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By Steve Carpenter
HCC Sports Information Director
Friday, August 7, 2009
The defending Jayhawk
Conference and Region VI champion Hutchinson Community College volleyball
team opened practice on Friday at the Sports Arena and the one thing that
head coach Ronda Shirley already likes about her 2009 team can be summed up
in one word … depth.
“We have the numbers,”
Shirley said before opening up fall camp. “Being pretty even as far as same
number of freshmen and sophomores will be a strength. Certain positions of
the last couple of years, we haven’t always had depth.”
One full-time starter, two
part-time starters and six players overall return from HCC’s 2008 regional
championship team that finished 30-16 and 10th at the NJCAA National
Tournament.
Shirley and the HCC coaching
staff now begin the process of blending those six players with a talented
group of freshmen that the 12th-year Lady Dragon coach is very high on.
“I’m excited,” Shirley said.
“I’m always excited to see the new kids we recruited mingle in with your
returnees. With everybody, there’s an excitement to be practicing again.”
Returning for the Lady
Dragons are middle blocker Debbie Ohl, who had 175 total blocks and averaged
2.02 kills and hit .242 in her freshman season where she was first-team
All-Jayhawk Conference and first-team All-Region VI.
Sophomore outside hitter
Bailea Phelan came on during the final third of the season and started
throughout the postseason. Phelan averaged 1.82 kills and hit .127. Those
numbers improved to 2.00 kills per game and a .151 hitting percentage over
the final 11 matches of the season.
Outside hitter Karol Marins
returns after a freshman season where she shows dominant moments. Shirley
said she has put a lot of off-season time to continuing her transition from
the Brazilian beach to the six-player court. Marins averaged 1.93 kills and
hit .193.
Also returning is Shayley
Jacobson (4.03 set assists), who was a back-up setter in 2008, middle
blocker Shelley Kemper and defensive specialist Mara Huck (1.83 digs per
game).
“We are trying to get
everybody on the same page,” Shirley said. “That’s something what we have to
focus on over the next couple of weeks to see where everybody is at and what
we have to work on. I am excited about our depth.”
Added Phelan: “I’m really
impressed with our freshmen. Coach always talks about (the depth) is good to
help us push ourselves. We want our intersquad scrimmages like a real game …
intense.”
The Lady Dragons will have
two scrimmages before opening the 2009 season at Council Bluffs, Iowa on
Aug. 28-29. HCC will play host to Cloud County on Aug. 18 and then play at
Butler Community College on Aug. 22.
HCC’s first home match will
be Sept. 9 against Colby.
FIRST PRACTICE PHOTO
GALLERY |
