Something Old, Something New...
9/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 20, 2006
The Baylor volleyball team has been busy during the off-season.
Third-year head coach Jim Barnes corralled five freshmen to comprise the nation's 16th-best recruiting class, the second-best in school history, and had 10 players in camp for the six-week spring camp, including four returning starters. The Bears' five incoming freshmen also enrolled for the second session of summer school, meaning all 15 players were on campus in July, a program first.
The strong, veteran leadership, infusion of new talent and a renewed focus and commitment will be the keys for the Bears to return to the NCAA postseason for the first time since 2001.
"It's great to see the players excited to get back on the floor and strive to be an elite team," Barnes said. "We have great leadership from our returners and a very talented freshman class. They will make each other better."
The program has shown improvement in each of Barnes' first two seasons, finishing with 15 wins (three more than in 2004) and six conference wins (two more than in 2004) last season. Barnes has also shown a commitment to defense, as the Bears have become one of the nation's top blocking teams and the team's digs per game continue to climb.
"In the past, I believe the big mistake was we let our confidence be dictated by wins, losses and the scores," Barnes said. "We're focused now on just playing the game. As long as we stay focused and come together as a team, the results will come. I believe we have a group of players here that better understand that."
Seniors Desiree Guilliard-Young, a 2004 All-Big 12 honorable mention honoree, and Nicole LeBlanc have been mainstays in the Baylor starting lineup since they were freshmen and welcome the opportunity to assume a larger leadership role. Senior Adeline Meira returns after missing the entire 2005 season with a second knee surgery and senior Deja Sweeney is a tireless worker and motivator. The Bears' group of seniors will be called upon to off-set the growing pains that will surely come with a team with five true freshmen and two redshirt freshmen.
"With Des and Nic, we have good experience returning, which is huge for us to compete in this league," Barnes said. "Ade and Deja are also stepping up, so it's not just a couple of people. This is the first year that we've had balance between the different classes. That's what I like - we are getting leadership from a number of people and the chemistry has been fantastic."
Baylor will also benefit from depth and flexibility unparalleled in Barnes' first two seasons. Competition for starting roles at virtually every position has been fierce, which the head coach believes has led to each player improving individually, both physically and mentally, which in turn has improved practices and prepared the Bears for a challenging non-conference slate and the grueling Big 12 Conference season.
Setter
Junior Amanda Modglin is the incumbent to replace departed four-year starter Emily Huston, who was one of only three players in Baylor history to record more than 4,000 career assists. Modglin spent her first two seasons backing up at several postions, starting in the middle when Guilliard-Young missed 14 matches in 2005 with a knee injury. She is a strong presence at the net, setting a Baylor record 13 blocks in a four-game match, and a variety of offensive and defensive instincts. For the first time, Modglin ran the offense full-time during spring practice and was able to devote her energy to setting full-time.
Modglin will be stiffly challenged by freshman Taylor Barnes, a high school All-American and the highlight of the Bears' highly-touted recruiting class. Barnes has a graceful touch and a variety of offensive weapons inherent of being left-handed. Barnes (no relation to head coach Jim Barnes) was named the Texas Gatorade Player of the Year after leading her school to the state title.
"It's super how strong our setting position is - Amanda is returning after a solid spring and will be a great mentor for Taylor," Jim Barnes said. "Practice will already be at a higher level everyday - it's like having two great quarterbacks running the offense. I believe the competition between them will go right up until the opening match."
Outside
LeBlanc has started all 97 matches in her career and will be a fixture on the outside once again. She led the team last year with 403 kills, averaging 3.42 per game, and was second on the team with 341 digs, averaging 2.89 per game - ranking 12th in the Big 12 Conference in both categories. LeBlanc became the 11th player in Baylor history with 1,000 kills late in the 2005 season and is now only 225 digs shy of becoming only the sixth member of Baylor's 1,000-kill/1,000-dig club.
"We are looking forward to a great year from Nicole," Barnes said. "She's had a full year at the outside position and knows her role on the team. She's a great leader and one of those special players that makes us go, both offensively and defensively."
The other outside position will be a wide-open competition between Sweeney, junior Kristen Schramek and redshirt freshman Kelsey Smith. Smith was penciled in as the starter during the 2005 preseason, but suffered a season-ending knee injury during the first week of practice. She has fully recovered, but is just getting back to full strength, so she has yet to regain her agility and footspeed.
Schramek is the Bears' starting libero, and Sweeney received the most reps at the position in the spring and will improve the Bears' depth at a position that has been historically thin.
"It's a luxury to have the depth and flexibility now, so we'll see who steps up in practice," Barnes said. "If Kelsey can get back to form, she will be a dynamic player for us. Schram proved in the spring that she can play out there and cause the defense problems just with her instincts. Deja has worked extremely hard and is in outstanding shape. She could help us in several positions."
Right Side
There will be solid competition on the right side between three players who must fill the role of the physical Kelly Spriggs, who was third on the team last year with 284 kills and contributed to the Bears' defense at the net with nearly a block per game. While Sweeney may be needed on the outside, leaving the battle between true freshmen Katie Sanders and Lauren Keeton, the spot is open to any of the three and will probably not be decided until the opener.
"Katie is a ferocious competitor and plays with no fear," Barnes said. "She is the kind of player you set when the game is on the line, because she can deliver a kill in crucial times. Lauren is one of the strongest players, physically, I have ever come across, she just needs to work on her skills and knowledge of the game."
Sophomore Mandy Elliott, who played in three games last year, and redshirt freshman Jenné Blackburn, who missed the season after knee surgery, will backup at the position as well as at defensive specialist.
Middle
Guilliard-Young returned from her injury midway through the 2005 season and dominated the net with a school record 1.85 blocks per game, which would have ranked second in the nation had she met the games played requirement. She did, however, play in enough conference matches to qualify and ranked second in the Big 12 with 1.89 blocks per game in league matches only and moved up to sixth on Baylor's all-time blocks list.
"Des will dominate the middle and will be a go-to person," Barnes said. "We need her to perform every night as we try to break into the top of the Big 12 - she's a player that can help us do that."
Meira, who was granted a sixth year of eligibility, was a starter during the 2004 campaign, but missed the entire 2005 season after her second knee surgery. She is the emotional leader of the team, with her experience and passion making her invaluable on the court and off.
"Adeline is ready to play," Barnes said. "She inspires her teammates and has the most experience on the team."
With a pair of returning senior starters, the position would seem to be solidified, but Barnes expects true freshman Anna Breyfogle to seriously challenge Guilliard-Young and Meira.
"Anna is a complete middle with great footspeed and all-around skills - she can block, hit and play defense," Barnes said. "She's got a strong mental game and will be a key player to building the foundation I want for this program."
True freshman Ashlee Cooper will draw comparisons to Guilliard-Young because of her sheer size, but she is slightly taller and has a bigger wingspan than her mentor. Cooper is raw and must raise the speed of her game to the Big 12 level, but possesses all of the tools to become a physically dominant player in the league - also much like Guilliard-Young when she first arrived at Baylor.
Libero/Defensive Specialist
Schramek started 25 matches at libero last season and led the team with 367 digs and ranked eighth in the Big 12 with 3.43 digs per game. She enters the 2006 season as Baylor's all-time leader with 3.42 digs per game and is 251 digs shy of becoming the 10th player in school history with 1,000 for her career.
"Kristen stepped up over the spring and has become a dynamic player with the ability to lead the league in most defensive categories," Barnes said. "The competition between her and (Amanda) Renz raises the intensity of our defense."
Sophomore Amanda Renz, who joined the team in January after transferring from Pennsylvania, will also compete for the job at libero. "Having Renz here for a full spring helped that position," Barnes said. "She has shown if she is on the floor, she provides a spark for us whether at libero or defensive specialist."
The Bears will be tested right away and know where they stand when they travel to the Cal Molten Classic in Guilliard-Young's hometown of Berkeley, Calif. California is expected to be ranked among the top 10 nationally and provide a measuring stick for the young Baylor squad. The rest of the non-conference schedule includes a five-team home tournament, a five-team tournament at Stephen F. Austin and mid-week home contests against intra-state rivals Texas State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
The Big 12 Conference schedule is always brutal with seven teams invited to the NCAA Tournament nearly every year. The Bears enjoy a favorable home slate in October, but will have to prove themselves on the road down the stretch in November to make a postseason push.
"One of our team goals is to make it a staple for this program to make it to the NCAA Tournament year in and year out," Barnes said. "How we get to that point was established in the spring. The team realizes it must work hard and focus not on the results, but the process of getting better, and I believe we gained more mental toughness through it. The challenge for the five freshmen will be to quickly learn our techniques and team philosophy, so they can help us right away."
