The Kentucky Volleyball team opens its 30th year of competition Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Western Kentucky. Monday, head coach Craig Skinner addressed the media at the school?s weekly news conference, speaking about this year?s team and tomorrow evening?s match.
?I would like to make an announcement that the starting ?quarterback? for Kentucky will be Sarah Rumely. She?s from New Palestine, Ind., a 5-foot-11 setter. That does tie into our theme for this year. She is a freshman and she will be starting. Out of the eight top players that will be playing significant time for us this year, six of them are either newcomers, freshmen or sophomores. This is a great group ? they are very athletic and fast. I think that it is going to be an exciting brand of volleyball to see this year, starting tomorrow night against Western Kentucky.?
On this year?s personnel?
“The biggest issue for us is replacing two seniors ? Amy Kaplan and Danielle Wallace ? who really accounted for 50 percent of our offense. Both were second-team all-SEC players. The core of young kids is a transfer from Ohio State Nicole Britenriker and Queen Nzenwa, who is a 6-foot-2 middle sophomore who touches about 10.7, who can grab the rim. Our core of offense will have to be distributed among several people, not just relied upon with the two that we had last year. Jenni Casper returns for us. She was SEC Defensive Player of the Year last year ? very good and talented player. She will anchor a defensive group that led the conference in digs last year. We were No. 1 in the SEC in digs and we feel that we can be that way again this year. We?ve added another person in that area ? BriAnne Sauer from Louisville?s Mercy High School. We think that we can be very good. Our setter is a freshman, but a very dynamic athlete. She is a very good leader for someone that is that young. She was valedictorian of her class and we?ve been very, very pleased with her. She beat out Tess Edwards, who is a sophomore, and she will actually be in the starting lineup for us as well playing opposite. It?s great to have two people with that type of skill on the court at the same time.”
On playing Western Kentucky tomorrow at 7 p.m. in the season opener?
?Western Kentucky is tomorrow night. They are very good ?they made the NCAA Tournament last year. They?ve won their division of the Sun Belt every year since 2000. It will be a great opening test for us. Our players are definitely ready to play someone other than ourselves. We?ve had a couple of practice players ? a couple of guys ? who really make us practice at a very high-level of competition. We think that is going to prepare us and hopefully that will pay off tomorrow night against Western.?
On having all the players buy into his system and style of play?
?I think we can go past the winning mentality part in helping them believe that they can win. I think they can build on some of the results we had last year ? making the NCAA Tournament. The seniors have done a great job in our preseason of not allowing mediocre training. The practice level has been very high ? not always efficient, but that?s expected when you have so many young players. It?s the focus on skill and technique and the system rather than encouraging them that they can win.?
On transfer middle blocker Nicole Britenriker?
?Nicole Britenriker has been fantastic for us. To show that, she was actually voted captain with Melissa Popp, one of our seniors, just a couple of days ago. To be a newcomer ? a transfer ? and already be a captain is impressive. She just has a composure about her. She has been in a winning program. She has won national championships at the club level. She is just a great influence on some of our young players and some of the people who have been in our program who have not competed and won a conference championship.?
On competing in the Southeastern Conference?
?The SEC had a record six teams make the NCAA Tournament last year. We have already started off well as a conference this past weekend in beating a couple of ACC teams and Big 12 teams. All the teams that went to the NCAA Tournament last year will be very good again. Most of them have almost all of their starters returning. With our newcomers and returning players, the SEC is only going to be better. We have to compete every single night and that goes from top to bottom in the conference in every sport in the SEC. Our players understand that and they are really looking forward to that challenge.?
On losing Amy Kaplan and Danielle Wallace to graduation?
?It is a concern because they led not only with their physical play, but in the locker room. It is starting to develop, but it takes time. I think with a combination of results from several different positions we will get that. Hopefully it happens tomorrow and hopefully it happens this weekend. Our seniors ? Melissa Popp, Jenni Casper and Julie Gagnon ? are doing a great job. The balance of offense from Nicole Britenriker, Queen Nzenwa, Tess Edwards and Ashlee Fisher is going to have to be by committee, not necessarily by one or two individuals.?
