Wake Forest Volleyball 2010 Season Preview

8/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

Aug. 23, 2010

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest volleyball team is less than a week away from beginning the 2010 season under the guidance of sixth-year head coach Heather Kahl Holmes.

The Demon Deacons will look to improve upon last season's 11-20 overall record and 9-11 record in the ACC, good enough for a tie for seventh place in the conference. With 11 returning players and six returning starters, the Deacons are poised for a successful 2010 campaign.

"Our goal every year is to be competitive in the ACC, and we'd like to finish in the top half of the conference," said Kahl Holmes. "With the experience we have coming back this year, we are really looking to make a push into the top three."

The trek to the top of the ACC will not be easy, as the Demon Deacons were predicted to finish 10th by the league's 12 head coaches earlier in the summer.

"ACC volleyball is one of the top four conferences in the country, so competing in this conference certainly provides a great challenge for us," said Kahl Holmes. "It's a long season, so we're going to be taking everything just one match at a time, one point at a time."

Headlining the experienced group of Deacons are four seniors who have all seen significant action since stepping foot on the Wake Forest campus. The foursome includes Kelsey Jones, Lauren McIntyre, Megan Thornberry and Kristen White.

"Our four seniors have been on the court since their freshmen year, whether they were starters immediately or became starters midway through the year," said Kahl Holmes. "They've been through it all, and they came back this year with a new focus and a new drive. It's their last chance, and they understand that right now."

Wake Forest will be in good hands with Jones as their four-year starting setter running the offense. She is currently fourth all-time in WFU history with 3,442 career assists and is 1,227 away from becoming the all-time Demon Deacon leader.

Jones is also just 161 digs from becoming the 8th person in school history to eclipse the 1,000-dig plateau for a career.

"Kelsey was coming back from surgery last season, but she really handled the demands well throughout the season," said Kahl Holmes. "She is the staple on the court that keeps everyone together. I'm looking for her to keep leading, keep being a role model and keep being our quarterback."

Sharing the setting duties with Jones is sophomore Megan Carnell who played in eight matches last year and dished out 59 assists.

"I really don't look at Megan as a backup. She has a year under her belt and gained a lot of experience last preseason and again during the spring," said Kahl Holmes. "She is a presence at the net, and we like to use her to block even if she isn't setting at the time."

White and junior Kadija Fornah will be asked to provide much of the offense this season as the team's returning outside hitters.

White sits at No. 12 on Wake's all-time kills list with 762 for her career and at No. 15 on the all-time digs list with 735. Last season she was fourth on the team with 248 kills and third on the team with 282 digs.

Fornah has been selected to the Preseason All-ACC team both of the past two season and finished the 2009 season with a team-best 306 kills. Fornah added 116 digs and 46 total blocks last season.

"Kadija is very athletic and dynamic on the court and can put a lot of pop behind the ball. She has also worked on her back row, so hopefully we can get a few extra swings out her by playing all six rotations," said Kahl Holmes. "Kristen has great size and power and can really mix up her shots well. Kristen is also a great leader and is the calming presence for the team out on the court."

McIntyre looks to be the team's starting right side hitter after making the transition to the position from the middle a season ago. McIntyre has 603 kills and 281 total blocks in her career.

"Mac's always been a middle, but she has come into her own and accepted her new role. She is real physical at the net and provides a nice block. We'd really like to get her more involved in the offense this year, as well," said Holmes. "Mac's spirit and competitiveness is second to none, and I'm looking for her to carry that onto the court this year."

Also vying for playing time on the outside will be juniors Cambrey Oehler and Madison Vain and freshman Kylie Hargreaves.

"Cambrey has an amazing jump and is very athletic. Last season we put her in the back row where she was very solid on defense and in serve receive, but this year she may see herself staying in the front row in certain situations," said Kahl Holmes. "Madison provides us with a lefty that we can put on the right side, and she has worked on becoming stronger this summer. She is doing a great job competing with Mac on the right side. Kylie has a great arm on her. She is very physical and is a six-rotation player."

The middle hitters might be the youngest group of players for the Demon Deacons, but with returning starters Carlin Salmon and Andrea Beck and newcomer Kristin Grissom, Kahl Holmes is excited about the talent level.

Salmon is a junior this season and led the Deacs last year with 348.0 points. She was second on the team with 277 kills and was the only member of the team to surpass 100 total blocks last year with 117. Beck was just behind her and was third on the team with 320.5 points. She recorded 257 kills and 96 total blocks.

"Last year we were basically playing with two new middles since Carlin didn't get the starting job until the end of her freshman season," said Kahl Holmes. "We'll look for her to be our go-to offensive middle and put a lot of balls away for us. Andrea held her own against some of the best middles in the nation last year and has only gotten better. She improved her vertical leap and is a more physical player this year."

"Kristin has come in and surprised a lot of players. She has the highest jump on the team and has really gotten better by the hour," said Kahl Holmes.

Anchoring the defense and serve receive patterns for the Demon Deacons will be Thornberry, who has started since early on in her career. She has 1,359 digs in her first three seasons and is third all-time in Wake Forest history.

"She is a very consistent serve receive passer and averaged over 4.5 digs per set for us last year, after breaking her finger just minutes before we opened up the season," said Kahl Holmes. "She's not your typical libero, but she gets the job done. She may sometimes get overlooked because she is so calm and cool on the court, but we like that about her."

Sophomore Heather Kraft was thrown into the mix early last year after Thornberry's injury and will look to provide depth for the Deacon defense.

"Heather earned some valuable time on the court as a freshman. She's gotten much better and has gained a lot of confidence just by knowing what we expect this season," said Kahl Holmes.

Rounding out the group of defensive specialist is freshman Lindsey Remington.

"Lindsey is definitely going to challenge for playing time in the back court," said Kahl Holmes. "She brings tons of energy and excitement to the gym. She is competitive in every drill, and she is cheering on her teammates in every drill."

Wake Forest is slated to open the 2010 schedule by hosting the Deacon Invitational at Reynolds Gym on Friday and Saturday. The Demon Deacons will play Coastal Carolina on Friday at 7 pm and East Tennessee State and Georgia on Saturday at 12:30 pm and 7 pm, respectively.

Admission to the Deacon Invitational and all Wake Forest home volleyball matches this year will be free to all fans.