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 A more defensive minded Catamount volleyball team will be looking to junior libero Liz Rondone for leadership this season. |
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Aug. 27, 2008
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina volleyball sets up for the 2008 season Friday as the team travels to Lexington, Kentucky to participate in the Kentucky Classic, however, the first match of the season isn't a part of the tournament. The club was picked to finish sixth in the North in the Southern Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.
The Catamounts will face Stephen F. Austin at 11 a.m. before the tournament begins. Stephen F. Austin was scheduled to play in a tournament at Miami of Ohio, but the tournament was cancelled and the Ladyjacks were just scheduled to play Ohio. A call to Head Coach Stephanie Dragan and the cooperation from the University of Kentucky allowed Stephen F. Austin and Western Carolina to play prior to the start of the tournament.
"Volleyball coaches try to help each other out, and I was happy to add Stephen F. Austin to our schedule," Dragan admitted. "We thought getting a match under our belt, before playing NCAA participant Wisconsin, was a good thing for the team.
As mentioned by Dragan, after the match with the Ladyjacks, the Catamounts will then begin play in the Kentucky Classic. Western Carolina opens with No. 13 Wisconsin at 5 p.m. On Saturday, the club faces host Kentucky at 10 a.m. and Pittsburgh at 5 p.m.
Western Carolina will debut a new look for Catamount volleyball, and not just the new purple uniforms with the new logo. The club will also be running a new offensive scheme with three middle blockers and also focusing heavily on defense.
"I have run this before but we have never had the personnel to do this at Western Carolina until now," Dragan said. "No one else in the Southern Conference runs this defensive scheme, so it will be interesting to see how we implement it and how it affects our style of play and how other teams approach us."
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