Ball State University Athletics
2005 Women's Volleyball Season Preview
August 22, 2005 | Women's Volleyball
With the departure of Stacie Baldwin and Stephanie Keller, 17th-year head coach Randy Litchfield sees replacing two of the program's most prolific leaders as critical elements to the success of the 2005 Ball State women's volleyball team.
"As a program, we have never had two stronger leaders that were able to compliment each other so well as Stephanie and Stacie," Litchfield said. "With their departure, we are going to be a transitional team in terms of leadership this season. What that means is no single player should attempt to take on the leadership burden all by themselves.
"We have a lot of strong players on the 2005 team, to go along with some great personalities, with all of them being different. The best leadership formula we can have is leadership by committee."
Looking to give the Cardinals a solid foundation for the program's new leadership formula are the team's four seniors - - Sarah Obras, Rachel Refenes, Kristin Westhof and Stephanie Bacan.
A three-time All-Mid-American Conference First Team selection, Obras returns to the court for her final year after suffering as season-ending knee injury with four matches remaining in 2004. Despite the injury, Obras finished the year ranked third in the league in kills per game (4.86), third in points per game (5.39) and 13th in digs per game (3.56). The first player in league annals to reach 1,500 career kills before the end of her junior season, Obras enters the 2005 season 274 kills shy of the all-time league mark.
"Sarah is a huge key to the success of the program this season. After she got hurt last season, I realized there is always good that comes with bad. She has played volleyball as a year-round sport for so long that giving her a little time away from the game has recharged her batteries. It is highly possible she is going to be more productive this season than she ever has in her career."
Refenes returns for her second season with the Cardinals - - after transferring to BSU prior to the 2004 campaign from Mississippi - - as one of the nation's top middle attackers. An All-MAC Second Team selection and an American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Mideast Region Honorable Mention, Refenes ranked first in the league and eighth in the nation with a 1.67 blocks-per-game average a year ago. In addition to her blocking efforts, Refenes ranked fifth in the MAC in points per game (4.80), 10th in kills per game (3.64) and tied for 10th in hitting percentage (.296).
"Rachel has done nothing but get better and better. Last spring we realized we wanted her on the court all the time. In addition to her offensive skills, she led us defensively and is the kind of athlete that goes out and makes plays. Keeping her on the court will do a lot for this team. She is an enthusiastic and very aggressive player who is going to have a great year."
Adding support in the middle will be Westhof, who is entering her fourth and final season with BSU. In 2004, Westhof ranked 15th in the league with a .264 hitting percentage, while posting career-highs for kills (244) and total blocks (105) in a season. She currently ranks among the top-20 on BSU's career charts in total blocks (253, 14th), block assists (216, 15th) and blocks-per-game average (0.75, 18th).
"Kristin is coming off a really good winter and spring where she learned to hit the ball at a higher percentage. She is keeping more balls in play and hitting smarter. In our three-middle system, she is going to give us some really nice options. She is able to provide a lot of offense from any spot at the net."
Rounding out the program's group of talented seniors is Bacan. Despite gaining an extra year of eligibility after receiving a medical redshirt for the 2002 season, Bacan has elected to make the 2005 season her final campaign. Originally recruited for her offensive skills, Bacan has converted to a defensive specialist after a pair of knee surgeries has limited her jumping ability. Last season, she played in 101 games and racked up a career-best 220 digs as one of the staples in the BSU backcourt.
"Stephanie has been feeling really good. She is going to play some libero and some backcourt, and we are going to try to keep her knee as fresh as possible. She is one of the best passers we have ever had in the program. Having her as an anchor in reception is going to be really nice."
In addition to the team's solid senior class, the program will look to its four juniors - - Amanda McCormick, Kelly Cochran, Kirby Gibson and Heather Burleson - - for their leadership abilities.
Perhaps the biggest addition in the Cardinals lineup for the 2005 season comes in the form of the junior transfer McCormick, who joins the program after serving as the libero at Nebraska the past two years. A team co-captain as a sophomore, McCormick earned All-Big 12 First Team honors after ranking second in the conference with a 4.50 dig-per-game average and tying the school's single-season record with 441 digs.
"Amanda answers a lot of the question marks left by the departure of Stephanie Keller. She is a high-level libero and comes from a program that competes for national championships. The way she sees the game, her abilities on the court and her leadership will be absolutely huge for us."
Cochran enters her third season with the Cardinals looking to add a spark to the team's offense as an outside attacker. While her numbers were down last season compared to her freshman campaign, Cochran was able to post several career highs in 2004, including career-bests of 22 kills and a .439 attack percentage at Eastern Michigan. She also produced career-marks for block assists (4) and total blocks (5) a year ago.
"Kelly is ready to explode. She has worked hard and has the college game figured out. She has also realized how to be a small player in a big player's game. Kelly has really evolved her game all over the court and is ready to be a go-to player for us."
In her third season with the team, Gibson looks to provide the Cardinals with continued support in the middle. Last season, she averaged a career-high 0.75 blocks per game and posted her first career double-figure blocking match with 10 total stuffs vs. Houston. She also posted career-highs of eight block assists and two solo blocks in the contest.
"Kirby is a real good player for us in our three-middle system. She will be able to block more right side than middle in the system, yet still have the ability to hit the slide attack whenever we want her to. Kirby is in great shape and has committed herself to her training. She has a lot of experience and her game is ready to take off."
Burleson rounds out the junior class after seeing limited action in her first two seasons. In 2004, Burleson was asked to fill the void after the loss of Obras. In the Cardinal's MAC Tournament victory over Northern Illinois, she posted career-highs of 15 kills and 39 attempts. One match earlier in BSU's regular season finale vs. Toledo, she posted career marks of 12 digs and two service aces.
"Heather came in very raw, but has worked hard and provided us with a much needed spark when Sarah was injured at the end of last season. While she is coming off foot surgery which has limited her training, her game has definitely evolved. If she stays healthy, she is going to be a key factor in our success."
Sophomores Angie Parrell, Brittany May and Lauren Robbins look to add their skills and leadership to the mix during the 2005 season.
Parrell enters her redshirt sophomore season as the team's main setter for 2005 after splitting time on the court with Baldwin last season. She was able to tally 355 assists, which is the 12th-highest career total in school history, and posted 60 total blocks and smashed 80 kills.
"Angie has adjusted well to having the team to herself. During her first year of eligibility, she only set one third of the balls for us. We knew right away that her limited time on the court was not enough to help her get a lot of continuity and repetition. Over the winter and spring, when she was the only setter, she adjusted really well and became a more comfortable volleyball player on the court.
"Angie will also be a huge point scorer for us, because from the setting position, she has the ability to block and attack being as big and physical as she is. She will provide us points from the setting position which not a lot of programs have the luxury of."
May and Robbins return for their second seasons after seeing limited action as freshmen. May played in nine matches and posted a career-high three total blocks vs. Southeast Missouri State. Robbins saw action in 24 matches and finished the season with 69 digs, 50 kills and 15 total blocks. She produced a career-high 11 digs vs. Florida A&M, while posting a career-best six kills vs. No. 9 Illinois, which she later tied vs. Bowling Green.
"Brittany has a good year of training under her belt and we are looking to see her game come out this year. She is physical, very strong and has a lot of skills all over the court. She just needs to build the confidence to use her abilities.
"Lauren is going to be our jack-of-all-trades. We are going to train her to be a backup setter and focus on that a lot during the first few weeks of the fall. She has a lot of great skills and probably has the best pure hands of anyone on the team. She just needs to find the confidence to use them."
Also looking to make an impact for the team are freshmen Rachel Alcorn, Elaina Kakatolis, Lanee Mikesell, Madison Monk and Caitlin Mornecy.
"Rachel has a lot of high-level experience. While she needs to work on her speed and blocking, she is a nice attacker and has some backcourt skills. She will transition from being a middle to an outside, and while it might take some time, she has the potential to be a solid player.
"Elaina is one of the biggest, most physical players we have ever had. She combines that with being left-handed, which gives her a really high ceiling for this game. While she has some things to learn about playing volleyball at such a high level, her physical attributes and focus will allow her to pick it up quick.
"Lanee has set a lot in a 6-2 offense and will be transitioning to a 5-1 scheme. In addition to her setting skills, she has proven herself to be a very good backcourt player and athlete. She will be able to help us in a variety of different ways.
"Madison is going to be a great outside hitter for us. She will be a pretty capable offensive player right away. Caitlin is a highly skilled defensive player and passer. She is going to have a lot to learn about the college game right away, but she has the skills to play at this level."
The Cardinals' first test will come earlier than ever before, as the 2005 season kicks off one week early when the Cardinals host the Ball State Nike/Active Ankle Weekend - - Aug. 26-27.
After hosting Wright State and Southern Methodist over the opening weekend, the Cardinals will hit the road for tournaments at Michigan State and Georgetown, with a match at IUPUI in between. While in East Lansing, the Cardinals will face MSU, South Florida and Missouri Valley Conference Champions Wichita State, who advanced to the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
While visiting Washington, D.C., Ball State will take on Georgetown, Central Connecticut and Ivy League Champions Yale, who advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
After a pair of matches versus two more instate rivals - - hosting Butler and at IPFW - - BSU kicks off its 16-match Mid-American Conference schedule Sept. 23 when it hosts Miami. The Cardinals travel to defending MAC Regular-Season and Tournament Champions Ohio in the fifth conference match of the season. The Bobcats advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
The Cardinals, who close league play with four road contests, will also face Xavier in non-conference action before the opening round of the 2005 MAC Tournament Nov. 16. The remainder of the event - - which will take place at the SeaGate Center in Toledo, Ohio - - will run from Nov. 18-20.
"The league has skyrocketed over the last three years. The MAC is now a top-10 league out of the 33 conferences, which has to be highly motivating for our student-athletes. This year will be another evolution, as Ohio remains just as good as they were last year and Western Michigan, Miami and Northern Illinois are ready to make moves forward again. Plus, if we stay healthy, Ball State is going to be as good as it has ever been.
"With the conference tournament moving to the SeaGate Center in Toledo, it will bring a new level of competition to the event. Neutral sites are always a challenge and we are here to try and make it work. I give credit to everyone involved for getting the tournament moved. I think downtown Toledo and the SeaGate Center will be a nice venue for the event."
After the MAC Tournament, the Cardinals will have one more chance to impress the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, as it hosts Alabama the day before Thanksgiving at Worthen Arena in its regular season finale.
"Alabama is an SEC power and I love the idea of playing them late in November right before the NCAA Selection Committee convenes. It is a chance to play a great team and improve our RPI going into the selection process. Whether or not we get an automatic bid coming out of the MAC Tournament, my goal with this program is to put ourselves in a position to get at-large bids. That means year-long performance and doing well when you are playing outside the conference. I think the Alabama match sticks out the most because it is going to be the closest match to the NCAA Tournament selection."
With the schedule set and 16 players ready to take the court, the 2005 Ball State women's volleyball team looks poised for success. The only question left to answer is how this team will handle its leadership issue.
"I think our success in 2005 hinges on how well we handle the leadership category. I looked at our seven NCAA Tournament teams over the summer and interestingly enough, five of the seven teams did not have any one or two players that I would categorize as our absolute leaders. Five of the seven did it by committee.
"Leadership by committee is a great way to do it. Play to everybody's strengths and no one player has to do it all. That is exactly how I see this team. If we get it right, something really good could happen. If we struggle with our leadership, it could bring us down. That is going to be a bigger challenge than what anybody thinks."
