller said. "She has worked hard at improving both defensively and passing. She provided us with great leadership in the defensive role."
Grabow provided the Hoosiers with depth on the front line, while playing in five matches last season. In the classroom, she captured Academic All-Big Ten and Alpha Beta citations.
"Anne was a close contender for most improved this spring," Weismiller said. "Anne became a go-to outside for us and provided us with a lot of enthusiasm on the court. Anne's dedication to her physical conditioning and great work ethic has created great opportunities for her to see some playing time this fall. We are looking forward to her contributing this fall as an outside hitter and as one of the top servers on the team."
Sophomores
After gaining a wealth of experience in their maiden season, Allison, Ditteon and Moddrell are prepared step up into more playing time on the front line. The trio will see time as middle blockers and outside hitters.
While seeing spot duty for the Hoosiers last season, Allison posted a career high two attacks against Penn State Oct. 9. Additionally, she did well in the classroom to earn Alpha Beta honors.
"Gabby, by far, is our most improved player this spring," Weismiller said. "During the spring, we witnessed her toolbox improve. She is hitting more shots, with more power and moved from a middle position to an outside. She is becoming a legitimate power on the outside for us."
Ditteon proved she can play at the collegiate level as she moved into a starter's role shortly after opening play. As a freshman, she played in all 31 matches and started 26 of them. Additionally, she ranked in the top three on the team in attacks (286), kills per game (2.42), hitting percentage (.259), block assists (68) and total blocks (70). She also strung together five consecutive double-digit kill performances from Sept. 11 to Sept. 18. Meanwhile, Ditteon notched a double-double with 15 kills and 11 digs against Northwestern Oct. 16. In addition, she registered a total of 15 double-digit kill efforts. Academically, she claimed Alpha Beta honors.
"Lauren is coming off an injury in the spring and we are looking forward to having her back on the court," Weismiller said. "As a freshman, she was a go-to player for us. We are looking for her to provide leadership and experience as a sophomore this fall. She is definitely one of the smartest players on the court, and we will be looking for her to take even more swings."
Moddrell rounded out the freshmen effort by playing in 11 of the team's 31 matches. Against Purdue on Nov. 10, she showed a sign of things to come when she posted career highs for kills (8), attacks (16), block assists (4) and total blocks (5). She also excelled in the classroom as evidenced by Alpha Beta recognition.
"Annie continued where she left off in the fall," Weismiller said. "She was a starting middle blocker for us in the spring. She improved greatly with her blocking and lateral foot speed. She also became a great offensive option for us."
Newcomers
Overall, 10 newcomers will provide a positive impact on the squad in 2005. In sum, four states (Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin) will be represented in the incoming class.
Batliner, Deal and Ros hail from the Hoosier State, while Holm, Langert and Morgenstein call the Prairie State home. Additionally, Ohio produced Short and Zulauf, while Wisconsin brought forth Shaufler.
Meanwhile, Batliner, Holm, Nolen and Ros will fill the hole at setter, while Langert, Morgenstein and Ros will keep the floor clean as defensive specialists. Providing depth for the front line will be Deal, Shaufler and Short.
Schedule
As always, Indiana faces a crucible in front of them from which its 2005 legacy will be determined. In addition to 14 matches against the seven Big Ten teams that made the 2004 NCAA tournament, including national runner-up Minnesota, the non-conference slate features contests against other three tournament teams in Dayton, Loyola and Winthrop.
"I think the schedule is going to be tough for us, especially with such a young team," Weismiller said. "We have some leadership coming back at some key positions, but we are going to have a young lineup. We are going to be asking for some players that haven't seen Big Ten competition to step up."
Before the Big Ten season, IU will host the TIS Bookstore Invitational Sept. 16-17, as well as do battle in tournaments in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Rock Hill, S.C. The Hoosiers will also open the season by hosting a day of competition against Indiana State and Western Kentucky. After rolling through the pre-conference ledger, IU will compete against Big Ten foes beginning and ending at home with Michigan State Sept. 23 and Wisconsin Nov. 26.
"We open up with Indiana State and Western Kentucky just to play at home and get some opportunities to take some swings in front of a friendly crowd," Weismiller said. "Then, we are on the road for a couple of weeks. We are playing some NCAA tournament teams during that stretch. We are going to have to fine tune early and figure out our system pretty early. Preseason is a time to work through some kinks. We know we are going to have to get it together early against some great competition. Our goal is to be ready by Michigan State at home to open up Big Ten play."
