Volleyball gears up for new season

September 2, 2005

Sophomores Ashley Lokken and Megan Plemmons watch their teammates practice from the sidelines.

-Photo by Jason Spencer

Coach Kim Hyatt answered questions regarding this year’s volleyball team who begins its season tomorrow.

Q: How many returning players do you have?

A: They’re all returning except for one. I have eleven returners. I have one freshman.

Q: What are you expecting from your lone freshman Christy Degen as she enters into the team?

A: She’s already been put into the mix. She played this weekend and did real well. She’s a DS - defensive specialist - and she’s done a great job. We recruited her namely for that position and that position only. Of course, she’s 5 feet 3 inches so that’s probably why. She has really good lateral movement and reads the ball very well so that’s what her role will be. She’ll definitely be a player for us.

Q: Who are you expecting to step out on the court and be a leader this year?

A: We’ve already announced the captains which are Tara Earhart, Allison Langrel and Jaime Sly. I think the key thing though is everyone has stepped up from last year. It’s unbelievable. They came in in-shape; they came in ready to play. We could even take a couple practice sessions off. We put those in the schedule to get them in shape, but they were already there. We’ve already had a scrimmage, and they won both games. They’re more mentally ready I think than they were last year because they’ve had a year under their belt. But I think, all in all, I expect to win. We are having a great time together, they are enjoying each other’s company, everyone is very encouraging to everybody else. So I think it’s really good right now.

Q: Who do you think is going to be the hardest team to beat?

A: In the letter I sent to the girls this summer, I told them we’re not going to win 50 percent or 75 percent, we’re going to win 100 percent. I mean, I honestly believe that. I think our tough competition will probably be Brevard (N.C.), our first home match next Tuesday. We played them in the spring, and they only beat us by two points. And we didn’t have our setter; Jaime was out during that time. I think they’ll be the toughest competition out of the whole conference. A lot of conference teams lost a lot of players this year, and we have the same people as we did last year.