Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Volleyball Opens Up 2007 at Air Force Invitational
8/23/2007 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 23, 2007
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell volleyball squad will open up its 2007 campaign this Friday as the Bison travel to USAF Academy, Colo., to take part in the two-day Air Force Invitational, on Aug. 24 and 25. Bucknell, which was selected third in the Patriot League preseason poll, will play Portland State on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and will follow up with two matches on Saturday, facing Chicago State at 11 a.m., before closing out against the host Falcons at 9 p.m.
There's a new forecast for the Bison volleyball team this fall as it prepares for the 2007 season. Gone is the old guard that rewrote many of the single season record books. The winds of change have brought in five new faces and a talented group of returnees determined to take the Patriot League by storm.
"We've changed our philosophy and approach to recruiting resulting in commitments from the brightest and best student-athletes in the class of 2011," said Bucknell head coach Cindy Opalski, who has been the engineer behind the Bison success over the past 17 seasons. "We've modified our transition systems and restructuring our offense to be more aggressive and less predictable."
With a roster overloaded with talent and potential, the Bucknell volleyball team is more than ready to challenge the competition with its fast offense and energized defense. With the loss of an incredible senior class, including four starters, the team will reinvent itself through a talented freshman crop of five athletes brimming with potential, and a group of 10 returning upperclassmen eager to compete.
"If enthusiasm and energy are predictors of our direction this season, I would say we're heading towards another successful season," commented Opalski. "In the spring season, the sophomore and junior classes assumed new positions and roles to maximize their potential. With that much-needed experience under their belts, the returning players are ready to step into impact positions and lead the team through championship situations. We're up for the plethora of challenges the season will bring. I especially like our competitiveness and temperament in the early going.
"It's all about commitment and team chemistry in the early going. We have the raw talent and the determination and our goal is to develop both of those characteristics to their potential. It's a long road to a Patriot League Championship and dance in the NCAA Tournament, but it's always our primary goal to bring back the cup and return to both championships."
Despite a heavily dominated senior lineup in their 2006 campaign, the Bison return three starters in senior Jenna Henderson, junior Shannon Pitsch and junior Emilie Hardinge. A three-year starting outside hitter, Henderson boasted a .207 hitting percentage in 2006, leading the team with 403 kills for the season. A First Team All-Patriot League selection as a junior, Henderson produced defensively for the Orange and Blue, posting 251 digs last fall.
"Jenna's mental and physical abilities will continue to be a valuable asset for the team this season," Opalski said. "Jenna's not only a smart hitter, but she's got a tremendous jump and the ability to ignite our offense. She's a workhorse on the outside."
Pitsch comes into the fall following a breakthrough sophomore campaign which saw her post a Bucknell season-record 1,199 assists in her first season as the starting setter for the Bison. Her performance in the Patriot League Tournament helped lift the Orange and Blue to the championship match and earned her a spot on the All-Tournament team as Bucknell finished as the league's runner-up.
"Shannon's the kind of individual you want running your offense," Opalski stated. "Beyond her technical proficiency, she is intelligent and creative. I think you'll see some incredible offense from us this year initiated by Shannon's ability to see the blockers and set up our hitters for success."
Opalski expects Hardinge to be a significant contributor in the other outside hitting spot. Hardinge, who started 24 matches as a sophomore, ranked second to only Henderson in 2006, contributing 266 kills on the year.
"There is no doubt Emilie is extremely talented offensively, we just need her to perform up to her potential on the defensive end of it."
Among the Bison looking to step into starting roles for the first time this season is senior Tessa Mendez. Mendez saw limited action as a junior, however Opalski feels she has made significant strides the last few seasons and is primed to take her place in Bucknell's starting lineup.
"Tessa's a fun player to watch because of her hitting and blocking styles," said Opalski. "She's ready to break out her senior year and become more of a contributor at the net. Mendez was called upon to be the stopper last season and to negate the effectiveness of many of the Patriot League's most formidable outside hitters. Our league is overloaded with outside hitters and a strong right-side blocker could change the climate in any four- or five-game match this fall."
Opalski feels the middle hitters are the biggest question mark for the Bison this season following the graduation of starting hitters Amanda Grossmann and Jennie Smith, who dominated the quick game for the Orange and Blue for the past two seasons. However, according to Opalski, there has been great news developmentally with junior Liz Hazuka and sophomore Lindsay Smith.
"Both had a good spring and both have returned in very good shape," commented Opalski. "In addition, freshman Heidi Kamp is close on their heels. She is strong and athletic and we really like what she has shown us thus far, especially in the front line."
Bucknell will have a new face at libero as well, taking the place of 2007 graduate Kristen Sydlowski, who set a Patriot League single-season record with 612 digs last year. Sophomore Jennifer Rupp is the most likely candidate to take over, while newcomers Kaitlin Segal and Jocelyn VanOpdorp will also compete for time at the position.
Sophomore Allison Gittings, junior Sheena Czipri, and sophomore Jacqueline Feeney saw limited action last year for the Bison but all are diligently working to earn a spot in the starting lineup, according to Opalski. Rachel Rodriguez and Kelsey Lisle round out a talented freshmen group that will be fighting for playing time as well.
"This freshman class as a whole has better athleticism, skill, and experience than any of our previous classes," said Opalski. "They have been eager to learn new systems and techniques, but the thing I like the most is their attitude. All have come from winning programs and have been the primary leader and motivators on their high school teams. Our hope is that their transition should be swift and seamless."
After an intense spring season focusing on individual development and conditioning for the upperclassmen, the team spent the summer determined to improve strength, speed, and ability in preparation for the team's 2007 opener at the Air Force Academy Invitational on Aug. 24 and 25. The Bison will also play in tournaments at Duquesne and Cornell and travel to Morgan State on Sept. 5 for a midweek match before beginning the home portion of its schedule with the Bucknell Invitational on Sept. 14 and 15. The invitational will feature Radford, Saint Francis (Pa.), and Stony Brook along with the host Bison.
At home in Davis Gym, Bucknell has a new state-of-the-art animated scoreboard that was added to the venue this past summer along with refurbished floorings and freshly painted team logos, underscoring the importance of teamwork and an athletic department committed to seeing its teams continue a long standing winning tradition.
The Orange and Blue will continue the homestand with a Tuesday contest against Maryland-Eastern Shore on Sept. 18 prior to beginning Patriot League action with a match against Lehigh at home on Sept. 21. From that point forward, the Bison will play out the rest of their Patriot League schedule, with the exception of one road non-league contest against Saint Francis (Pa.), and will close out the regular season at Holy Cross on Nov. 11.
"We are certainly planning to get our feet wet early," remarked Opalski. "We will be facing foes from the Big Sky, Mountain West and Mid Continental Conferences in our first tournament of the season and we'll continue to challenge ourselves until the Patriot League regular season begins. The parity of this league is at an all-time high. We're getting a significant amount of interest from kids who want to identify with the true scholar-athlete model. Because Bucknell has a strong history of academic and athletic success across the board, this has clearly given us a recruiting advantage."
