The Ohio Northern volleyball team is excited about the 2012 season.
Ask 22nd-year head coach Kate Witte the theme of this year's squad and it keeps coming back to one word: competition.
Witte and her staff welcome back all six starters, the starting libero and 10 letterwinners from last year's squad that posted a 14-16 record and finished fourth in the Ohio Athletic Conference with a 5-4 mark.
Add to the mix a talented incoming freshman group and the argument could be made that every position on the court is up for grabs even thought all the starters return.
"We are still young, but we will have a great deal of experience," Witte said. "There will be competition at every position for playing time. We have returning starters at every position, but we expect our incoming freshmen to push for playing time. It will be a great training camp and it will be fun to see which of our young ladies persevere and earn starting positions."
"Our goals remain the same as they are every year: to win the OAC regular season and Tournament titles and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. We need to be more consistent as a team, but we feel good about the talent level of our group."
Here's a breakdown of the Ohio Northern volleyball team, by position:
Setter
For the first time ever, the Polar Bears will have four setters on the roster.
Senior Kelsie Zumberger returns after missing the past two seasons with an ankle injury she suffered as a freshman in 2009.
She returns healthy and looks to be the pre-camp favorite to grab the starting spot.
Sophomores Amanda Volosin and Hannah English shared starting setter duties as freshman a year ago and will battle for the starting spot.
Incoming freshman Heather Saunier will also challenge for playing time.
"We feel very good about the setter position," Witte said. "Kelsie is a talented setter with experience. Amanda and Hannah did a nice job as freshmen and it will be exciting to see how they develop as sophomores. Heather has the size and athleticism to compete right away, as well."
Outside Hitter
Senior Ellen Grenert earned All-Conference accolades last season and returns after leading ONU in kills with 245.
She is a two-year starter on the right side.
Junior Kristen Davidson has 33 career starts as a left side hitter and collected 238 kills in 2011.
Juniors Jace Born and Katie Karres, sophomore Emily Smith and incoming freshmen Julie Amos, Ellie Gillespie and Emily Beasley will challenge for playing time on the outside.
"Ellen is our most consistent all-around player." Witte said. "We ask her to do a lot of things for us in both the front and back rows. Kristen had a solid sophomore year and we expect her to continue to improve her consistency. We also feel like we have a good amount of depth and look for our newcomers to push our returners a great deal."
Middle Hitter
Both starting middle hitters return for ONU in 6'-0" junior Julia Fuerst and 6'-2" sophomore Rachel Olach.
Fuerst showed flashes of brilliance as a sophomore and will bring experience to the position.
Olach is one of the team's best athletes and has a tremendous upside as she develops.
Incoming freshmen Kaitlann Hogrefe and Anna Ricker will challenge for playing time immediately in the middle.
"Julia and Rachel are big presences in the middle and are hard workers," Witte said. "Hopefully they will continue to improve as they develop in their careers. Our two freshman should push for playing time as well in what may be one of our most competitive positions."
Libero/Defensive Specialist
Junior Jeni Kmic started all 30 matches at libero in 2011 and led the Polar Bears with 647 digs.
Junior Hannah Livengood played in all 30 matches with 16 starts at defensive specialist, giving Witte returning strength and experience on the back row.
Incoming freshman Alexis Mills is a talented, athletic player who looks to solidify the defense.
"We are excited about our back row players," Witte said. "We have a great deal of experience and will have a battle with these three young women for playing time."
Schedule
Northern will start out with its annual ONU Invitational, during which the team will play regional competitors in Wooster, Thiel (Pa.), Carnegie Mellon (Pa.) and Trine (Ind.).
ONU will also travel to tournaments at Hanover (Ind.), Wittenberg and Transylvania (Ky.) and will face regional foes Bluffton, Denison and Kenyon in non-conference action.
The round-robin OAC schedule gets underway Sept. 18 with a home match against Capital and the OAC Tournament is slated for Oct. 30-Nov. 2 at campus sites.
