Aug. 20, 2004
SAN DIEGO - The end of the 2003 volleyball season closed a chapter on the San Diego State volleyball program, and for all intents and purposes, the 2004 Aztec squad will have an almost entirely new look from recent years.
Youth will be the key word for the upcoming campaign, not only in terms of the number of new faces, but also in the degree of experience of the returning players. All of these "young" athletes learn will under fire from the start of the season and will need to step up if SDSU is to have success this fall.
With graduation taking its toll, the Aztecs lost the services of seven seniors who accounted for over 75 percent of the team's kills a year ago. Included in that group were five starters and one other who appeared in every game, with all seven playing in over 100 of the team's 112 games in 2003. Five of those departed seniors played at San Diego State the past four years and had formed the core of the SDSU squad during that time.
Among the players lost were middle blockers Aspen McPartland and Megan Schauermann. McPartland was a two-time all-Mountain West Conference athlete and the league's co-Player of the Year in 2003 while Schauermann was among the top blockers in the nation as a senior and led the MWC in that category.
Also gone are starting setter Sara Engstrom, who played every point in 109 of the team's 112 games and started the other three, and back row player Robyn Gregg, who was the league's defensive player of the year in 2001.
On the plus side, the Aztecs have a returning starter back in senior outside hitter Kara Moriarty, who enters her fourth season at SDSU and second as a starter. She led the team in digs and was second in kill average last season.
The only other player with any appreciable experience is junior Kari Dykema, who saw action in 67 games in 2003 as a defensive specialist playing strictly in the back row.
"We'll definitely be a young team this season, not just in terms of class but in terms of collegiate experience as well," said head coach Mark Warner. "Other than Moriarty and Dykema, the other nine returnees have played a total of 28 games during their Aztec careers. We have five freshmen and a sophomore transfer among the new faces, and they'll have to step up and contribute right away.
"The good news is that our returning athletes got some valuable experience against some good competition in the spring. We played teams like Loyola Marymount, Long Beach State, UC Santa Barbara and USD, and that experience will help them as they prepare for the fall season."
The veterans will be aided by an infusion of six newcomers, each of whom could play a role on the floor this season. Included in that group is a sophomore transfer who was a former Idaho state MVP plus five true freshmen. That group of first-year collegiate players lists among its members one all-state selection, one California CIF player of the year and a trio of all-CIF selections.
"Despite our inexperience, I have expectations of good play," commented Warner. "The talent is there for us to play at a high level, but it's hard to say how that will translate in terms of wins this season."
SETTER
The position of setter will feature a new face this year with the loss of last year's starter, Sara Engstrom. In addition to her departure to graduation, the team's backup setter in 2003, Meredith Hasson, has left SDSU to attend school closer to home. That leaves freshman Kristen Castillo as the apparent starter for 2004.
Castillo was the CIF player of the year as a senior at Bishop Montgomery High in Torrance, Calif. She will need to make a quick transition to the Division I level as she is the lone player on the roster listed at the setter position.
"Kristen is a very good player who has a lot of experience with a high club-level team, so I expect her to step right in," said Warner. "As a backup at the position, we had Kari Dykema do some setting during spring ball, and we'll also start to train one of our other freshmen, Aime Cordeiro, to set as well."
OUTSIDE HITTER
The outside hitter spot is the one area that will have a bit of experience. That comes in the form of Kara Moriarty, who started 30 of 32 matches and played in every game but one a year ago. As the lone senior on the 2004 squad, she will be looked to for leadership on the court as well as continued solid play up front.
"Kara had an excellent season her junior year and played as we expected her to when we signed her three years ago," noted Warner. "She came on strong at the end of the season and was a force for us during the conference tournament. We expect more of the same this fall."
Other veterans at this position include a trio of juniors in Melissa Stapley, Ashley Bowker and Angela Verdenacci. Of the three, Stapley saw the most action last fall in her first season as an Aztec, but that amounted to appearances in just 13 games. Both Bowker, who is also being looked at as a middle blocker, and Verdenacci have been at SDSU the past two years, seeing limited playing time during their Aztec careers.
"Stapley had some injury problems in the spring, but fought her way back near the end and should be ready to go," said Warner. "Both she and Verdenacci are the ones who will be factors at the position. They both still need to prove themselves, but they've trained hard in the off-season and are determined to do well."
Adding to the depth at the outside hitter spot are sophomore transfer Melanie Greene and freshman Bethany Nosko. Greene won state MVP honors in Idaho as a prep senior while Nosko was an all-CIF selection last year.
"Melanie Greene, who comes to us from Washington State, is an experienced player who should help us right away on the outside," noted Warner. "She's played against some good competition in the Pac-10 so she knows about the pressure of match situations. Nosko is a highly-decorated player who played with a high level club team and could be a factor for us as a freshman."
MIDDLE BLOCKER
One of the big question marks for the Aztecs this season is at middle blocker where they lost two players who were among the best in the conference: all-MWC selections Aspen McPartland and Megan Schauermann.
Heading up the candidates to fill in here are two juniors, a redshirt freshman and a pair of high school recruits. Although there is talent available, experience is at a premium.
The returning juniors are Ashley Bowker and Lucilla Xavier, who together have appeared in only five matches over the past two seasons. Xavier came to SDSU after earning NAIARegion VI front row player of the year honors in 2001. Bowker was a local prep standout as an outside hitter who could get a look at middle blocker this season.
"Lucilla showed well in the middle during spring practice and we're looking at her at a couple positions for the coming season," said Warner. "We moved Bowker to middle last spring and she took to it really well. Even though she's not one of the taller players on the squad, she's very athletic and jumps well."
The Aztecs will also welcome back freshman Kelley Wahlin, who redshirted last season in her first year as an Aztec. She was an all-region honoree as a prep senior in Utah two years ago.
The two freshmen vying for playing time at middle blocker are Vanessa Curtis and Lindsey Mahan, both of whom are coming off standout senior high school seasons. Curtis was an all-CIF and all-league selection at nearby University of San Diego High School. Mahan, from Walla Walla (Wash.) High, was an all-state and all-region selection after being named her league's player of the year.
"Both Curtis and Mahan are talented young players who will have to be ready to step in and play at this level right away," noted Warner. "The middle is one of our unknowns heading into the preseason after probably being our strength the past couple of seasons. It will all come down to the players stepping up and performing at this level."
RIGHT SIDE
The Aztecs have a pair of potential right side hitters in sophomores Audra Dent and Jenna Pierson.
Dent played in eight matches as a true freshman in 2003 with one start. In those contests she averaged 1.4 kills per game and showed flashes of the form that lead the coaching staff to believe she will develop into a fine hitter at the collegiate level.
"Audra did really well in the spring and we expect her be ready to play when the whistle sounds," said Warner. "She could be poised for a big season and will be a force on the right side for us."
Pierson has been at SDSU the past two years, but has yet to see playing time during the regular season. She was a league MVP as a high school senior and came to the squad via the walk-on route.
"Pierson had a good spring and has showed promise as a right side hitter," commented the coach.
DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST
One area of strength for the Aztecs this season could be the defense, one that will rely heavily on the play of a combination of four defensive specialists that appear on the roster. That quarter features junior Kari Dykema, one of only two veterans to have seen action in more than half of the team's contests during the 2003 campaign.
Two other returning players who could see time in a defensive role are junior Barbara Louie and sophomore Nina Metzger, both of whom redshirted for the Aztecs last year. Louie sat out at SDSU after coming to the program from San Diego Mesa Junior College. Metzger practiced with the squad last season, but also saw no playing time to preserve a year of eligibility.
Joining these three is freshman Aime Cordeiro, a four-year all-league selection and all-CIF honoree last year at West Hills High.
"One surprise during the spring was that our defense was really good," said Warner. "Kari, Barbara, Nina...they all played really well. We knew what Kari could do, but the other two showed that they are good defensive players as well.
"Added to those three is Aime Cordeiro, who is a very good defender as well. She could be used as a libero as well as she has the most pure experience of anyone on the team, at that position, at least at the club level,"
SUMMARY
With five new starters and an almost entirely new look on the court this coming season, the Aztecs will need to quickly find the combinations that will allow them to maximize the talents of their young squad.
"It's going to be the coaching staff's challenge to figure out the strengths of the individual players and fit them a system that will be successful for us," said Warner. "We know what the veterans can do and we've seen most of the newcomers in club play, so we have a pretty good idea. We want to take advantage of each player's athleticism and develop our style of play around what they can do on the floor.
"It's pretty certain that there will be some freshmen in the starting lineup this fall...for sure a freshman setter. Two, three...maybe even as many as four could be on the court at the same time. It all depends on how quickly they adapt to this level of play."
Warner sees his team defense, which struggled at times a year ago, as one of the positives as the season approaches.
"From what I saw in the spring and what I know about our newcomers, it appears that we'll be much better defensively," he noted. "I think it's going to be frustrating at times for other teams to get the ball down on us.
"I think we'll be a good serving tam as well, and that will also put pressure on our opponents. With our losses form a year ago, our blocking probably won't be as good and our attacking ability remains to be seen. It just depends on how well all of our players step up to meet the challenge."
The team will opens its 2004 season against nationally-ranked Arizona in what will kick off a competitive pre-conference slate. SDSU continues early-season home action when its hosts the four-team Aztec Invitational which includes UC Santa Barbara and Texas Tech.
In addition to Arizona and UCSB, six other 2003 NCAA tourney participants appear on the Aztecs' schedule including Loyola Marymount, San Francisco, University of San Diego, Brigham Young, Utah and Colorado State. Four other opponents (Oral Roberts, Fresno State, Wichita State and Texas State) recorded at least 20 wins a year ago.
"It's certainly a pretty tough schedule and we'll be challenged every time out," said head coach Mark Warner. "We open up with a very good Arizona team and the level of competition will remain high throughout the season.
"The key to our success will be if we can maintain consistency in our play throughout the year. If we can, we could be better than anybody is expecting. I really do believe we have some talent, but we're going to have to get good play out of our young players from the start of the season. If that happens we should be all right."