Volleyball Team Enters 2003 Season As Opportunists
9/4/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
By Sam Walker
The Wake Forest women's volleyball team looks forward to another challenging year and is perhaps better equipped to handle the tough 2003 schedule. The program is in its seventh year, and head coach Valorie Baker has been at Wake Forest, first as an assistant and later as head coach, for all seven seasons. After a seventh-place finish a year ago, the Deacons are ranked sixth in the preseason this year.
"Preseason is going really well," Baker said. "All the girls came back in shape and with no injuries. We've had a lot of competition in a lot of different positions, which is for the betterment of the team. That's the end result of developing a program. We're finally to a point where we're bringing in better players each year, which fosters competition between the returners and the new kids."
The 2003 team has a nice mix of experienced players and young talent. However, an unknown factor is leadership. Despite having four seniors and three juniors, Baker hasn't been able to determine who is going to step forward and be the leaders the 2003 Deacons will need this year.
"I think we're still determining our leadership," Baker said. "We haven't picked captains yet, but I've seen some leadership qualities from several players. Now it's up to them to take on that (leadership) role and do it day in and day out. Hopefully we'll see that emerge from some people as preseason ends and the tiredness and soreness go away."
Baker has added Melissa Batie to the coaching staff, which gives her the ability to manage the team and practices more while giving the players more individualized coaching. Batie served as a volunteer coach at the University of Florida, coached at Creighton University, and served as an assistant coach and interim head coach at UNC-Charlotte.
"I've finally been able to round out our staff the way I wanted it with the support of our administration," Baker said. "Melissa is somebody I've known for a number of years. She was an assistant at Charlotte, she's been at Florida and coached in Minnesota and has done a lot with the national junior program in Florida. Now we're better able to give our players individual attention. It lets you free up some things and break them up into groups. She fits into our staff superbly, and I'm looking forward to working with her."
Along with the four seniors and three juniors are five sophomores and three freshmen, which gives Baker a chance to keep developing the program incrementally for the next several years. Experience, however, cannot be replaced.
"I am excited we have several returners from last year's squad, but we have a new setter (Erin Borhart), which is always something for hitters to get used to," Baker said. "She brings a lot of experience from her club, and last fall she saw some games so it's not like she's totally new. She's from the Chicago, Illinois, area so she played on very competitive high school and club teams, so she's stepping in not as green as a freshman might have been."
Borhart was injured last spring and didn't see as much time on the floor as Baker would have liked, but she is confident that the Deacons will be able to build the necessary chemistry needed between the setter and hitters.
"Erin is an extremely smart setter and plays beyond her years with her judgements on who to set, when to tip and she sees the court very well on our side and the other side very well for her age," Baker said. "I see the chemistry between the returners and her working out very well."
Sara Beth DeLisle and Valerie Rydberg are both back on the left side, and freshman Lauren Peterson is pushing for a position on the left side as well. The middle is the strength of this year's squad with senior Jessica Hauff and Christy Williams, last year's ACC Rookie of the Year returning. Juniors Kim Stern and Morgan Havig provide added experience in the middle. "That's the strongest position offensively from what we have returning last year," Baker said.
On the right side, senior Ashley Fisher should be a consistent and reliable performer, and freshman Jenna Doane has been fitting in well in the preseason. "She's kind of getting used to things and the expectations we have of her, but I really see her making strides,"
Baker said. At the Libero position, sophomore A.J. Nicholas and freshman Natasha Schaefer have shown a lot during the preseason, according to Baker, and senior Tawni Schulte returns after playing as the team's main Libero last fall. Klarysa Henry has returned much improved and will play on defense as well.
"The middle is strong, and we have experience on the left side, but the key is going to be can we harness some consistency there," Baker said. "Last year's schedule was one of the most difficult we've ever faced here at Wake, and that, coupled with some inconsistency, can be frustrating. But with these girls having played together, if we can be more consistent, then I think we can have a good season. We have a strong middle with all those girls returning, and across the board we have some experience."
Georgia Tech is ranked in the top 10 this year, which makes them the team to beat in the ACC, and the Deacons' nonconference schedule is tough as Baker well knows. "We will be playing the University of Louisville, which is where I coached prior to coming here, so that's one I'm hoping to get," Baker said. "The University of Illinois is traditionally a top 20 team. The guy that I worked for at Louisville is the head coach at Illinois. I'm kind of catching up with my past with this schedule, but I think there are some great opportunities out there for our squad. The ACC was ranked as one of the top three conferences for strength of schedule (last year), so there are no easy games there. But I think we should go into every game knowing we have a shot at winning.
"We have a difficult schedule again this year, and my philosophy is that if that is where you want your program to be, you're going to have to play some of those teams. You're going to take some tough losses during that, but eventually you're going to knock off one of those teams. Then you've gained the confidence, and that's where they expect to be. Last year was the first year they've played at that level and seen that level of team and that should give them confidence going into this season."