News Release Date:
Friday, August 27, 2010
WALLA WALLA, Wash. – With nary a junior or senior on her roster, Whitman College volleyball coach Carolyn Papineau understands that some fans might worry about the obvious lack of experience.
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| Carolyn Papineau |
"There’s no question we’re young, but that doesn’t mean we’re lacking in maturity," Papineau says. "Every one of our players has a strong volleyball background.
"So, I don’t think we’re going to be hampered by our relative youth. What’s going to make a difference are the positives that this group brings to the floor -- lots of talent and tons of energy, enthusiasm and competitive fire."
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| Courtney Brewer |
At the heart of the Missionary roster is a handful of returning sophomores headed by Courtney Brewer, 5-foot-11 middle blocker who led the Northwest Conference (NWC) in hitting percentage a year ago.
First-year reinforcements riding onto the scene are led, appropriately enough, by Jillian Davis, a powerful 5-foot-9 outside hitter from the west Texas plains of El Paso.
"We have a lot of players with complementary abilities," Papineau says. "This group is coming together very quickly. From top to bottom, everyone has bought into the system. We’ve had a good mix of focus, intensity and communication."
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| Olivia Nielson |
Olivia Nielson, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, joins Brewer as a returning starter at middle blocker.
"One of our strengths this season will be our blocking game," Papineau says. "In addition to Courtney and Olivia, we’ve added more depth and height."
Brewer made the biggest impact last fall, topping Whitman in blocks with numbers that ranked her 10th during the NWC season. She also averaged 2.44 kills per game on the season while hitting a healthy .295 against conference foes.
Nielson, who like Brewer hails from Anchorage, Alaska, led the Missionaries in block assists last fall with 48. She was second overall in total blocks with 54, finishing just two behind Brewer.
"Both Courtney and Olivia did an admirable job last fall as first-year starters. They have a full season of experience behind them, and both are stronger from a physical standpoint."
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| Carrie Cecil |
Papineau also expects more strength at the net this season from sophomore Carrie Cecil, a 6-foot outside hitter who showed plenty of promise a year ago. She finished with a total of 37 blocks, the third-best mark on the team.
Newcomers with a knack for covering the net are Rachel Cline, a 5-foot-9 setter from Seattle’s Holy Names Academy, and Maddy Bell, a 6-foot middle blocker/right-side hitter from Bellevue’s Newport High School.
Cline and Taylor Aschenbrenner, a 5-foot-7 first-year player from Olympia’s Black Hills, give Whitman two solid options at the setting spot, Papineau says.
Cline led Holy Names to its third straight 3A state championship tournament last season while Aschenbrenner was helping direct Black Hills to league and district titles as well as a third-place finish in its state tournament.
"Both Rachel and Taylor also played a lot of club volleyball," Papineau says. "They are mature players who have done a nice job of absorbing all the information that goes with being part of a new team. They improve every day in practice. They are putting balls where they need to be, and they are doing it consistently."
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| Rachel Cline |
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| Taylor Aschenbrenner |
Neither of the first-year setters has shown any reticence about filling Whitman’s void at setter. "Both players are totally capable of running our offense and bringing out the best in our hitters," Papineau adds. "They have moved seamlessly into their roles."
Cline brings a lot of "length to the floor and plays taller than she is," Papineau says. "She has a nice high release, her jump set is an asset, and her block at the net is strong.
"Taylor also has a nice release on the ball, and she brings speed to the floor along with a calm, intelligent approach to setting."
With Cline and Aschenbrenner pulling the trigger, look for Whitman to generate a "more balanced offense" than it has in recent years, Papineau says. "We can spread the ball around and run a more fast-paced offense.
"Our returning middle blockers, Courtney and Olivia, are both quick and more comfortable when the pace is fast," Papineau says. "With the setters we have now, we think we can keep our middles moving and playing an up-tempo game."
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| Maddy Bell |
Brewer had a number of big offensive games last fall and should get "more swings this season," Papineau says. "The same is true with Olivia."
Brewer collected 19 kills, hitting .444, in a four-game victory over Willamette a year ago. Nielson had five kills (.400) in just 10 attempts in that same match, and she added six kills (.333) in a three-game win over Whitworth.
Cecil also had her moments on offense last season, slamming 12 kills in each of two conference victories.
"Carrie has worked incredibly hard on her skill development to get herself ready for this fall," Papineau says. "She continues to develop nicely as one of our outside hitters."
Alex Graves, an All-NWC player who led the conference in kills last season, graduated in the spring, leaving a gaping hole in the Missionary offense that Papineau hopes to plug with her prize recruit from Texas.
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| Jillian Davis |
Davis, a four-year captain at El Paso’s Coronado High School, earned all-district and all-city "outstanding hitter" honors last season while helping her T-Birds win district, bi-district and area championships. She also played for a club team that rose to No. 5 in the Texas state rankings.
"Jillian can do what we need her to do," Papineau says. "She will be a significant part of our attack. She is sharpening her mechanics right now, but she has a very live arm and hits the ball with authority.
"Jillian also has a great deal of big-match experience, and she’s one of those all-around players who can help us in a number of ways."
Bell, who earned Honorable Mention recognition in Seattle’s 4A KingCo prep ranks last season, is an attack option in the middle and right side.
"Maddy is doing a great job learning our system," Papineau says. "She has a quick arm and is also working on refining her mechanics."
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| Anna Conrad |
Other attack options are Anna Conrad, a 5-foot-10 first-year sophomore from Middle Park High School in Granby, Colo., and Becca Gotz, a 5-foot-8 first-year outside hitter from Archbishop Murphy High School in Everett, Wash.
Conrad did not play for Whitman last fall but joined the squad last spring, adding an immediate spark to its offseason workouts. As a high school senior, Conrad helped her team win its second league title in three years.
As a senior co-captain last year, Gotz powered Archbishop Murphy to a 19-2 season and second-place finish at state. She netted Honorable Mention all-state honors as a senior and was named to the All-Cascade Conference First Team in each of her last two seasons.
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| Becca Gotz |
"Becca has a lot to offer in that she sees the game and the floor with ease," Papineau says. "She also has good ball-control and defensive abilities."
Rounding out the roster are sophomores Rachel Shober and Hannah Holloran.
Shober (5-foot-9) played in 21 matches last spring, starting six. Her season highlights included 24 digs in a five-game victory over Redlands.
"Rachel is one of those players who makes everyone around her better," Papineau says. "We’re better when she’s on the court. She’s a utility player with good ball-control skills, and she gives us a good block on the right side."
Holloran, who saw less playing time a year ago, is "working hard on her defensive game," Papineau says. "She brings a lot of intensity and leadership to the backcourt."
Defense and serve-receive are two parts of game where her team needs to improve from a year ago, Papineau says.
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| Rachel Shober |
"Our blocking at the net is going to be stronger, which will also help our back-row defense. Other than that, we have a number of people who can help strengthen our defense. It’s up to everyone to help raise our level of defensive play."
Whitman, which finished eighth last season in the nine-team NWC, has the ability to have a great deal more success this year, Papineau says. The Missionaries split matches last fall with two of the teams that finished higher in the league standings.
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| Hannah Holloran |
"The rate at which we learn the system, execute the details and bring intensity to our games will determine how far this team will go," Papineau says.
"As it says on the back of our practice shirts, 'Success doesn't come to you . . . you go to it.'"
Whitman opens its season at home with a non-counting match against Walla Walla Community College on Wednesday, Sept. 1 (7 p.m.).
The season gets underway in earnest on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 4-5, when the Missionaries host a four-team tournament in Sherwood Center.
The tournament field includes California’s Menlo College and Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound, the two teams picked to finish first and second in the NWC this season.
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CONTACT: Dave
Holden,
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla,
Wash.
holden@whitman.edu; (509) 527-5902
