Established 1916

Search ogb.wfu.edu

 

 

 

 

 

Younglings ready to ride Demon Deacon volleyball
By Ben Woolley
Contributing Reporter

This year’s version of the Wake Forest Women’s Volleyball Team will appear a little different to the fans in the stands.

The team has lost All-Region and All-ACC players Trina Maso de Moya, recently named to the ACC’s all-time volleyball squad, and Margeret Davidson due to graduation, but four-year starting senior setter Ashlee Phillips returns.

Phillips will be left to lead a team that was picked seventh in both the ACC Coaches’ Poll and the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association conference preseason polls.

Yet hope remains for the Deacons. The "X" factor for the team is the young, athletic freshmen and sophomores who really aren’t known by the ACC and will prove to be the key to the team’s success.

Coach Valorie Baker is very excited to see the younger players this year. "Those juniors, plus several sophomores that have experience, make this an exciting year. I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do," Baker told WakeForestSports.com.

Phillips returns as does junior right side hitter Ashley Fisher and junior middle blocker’s Kim Stern and Jessica Hauff. As for the open spots, it appears that a major battle will ensue for the starting left-side hitter.

Four players will vie for the spot, juniors Sara Beth DeLisle and Katy de Roeck along with sophomore Tarah Shelton and redshirt freshmen Valerie Rydberg. All four athletes have shown the potential to play the vital spot of left-side hitter.

Coach Baker is very excited about the competition for the position.

"Our left side position will be considered a hot commodity for our outside players," Baker said.

"I expect an unbelievable competition to arise for that position."

Another freshman sensation expected to make an impact is Christy Williams, from Chicago, Ill.

The experience of these returning starters players will prove to be an incredible asset for this young team that will have to contend with a schedule that appears to be tougher than last year’s already demanding schedule.

The Demon Deacons open the season hosting the Deacon Invitational. The preseason tourney includes many teams loaded with talent as Auburn, Ohio and Virginia Tech.

After that, the Deacs take a West Coast swing to visit national powers BYU, who finished 22nd in the final USA Today/AVCA Division I poll in December; Southern California, which is ranked 3rd in the preseason poll; and Oral Roberts in the BYU Invitational in Provo, Utah.

The team then travels to Lexington, Ky., to participate in another tournament, hosted by the University of Kentucky. The teams standing in the way of the Deacs are Western Michigan and Dayton, along with the hosting Kentucky Wildcats.

Baker is very positive about the tough road ahead for the team and feels it will help benefit the program.

"This year’s schedule will be even tougher. Both BYU and USC are traditionally top 10 programs, and USC has been ranked as high as No. 1. That poses quite a challenge for our team, but that’s the direction in which we want our program to go, so we need to play those kinds of teams," Baker said.

Last year, the Deacons finished 10-6 in conference play and tied for third in the standings. This should figure to be just as tough due to the equal distribution of quality teams throughout the conference.

North Carolina, Duke and Georgia Tech figure to be the prominent favorites as each were just on the cusp of the USA Today/AVCA Top 25 preseason volleyball poll and were in the "also receiving votes category."