WALLA WALLA, Wash. – A young team coming of age. That’s how coach Dean Snider views his Whitman College women’s volleyball squad on the verge of its fall season.
"It makes sense that we as a team should have higher expectations this season," Snider says. "We’ve talked about our youth and our athleticism the past two years. The athleticism is still there and our youth is maturing."
Playing without a single senior on its roster last fall, Whitman was 12-12 on the season, which included a 7-9 record in the always competitive Northwest Conference (NWC).
"We finished last season within the range of acceptability," Snider says. "We were still young enough that some fluctuation in our play was to be expected. It was important that we finished at the .500 mark, which was an improvement over the previous season. Now, we need to continue to get better."
Whitman’s play last fall followed a pattern of peaks and valleys, Snider says. "We performed at peak levels at times last season, but we lacked consistency. With nearly everyone back, we should be more consistent. That won’t guarantee us any more victories, but it should put us in a good position to win more games."
"I really like this group of players," Snider adds. "We’ve got good leadership, and not just in senior captains Kate Borsato and Emily Seider. We also have a strong sophomore captain in Rosa Brey."
Borsato, a 5-foot-8 setter from White Rock, British Columbia, is a three-year starter and already ranks as Whitman’s all-time leader in assists with 2,644. "Kate has been rock solid from the first day she stepped onto the court for us," Snider says. "She’s a very capable, strong performer, and this is her second season as a team captain."
Seider, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter from Eugene, Ore., also has the versatility to play inside, contributing to both the offense and defense at the net. She, too, is marking on her fourth season as a Missionary starter. "Emily is one of the most unsung players in the conference," Snider says. "She’s very wily and skilled as both a middle hitter and middle blocker."
Brey, who came to Whitman last fall after a fine prep career at Bozeman (Mont.) High School, wasted little time adjusting to the college game. The 5-foot-10 middle blocker led the NWC in blocks, averaging 1.12 per game, and was second on the Whitman roster in kills (2.83 kpg), digs (2.35 dpg) and total service aces (26). One of only two first-year players to make the All-NWC team, she earned Honorable Mention recognition.
"Rosa is our most athletic player," Snider says. "She can be a dominant presence at the net. She should really make a name for herself this season in our conference."
Whitman is blessed with a talented junior class, starting with Lydia Hayes and Leslie Compean, who fill the outside attack slots. "Lydia and Leslie give us a very potent one-two punch on the outside," Snider says. "Both have continued to develop and mature as players, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see break-out seasons from both of them."
At 5-foot-10, Hayes averaged 3.94 kills per season a year ago as a sophomore, leading the conference for much of the season before finishing third in that statistical category. Hayes, who hails from Boise, Idaho, also led Whitman in service aces with 29 and netted All-NWC Honorable Mention recognition.
Compean, a 6-footer from Everett, Wash., led Whitman in kills as a first-year player and then posted a strong all-around sophomore campaign, ranking second in blocks, third in kills and fifth in digs on the Missionary season stat sheet.
Kaelyn Merkel, a 5-foot-7 defensive specialist and outside hitter from Anacortes, Wash., played most of last season in the libero role, leading Whitman in digs with 265 (3.15 dpg). "Kaelyn shifted over last fall to help us fill a team need at libero," Snider says. "We should have more ball control and libero options this season, so there’s a chance we’ll be able to use Kaelyn’s abilities elsewhere on the floor this fall."
Whitman’s other ball control options include the ongoing development of junior Meg Clark (Beaverton, Ore.). "Meg is a dedicated, high-energy player who has worked hard the past two seasons on improving her ball control and passing skills," Snider says.
Whitman’s eighth returning player, 5-foot-9 sophomore setter Kristan Brown (Reno, Nev.), is a good one. "Kristan will get more setting time this season, and just more playing time in general," Snider says. "She’s an excellent setter, a good volleyball player and a great competitor. Even as a first-year player last fall, she carried a presence on the floor that a team doesn’t always see from its seniors."
The only Missionary starter not returning this season was lost not to graduation but to foreign study. Kristen Marshall, a 5-foot-11 middle blocker from Reno, Nev., is studying this fall with the School for Field Studies in Mexico. A year ago, she posted the highest grade point average of any varsity athlete at Whitman.
On the volleyball court, Marshall was part of a well-balanced Missionary front that led the NWC in blocks. Despite her loss, Snider isn’t worried about Whitman’s presence at the net. "Blocking was one of our strong points last season and that will be the case again this fall. Rosa Brey and Leslie Compean are the best blockers we have, and Emily Seider contributes in a big way in that area as well."
Snider is thrilled with his first-year class, a group of three players that figures to strengthen Whitman’s defense at both the net and along the back line.
One of the first-year players -- Alex Graves, a 5-foot-9 outside hitter from Palo Alto, Calif. -- is an "excellent ball control player," Snider says. "She can help strengthen our defense in the back, which is something we need to do. We played good defense at times last season, but we didn’t always keep up with the best defensive teams in the conference."
The other two first-year players are Allison Sordahl, a 6-foot-1 middle blocker from Anchorage, Alaska, and Maryn Juergens, a 5-foot-10 middle from Mercer Island, Wash. "Allison is a solid middle blocker, big and strong," Snider says. "Maryn is another good player in the middle with lots of potential."
"We had a big, physical presence at the net last fall, and Allison and Maryan can help us build on that," Snider says. "What we need to do is play better defense behind our block, and Alex and Helen can help us do that. Our offense was one of our strong points last season, and the offense will only get stronger this fall as we make improvements on the defensive side."
"In addition to their talents on the court, our four first-year players are all bright, personal young ladies," Snider says. "They can really add to the character and chemistry of our team."
Whitman opens its season on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 1-2, with a series of four matches at the University of Puget Sound Invitational in Tacoma, Wash. The Missionaries then wrap up their non-conference schedule with four matches in a Sept. 8-9 tournament hosted by the College of Mount St. Joseph (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Mount St. Joseph begins the fall season with a No. 19 national ranking from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). As part of Mount St. Joseph’s tourney, Whitman will also face Juniata College (Huntingdon, Pa.), which holds a preseason No. 2 national ranking after losing a 3-2 decision in the NCAA Div. III national championship match last November.
Whitman kicks off its NWC season on the weekend of Sept. 15-16, playing at Willamette and Linfield.
The annual NWC Preseason Coaches Poll, released earlier this month, has Whitman pegged to place fourth among nine schools. Puget Sound was ranked first, Linfield second and Pacific Lutheran third.
"This is the first time in my years at Whitman that we’ve received a first-place vote in the preseason coaches poll," Snider says. "That’s a positive indication that others see Whitman as a team on the rise."
Yet Snider, now in his 11th season at Whitman, sees few if any easy wins waiting on his conference slate. "Pacific finished eighth in our conference last year, but they had non-conference victories over two teams that later won matches in the national championship tournament. There are no nights off in the NWC."
Serving as Snider’s coaching assistant for a second consecutive season is Sharee Coad, who played at Gonzaga University, graduating in 1999 after an injury-plagued career as a middle blocker. She was a three-sport athlete at Bella Vista High School in Fair Oaks, Calif. In addition to coaching previously at Bella Vista and Santa Fe Christian School (Solana Beach, Calif.), she has coached a number of club teams in California and Washington.
"Sharee should really be considered a co-head coach," Snider says. "She did a wonderful job for us last year, and we’re very fortunate to have her back. She’s a hard worker with great teaching skills and good ideas. She benefits our program greatly."
Dave Holden, Whitman Sports Information,
(509) 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu