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 By Carrie Chin/ STUDENT PUBLICATIONS |
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| Despite the volleyball team's rough start, the team still has enough talent and motivation to finish in the upper echelon of the conference yet again. | |
Returning from the west coast trip, the Jackets fell at cross town rival Georgia State for the first time since 1990, but rebounded to win their eleventh stragiht home opener defeating Texas El Paso. Tech followed that by defeating both South Alabama and Toledo to capture the Courtyard by Marriot Classic.
The youth of the squad had a lot to do with the poor start, especially considering that the team was going to be relatively young even before they lost several key players to injuries.
Redshirt sophomore Teryl Townsend, the projected starter at middle blocker, fractured her foot during practice last week and will be out six to eight weeks. Also, junior outside hitter Sara McKee is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and will be unavailable until at least late September.
But the Jackets cannot dwell on these disappointing circumstances.
"Our main focus is to develop the team as quickly as possible," says Collier.
Collier will definitely get a lot of help from his three seniors: Carla Gartner, Aimee Boulet, and Amanda Sabo.
Gartner, a three-time all-ACC selection, was one of seven players who stayed in Atlanta for the summer to train and condition for the upcoming season. She has started at the rightside hitter position for each of her years at Tech. Last season, she led the team with 120 blocks and was second on the team with 375 kills. Dubbed by her coach as "the most feared player in the ACC", Gartner should be a prime candidate for ACC Player of the Year by season's end.
Boulet is Tech's backcourt specialist at the outside hitter position, and Sabo adds depth at the setter position.
Next to Gartner, the most important returning player on the Yellow Jacket squad is junior setter Carolyn Clevenger. She earned the starting job prior to the 1997 season and has since become one of the top setters in the league. Last year, she collected over 1,000 assists and was named to the ACC All-Tournament Team. "Carolyn should return as a very focused leader, which is critical for the setter position," comments Collier.
Sophomore Christine Shelby has been moved from outside hitter to middle blocker to fill the void left by Townsend's injury. Junior Heather Bradley is a two-time letter winner who will also contribute at the middle blocker position, and Tech has quality outside hitters in Junior Amanda Medrow and sophomore Merran Miller
There are five freshmen on the team this year, and "they didn't come in and wait around," explains Collier. Maja Pachale, Tech's first international signee, and Kyleen Bell have been the most impressive of the freshmen so far. Says Collier of Pachale: "Maja will definitely be one of the best hitters in the ACC as a freshmen," Bell will see a lot of playing time at middle blocker. Alexis Moran adds a "tremendous jump serve" to the team's arsenal, and Anna Nedderman and Laura Grubka will contribute at the middle blocker and outside hitter positions, respectively.
The Jackets are picked to finish third in the ACC this year, according to the 1998 ACC Preseason Coaches Poll. However, Collier states that of the six teams that could win the ACC title this year, "we're certainly one of them." Tech has advanced to the ACC Championship Finals for the last three years, and it is not unreasonable to suggest that this experience will give the Jackets an advantage over its conference foes as the season progresses.
The Jackets are back at home this weekend to open the treacherous ACC schedule, with three straight matches at O'Keefe Coliseum. North Carolina comes to town tonight, Florida State will be here on Sunday, and North Carolina State will visit on Tuesday.