Aug. 25, 2008

Optimistic Penguins Look to Continue Climb Up Horizon League Standings

    The optimism surrounding Youngstown State volleyball is as high as it’s been this decade.

    The program showed significant progress in the win column and overall competitiveness last season despite playing with only one senior and two juniors. YSU won more league games last season than the previous six combined, and five more were decided in the fifth set.

    With all but one starter returning and a renewed hunger, the Penguins have their sights set at continuing the climb up the league standings.

    While the Penguins lose an All-Horizon League right-side hitter with Jessica Fraley’s graduation, seniors Ebony Barbosa and Karla Everhart join a powerful junior class at the net and a host of talented underclassmen in the back row.

    "We’re going to have more depth at every position that we’ve had in my four years here," Head Coach Joe Bonner said. "We return the main core of players, and I don’t see why we can’t be one of the top three or four teams in our conference.

    "This group has been playing together for three years now, and we have a lot of players that have played every single game for the last two years. There’s a lot of experience, and a lot of players can step up."

    Barbosa and Everhart are now in the spotlight as the leaders who will be counted on to take YSU further into contention.

    Barbosa is the most experienced player on the squad - and among the entire Horizon League - while Everhart enters her third season running the offense as the starting setter.

    "Ebony passes almost 60 percent of the balls, and Karla touches the ball on every play," Bonner said. "They’ve been the ones who have shaped the program to what it is now. They stuck through a lot of things the last couple years."

    "Their expectations are higher - everyone’s are. Our efforts this offseason in the weight room and on the court have shown that."

Outside Hitter

    Barbosa leads an outside hitter group that is loaded with versatile athletes who could each play a significant role.

    Barbosa has played in 87 matches through her first three years, and she’s progressed into one of the top all-around players in school history. Coming off a career year in which she had 327 kills and 400 digs, she enters this season with 736 kills and 764 digs in her career, and she will become the fifth player in YSU history to finish with 1,000 of each if she even nears her totals from a year ago.

    Junior Kaitlin O’Hara will have a bigger role on the outside, both because of her ability to finish and her 6-foot, 3-inch stature. She averaged 2.4 kills per game and had 69 blocks in 26 matches as a freshman.

    "Ebony is that calming presence on the court because she rarely gets rattled," Bonner said. "Kaitlin is going to be an X-factor. She’s going to be banging a lot of balls on the left side, and she’s going to be expected to terminate. That’s not something we’ve had in a while."

    Redshirt freshmen Kelsi Bitter and true freshman Brittany Grove will also compete for time on the outside. Bitter had a strong spring and she, like Grove, have the potential to develop into strong all-around players as primary passers, defenders and attackers.
 

Middle Hitter

    As a collective group, the Penguins are by far the most experienced up the middle with two tested juniors and a sophomore.

    Junior Ruth Boscaljon is the most heralded player on the squad after collecting Co-Newcomer of the Year and All-Horizon League honors as a freshman. Among her already impressive list of accomplishments, she owns a school-record .293 career hitting percentage, she is the first player in YSU history to reach 700 kills as a sophomore and she already ranks 10th in career blocks with 243. She has ranked in the top four of the league in hitting percentage in each of her first two seasons.

    Classmate Allison Heinz is coming off a solid sophomore campaign in which she quietly led the team in hitting percentage and block assists in league games. Sophomore Haley Kapferer played in 20 matches last year and showed the ability to be a force at the net when she collected five blocks in a match during the second weekend.

    "Ruth has really high expectations for herself," Bonner said. "Just by seeing her dedication this summer, there’s no doubt in my mind that she can come out and be one of the best hitters in the conference. She just has that mentality. She’s in great shape, and she’s worked extremely hard in the weight room.

    "Between Ruth and Allison, they might have not played in three or four games total in the last two years. I’m excited to see what Haley does with a year under her belt now at this speed."

Opposite Side Hitter

    The Penguins will have a new starter on the opposite side for the first time in four years with Fraley gone, and another left-hander in Tasha Reid is the heir apparent.

    Reid, who stands 6-foot-2 and possesses great leaping ability, will help tremendously in blocking. A redshirt freshman, she will be looked upon to contribute immediately after a solid spring.

    "Tasha is going to be a fun story to talk about the next couple of years. She showed a tremendous amount of upside this spring. In the matches that we played she put up some big numbers," Bonner said.

    O’Hara may also slide over to play on the opposite side.

Setter

    Everhart returns to run the offense as the starting setter for the third straight year. She has 2,393 assists in her tenure, and all but 57 of them have come in the past two seasons. She needs just 25 more to move into fourth place on YSU’s career chart.

    Sophomore Dani Soubliere, who played in 22 matches last season, will add depth as she recovers from knee surgery.

    "Besides bringing a ton of experience, Karla has the ability to be one of the best setters in the conference," Bonner said. "She just has to take that on her shoulders and run with it. She’s been doing this for three years, and this program means a lot to her."

Defensive Specialist / Libero

    Sophomore Laurie Shives returns to be the leader in the back row while junior Dana Leslie and two freshmen will make the defense its deepest in years.

    Shives emerged as the 2007 campaign progressed and became the starting libero. She finished with a team-high 437 digs – the third most for a single season in school history – and posted at least 20 digs in 10 different matches.

    Leslie saw action in roles ranging from the starting libero to starting at outside hitter, but she’ll be looked upon to contribute mainly in the back row this season.

    Freshmen Amanda Gray and Brittany McNeal are both in the mix to see plenty of playing time. Gray was an honorable mention All-Ohio pick as a senior when her team won the Division II state title, and McNeal was a three-sport star in Pennsylvania.

    "Laurie did a wonderful job for us last year as a freshman, and this year we have four people looking for action," Bonner said. "I’m excited to see what happens."