Marshall University Athletics
Q&A: Volleyball Head Coach Mitch Jacobs
8/19/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 19, 2010
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The 2010 Marshall volleyball season is approaching quickly, with the Thundering Herd set to open the season at the Shamrock Invitational on the grounds of Notre Dame on August 27.
The Herd returns seven letterwinners, including preseason All-Conference USA Team honoree Elizabeth Fleming. The starting setter enters her fourth season in the starting role and is just 16 helpers shy of 4,000 assists for her career.
Fellow senior Elizabeth Herman is the top attacker back from the 2009 squad that finished the season 22-9 (10-6 C-USA). Juniors Cameron Yoho and Kelley Bugler bring stability to the defense as middle blockers, while sophomores Andrea Booker, Ryanne Milligan, Katy Schad and Abby Tomas are back after gaining a year of collegiate experience.
The incoming freshmen class of seven student-athletes that will join Jacobs' squad was ranked 29th in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com. The newcomers will be expected to add depth and contribute immediately as the Herd looks to make another run at a C-USA Championship.
Head coach Mitch Jacobs enters his ninth season at the helm of the Thundering Herd. He has posted 20-or-more victories in seven-of-eight seasons in Huntington and his next win will mark the 350th as he begins his 18th year as a collegiate volleyball head coach.
Here is an insight on Jacobs' thoughts of the 2010 MUVB team:
Q:What player needs to make the biggest impact for a successful 2010 season?
Jacobs: I don't know if it takes just one player to be successful, but I know Elizabeth Herman needs to take the biggest consistency step forward. We know she can score and she needs to score and score and score. She definitely needs to step up and be a go-to-player like Emily Sullivan did last year. Liz is the one that has the ability on this team, in a senior role, to score us a whole lot of points. She is going to draw attention, she's going to see double and triple blocks and needs to hang in there for us.
Q:What newcomer needs to step in a fill the void left from the 2009 graduating class?
Jacobs: All of the freshmen need to be ready to play and produce. There are different factors due to the fact that we changed some positions from what they played in high school and it may take some time for certain players to adjust.
Right now we have two middles - Sacha Byous-McConnell and Desirre Wilkerson - that are doing a nice job for us. Kaitlin Holm is making strides at the outside hitter/opposite position and Laura Der is going to have to be a big factor for us this year, especially with some of the early injuries. She is going to need to literally step right in where Kristin Marcum left off. If anyone has the most put on their shoulders as a freshman walking in, I would say it is Laura Der.
Q:How challenging is it as a head coach to have seven newcomers on a 15-player roster?
Jacobs: It is the biggest challenge we have. You have some upperclassmen that have put an awful lot of time into this program and they are banking on the fact that the new players are going to buy into the system and work as hard as they can. We can't be successful without these young players stepping up, but we are not going to win a championship just because the young players step up. We are going to win a championship if the leadership is solid, if the consistency level at the junior and senior ranks is really strong and it lays the foundation for any surprise of a young player reaching the next level.
Q:What player has improved the most from last season?
Jacobs: The person that has taken the biggest steps from last fall to now is Abby Tomas. She has gone from somebody that was a little slow on picking up the system and was learning how to play positions differently. We sort of reinvented how we wanted her to play the right side and the left side in our system. She has worked so hard at the things we have asked her to do and is now in a position where she's able to help us in a lot of ways, especially on offense. She has really started to blossom and her attitude in practice has been fabulous. She has done a great job and I'm really proud of her.
Q: What has senior Elizabeth Fleming brought to the program during her three years at setter?
Jacobs: Liz is a real dedicated person. To get to work with her everyday means that you have to challenge yourself to make her better. She has made me a better coach, just in terms of me going beyond what I have done in the past with preparing someone because she continuously wants to learn more about the position.
I don't think she has accomplished what she set out here to accomplish yet. She won a championship her freshman year with a bunch of great seniors. Now it is her turn as a senior to prove that she can do this - she can lead a team and be a key factor. Liz is a pretty special person.
Q:What are your thoughts on the middle blockers for the upcoming season?
Jacobs: We will be bigger and more physical in the middle from last year, defensively. Wilkerson is a very good freshman in terms of blocking. Sacha has a lot to learn, but she has big hands and can get across the net quick. Kelley Bugler who didn't get to start much last year, is a great blocker - just look at the Memphis game when she had seven or eight blocks in one match. Cameron Yoho is always there and is so fast. Through last spring she made a big step forward in using her hands better. I'm going to say without a doubt we will block more balls this season. We are not little on the pins anymore either. Laura Der might be 5'8 or 5'9, but she really gets off the floor and Katy Schad has moved to libero. Due to some nagging injuries with her she has stepped in and made the libero spot her own and proven that she can handle it.
I am excited that people have bought in to our system and are ready to go. Things are not going to be perfect everyday and the team has been really unselfish so far. We just have to get everyone on the same page and get after it.
