2008 season preview

August 26, 2008

NORTON, MA- An 18-win improvement in a year's time is mighty impressive for any college women's volleyball program, let alone one whose makeup included seven newcomers. Turning the page entering 2008, third-year head coach Ben Read is looking to build from last year's 22-13 season and will have to do so with eight underclassmen.

The message Read delivers is a bit different than that of a year ago, as this fall's priority revolves around team preparation for the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) season, where the Lyons finished sixth in 2007 with a 4-5 mark and a first-round loss in the league tournament. In an effort to accomplish that goal, Read has bulked up the team's ledger.

"With us playing a more challenging schedule, it's going to be awfully difficult to jump out to a similar type of record as last year," said Read, whose team began fall 2007 at 9-1. "We're playing against teams that went to the NCAA Tournament and are either nationally or regionally ranked. We're going to be more prepared for conference play and hopefully be successful. The goals are to have a .500 season and qualify for the league tournament again."

With the competitive 10-team NEWMAC sending two of its squads to each of the last three NCAA Tournaments, Read, second-year assistant coach and former all-league player Marriah Vengroff '06, and first-year assistant Doree Blanco, a former standout player at Division II Stonehill College, understand the early challenges the green Lyons will face.

"With us playing a tougher non-conference schedule, it's going to be a challenge to keep the team up and morale high," added Read. "They'll need to understand the end goal is not necessarily to go out and have a winning record but to be competitive in a very competitive conference. We have to play the teams in New England who are winning their conferences and going to the NCAAs. This year we're also making a trip out to California, where we'll see a different type of volleyball."

Read attributes last year's success to solid defense and ball control and expects those two areas to improve. The Lyons posted the second-most assists and fifth-highest dig total in program history last season. With the addition of some much-needed height to the 11-member team, Read also anticipates Wheaton's blocking defense taking strides throughout the season.

With just two seniors and one junior, the Blue and White leadership will be a collective effort, as senior Liana Merrill (Northwood, NH/Coe-Brown Northwood Academy) and junior Lauren Kraus (Westboro, MA/Westboro) are prepared to serve as co-captains. A second-year captain, Merrill is expected to start as an outside hitter, while Kraus, who earned ESPN The Magazine academic all-district honors as a sophomore, will once again be the team's top middle. She helped Wheaton post the second-most kills in program history a year ago, pacing the squad in kills and blocks while placing second in service aces.

In addition to Kraus' and Merrill's guidance, Read anticipates on-the-floor leadership from other areas, in particular from sophomore setter Becca Rose (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional), who will once again quarterback the team. Already fifth on Wheaton's career charts in assists, Rose notched the second-best single-season assist and ace figures in program history last fall.

Leading the defense will be a tandem effort between sophomore Kristen Hunt (Milford, CT/Jonathan Law) and freshman Emily Davisson (Carpinteria, CA/Laguna Blanca School). Hunt was tops in the NEWMAC in overall and conference digs while breaking the school's single-season mark last season. She also anchored a defense that was first in the conference in digs per game during league play. Hunt and Davisson are competing for the starting libero spot.

Senior Caitlin Farr (Yarmouth, MA/Dennis-Yarmouth Regional) and sophomore southpaw Kaitlyn Stokes (Tewksbury, MA/Tewksbury Memorial) are vying for a starting spot on the right side. Farr was second on the team in blocks last fall. Sophomore outside hitter Sam Andreacchi (Burlingame, CA/Pinewood School), who was expected to make significant contributions, will be sidelined for the season due to injury.

Rounding out the freshman contingent are Miranda Howitt (San Francisco, CA/International), Irina Ionkina (Danielson, CT/Killingly) and Lauren McGrath (Wading River, NY/Shoreham-Wading River). Howitt will get the nod on the outside, McGrath is slated to start in the middle, while the 6-1 Ionkina should see time at middle and possibly the right side as the team's tallest player.

Wheaton's schedule features four 2007 NCAA Tournament teams, beginning with its opener against Endicott College at the Gordon Invitational on Saturday. The Lyons will play in five tournaments this fall, including the Wheaton Invitational in mid-October. The Blue and White opens its home slate against non-conference foe Salve Regina University on September 4.

The Lyons will be tested when they travel to California on the weekend of September 12-13 for the California Lutheran Tournament, where they will face four Golden State opponents, including the nationally-ranked hosts. Wheaton squares off against visiting Springfield College in its NEWMAC opener on September 16. The eight-team conference tournament gets underway on November 4.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 8/26/08.
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