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 Western Carolina Volleyball was picked ninth in the SoCon Preseason Poll. |
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Aug. 21, 2007
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina volleyball was picked to finish ninth in the Southern Conference Preseason Poll as released by the conference office on Tuesday.
The Southern Conference women's volleyball coaches selected College of Charleston as the favorite to win the conference title in 2007. The Cougars received eight first place votes for a total of 97 points. Furman is close behind with three first place votes and a total of 93 points. Appalachian State came in at third with 80 points while UNC Greensboro had 71 total points. Chattanooga and Davidson both had 60 points while Elon has 48 and Georgia Southern had 37 points. Western Carolina, Wofford and The Citadel round out the rest of the poll.
Western Carolina University volleyball returns just four starters from the 2006 squad, but they are a group of players with a wealth of experience. The foursome will be looked upon to provide leadership and knowledge for the 2007 campaign.
The Catamounts are led by lone senior Meredith Harmon. The 6-1 middle blocker started every match in 2006 leading the team in attack percentage (.260), blocks (98) and kills (379). She recorded double figure kills in 17 matches with four of them being 20 or more kills.
A trio of sophomores round out the returning players for Head Coach Stephanie Dragan: Libero Liz Rodone, setter Katie Hennessey and middle blocker/outside hitter Amanda Kerr.
Rondone created quite a splash in her first year as a Catamount. The 5-9 libero ended the season ranked 15th in the nation with 770 digs, averaging 5.97 digs per game The digs total led Western Carolina and ranked second in the Southern Conference and also snapped Catamount volleyball's single-season record.
Hennessey led the team in assists (1,075) a mark that pushed her into ninth place for career assists in the WCU Record books. The 5-11 setter also led the team in service aces (34) which helped her crack the top-30 for aces in a career.
Kerr rounds the returning players. She started in 29 matches in 2006, notching a career-high 10 kills twice.
"I am excited for this upcoming season," said Head Coach Stephanie Dragan. "We are more physical, athletic, skilled, and talented then past teams. This group of athletes have the desire and work ethic to overcome any obstacle in front of them. "
Western Carolina welcomes nine newcomers to its squad for 2007. The Catamounts will have two transfers and six true freshmen on the roster this season. Teammates Liz McLaughlin and Abbey Altholf join Western Carolina after spending two seasons at South Florida Community College. McLaughlin and Altholf are both liberos who will have two years of eligibility left.
Kara Lynzee Brooks is a 6-0 outside hitter from Mt. Dora, Florida. She was a four-year starter at Mt. Dora High School and as a senior led her club in kills (218), aces (111), blocks (29) and digs (91). She earned valuable experience playing in Europe in January (2007) playing with an OVA team competing against teams from Italy, Germany and Slovenia.
Carly Cash is a 5-9 setter from Oxford, N.C. A four-year letterwinner at J F Webb High School she was a three-time all-conference selection and named Team MVP all four years. She helped lead team to state runner-up as a senior and conference titles as a junior and senior.
LaTonia Cunningham is a 6-1 middle blocker from Huntersville, N.C. A four-year letterwinner at North Mecklenburg High School she was named all-conference three of four years. As a senior she was voted All-Tournament and named to the Meca 6 All-Star Team.
Kassee Roberts is a 5-2 defensive specialist from Crumpler, N.C. She was a four-year letterwinner at Ashe County High School and was thrice voted all-conference.
Ali Rook is a 5-11 outside hitter from Naperville, Ill. A four-year letterwinner at Naperville North High School, she was named all-conference, Daily Herald Special Mention and All-City Second Team as a senior. She helped lead her team to the regional championship crown as a junior and senior.
Jessica Whitley is a 6-1 freshman from Fairfield, Ohio. A four-year letterwinner at Fairfield Senior High School, she recorded 127 kills, averaging 2.18 kills per game and also notched 40 blocks as a senior.
Jelena Jakovljevic is a 6-2 outside hitter from Valjevo, Serbia. A late addtion to the roster, she will bring a Eurppean perspective to the program.
Western Carolina opens the 2007 season on Friday when the Catamounts travel to Dallas, Texas to compete in a tournament at SMU. The club will play host team SMU on Friday and Eastern Illinois and McNeese State on
"SMU is in the middle of the pack in Conference-USA," Dragan said. "This should be a competitive tournament for our team."
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