Marshall University Athletics
Volleyball Reports For 2003, Jacobs Names Captains
8/11/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Volleyball Reports For 2003, Jacobs Names Captains
8/11/2003
HUNTINGTON, W.Va.--Eight letterwinners and five newcomers reported for preseason camp over the weekend, with eyes set on improving on the Herd's first 20-win season in four years and making an impact late in the year in the Mid-American Conference race.
Head coach Mitch Jacobs enters his second season with the Thundering Herd, with expectations for a successful season higher than they have been in recent memory. Those expectations are warranted, considering the Herd return five seniors, from a team that posted their first 20-win season since 1998. Additionally, the seven conference wins was one more than the Herd had in 2000 and 2001 combined. Throw in a crop of talented newcomers, and Marshall volleyball could be on the verge of a breakout season.
However, Jacobs is a little more cautious when asked about the prospects of his 2003 team. The talent is there, he admits, but the high hopes brings about more pressure for his team, mainly because of the successes of last year's squad. In 2002, after dropping its first three matches, Marshall won 11 out of their next 12 and put together streaks of four, five, and six straight wins. In fact, the six straight wins was the best for a Herd squad since the team reeled off seven in a row in 1996. Marshall also posted a 10-1 record in the friendly confines of the Henderson Center, the best since the Herd moved into the building in 1981.
?We want to take another step forward, but it will be a tougher task,? Jacobs says. ?Last year, we surprised a lot of people, including ourselves. We never expected to be in the thick of the MAC East division race in the last two or three weeks of the season. We just had to go out and give it our best with no pressure.
?This year?s team has a little tougher task because of the expectations of those around us and ourselves.?
Experience dots every position in 2003, including a MAC All-Freshmen team member in Katie Stein, experienced Frontliners in Nicole Michal, Isabell Anderer, Amber Sims, Nickie Sanlin, and Tracey King, and back row defensive specialists Ashley Barnard and Andrea Kastein.
Although the Herd lost three valuable seniors in Heidi Kuethe, Grace Jones, and Jodi Fick, Marshall?s freshman class will attempt to fill in the holes created by the Class of 2002.
The Captains
Seniors Andrea Kastein (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Ashley Barnard (Maumme, Ohio) will serve as co-captains, while junior Isabell Anderer will be the floor captain in 2003.
Kastein is the Herd?s second all-time leader in assists, and provides coach Jacobs with another weapon at the setter position. She could also see some time in the back row as a defensive specialist.
?Andrea has continued to develop in the setter?s roll,? explains Jacobs. ?She has improved her passing and defense this spring and summer, and could help us in the backrow.?
Barnard is the leading contender for the starting libero position. After sitting out the first month of 2002 due to injury, Barnard became a fixture in the backrow as a defensive specialist. She had eight double-digit dig matches, including a 20-dig outing against 2002 MAC Champion Ball State. She hopes to fill the shoes of departing senior Jodi Fick, who ended her career with the Herd?s fourth-best dig total (1,114).
?She has improved her passing and confidence this spring,? Jacobs says. ?She?s always had the defensive capabilities, so she should be able to handle the libero role for us this year.?
Anderer, a 5?8 junior from Sinsheim, Germany, has put together two solid campaigns for the Herd, and is looking for a third. Anderer had 295 kills and 331 digs in her sophomore season, and according to Jacobs, she is poised to be better than ever.
?Isa has made the biggest improvement offensively in the spring. She will be instrumental to our success in 2003,? says Jacobs.
Outside Hitters
The Herd remain intact at the outside hitter position from the 2002 season, and add a group of freshmen that will provide Marshall with much needed depth.
Verizon Academic All-American Isabell Anderer returns at the outside hitter position, as does Nicole Michal and Tracey King.
Michal is the most consistent player to return for the Herd in 2003. The 5?11 Louisville, Ky. senior had 286 putaways last season, almost twice as many as her 2001 total, and was second on the team in blocks per game with 0.87 per game. She was also the team?s leading hitter in conference play with a .284 percentage (193-46-518).
?Nicole is a steady front row player and a solid blocker,? Jacobs says. ?She?s worked hard this Summer and put some pace into her attack.?
Michal could also play the middle hitter position.
Marshall?s kill leader from 2002 returns in high-flyer Tracey King. The 5?6 senior from Miami, Fla., had 365 kills in 109 games, for an average of 3.35 per game. Her kill total was the 13th best in school history in 2002. She also posted 20 double-digit kill matches and a team-high 26 kills against Tennessee Tech on September 14, 2002.
?We?re hoping for a repeat performance from Tracey in 2003,? Jacobs explains.
Jacobs will also have a group of four freshman with considerable talent at the outside hitter position.
Christin Bimberg(Schwerin, Germany) is a German Junior National Team players with considerable European club experience, while two other 5?11 freshman, Jen Harper (Columbus, Ohio) and Erin Jasin (Lambertville, Mich.), have had success with their high school programs.
According to Jacobs, all can make an impact this season.
Middle Blockers
The middle blockers of 2003 must overcome the loss of all-conference performer Heidi Kuethe, who provided Marshall with solid play, excellent statistics, and leadership, both on and off the floor, in 2002.
This year?s crop is young in class, but reasonably seasoned when it comes to floor time.
Redshirt sophomore Nickie Sanlin (Fairview Heights, Ill.) has fully recovered from a knee injury in 2001 and is expected to fill the middle with her outstanding athletic ability and
work ethic.
Last season, the 5?11 Sanlin saw limited time behind Kuethe, seeing action in 26 matches and 55 games. Jacobs thinks that 2003 is her time to shine.
?I just think that Nickie needs some reps,? Jacobs said. ?She?s put in the time preparing this Summer to play. Now she needs some floor time.?
Sophomore Amber Sims shores up the middle for the Herd. The 6?0 from Ney, Ohio, put together a solid freshmen campaign in 2002. She had 2.07 kills per game, the fifth-best average on the team, and 0.66 blocks per game, the fourth-best Herd total. Sims had the team?s best hitting performance of the season a year ago, when she hit for a .667 percentage (14-2-18) against Eastern Michigan on October 4th.
?We need Amber to be a more consistent attacker,? explains Jacobs. ?And I think that comes with maturity and understanding the level of play in the MAC.?
Incoming freshman Amanda Holt, from Fort Gay, W.Va., is the only West Virginian on this year?s roster. At 6?2, she has the potential to make a mark for the Herd in the future.
?Amanda is an enthusiastic player that will look to make incredible strides,? says Jacobs. ?She is a developing player with West Virginia ties. It?s always good to have a local player with the Herd.?
Incoming freshman Anja Wilk(Plate, Germany) is also a German Junior National Team Player who will compete for time in the middle.
Setters
Sophomore Katie Stein (Sussex, Wis.) leads the Thundering Herd at the setter?s position. Stein was a member of last year?s MAC All-Freshman team while leading the Herd in assists with 1,319. In fact, her 2002 total was the third-best single season in the history of Marshall volleyball. She also had 56 service aces as a freshman, which places her third all-time for a single season. She had 11 double-doubles in 2002, including a 58-assist, 18-dig performance in a win over Ohio on October 10th.
Jacobs thinks Stein was a big part of their success in 2002.
?She fits the system we want to run,? says Jacobs. ?In big moments, she set some big-time balls. With her in there, we were able to run a faster-paced offense as an undersized team.?
Backing up Stein is captain Andrea Kastein, a senior from Pittsburgh, Pa., a formidable setter in her own right.
Freshman Christin Bimberg could also see some playing time as a setter.
The Schedule
Aside from the always tough Mid-American Conference competition, the Herd hit the road for four tournaments and individual matches with Radford, Xavier, and Canisus. Marshall takes on Eastern Kentucky in the friendly confines of the Henderson Center, where the Herd was 10-1 in 2002.
The Herd open the season in Terre Haute, Indiana, where they participate in the Indiana State Tournament. Awaiting Marshall there will be Montana, Indiana State, and UT-Chattanooga.
On September 6, Marshall plays in the University of Cincinnati tournament with the host Bearcats, New Mexico State, and the Butler Bulldogs. The following week, take on High Point, host North Carolina A&T, Savannah State, and Gardner-Webb in Greensboro at the Aggies? tournament.
The Herd?s final tournament is in Morgantown, W.Va.,where they take on Morehead State, Duquesne, and the host Mountaineers.
In Mid-American Conference play, Ohio, Akron, 2002 champion Ball State, 2001 champ Northern Illinois, Miami, Bowling Green, Buffalo, and Kent State all play in the Henderson Center in 2003.
