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Printer-Friendly ModeVolleyball team readies itself to make mark next season
November 14, 2005 —
Two weekends ago the SVSU volleyball team's season came to an end with two losses and one victory. It was the Cardinals' second GLIAC win of the season and added a bright spot for the dismal season.
"The team did a very good job of staying focused and finishing up the season strong," said head coach Will Stanton. "We knew we had to continue to improve every day and take advantage of every opportunity to compete."
During Friday night's victory over visiting Lake Superior State, the Cards saw three season-high performances from their players and team.
Junior Suzanne Beaver led the Cards with a season-high 22 kills, two aces and 17 digs in the match. Sophomore Amy Howard had a season high 57 assists for the team. The Cardinals had a season-high 12 total blocks as a team.
Also playing well in the game was sophomore Danielle Dryer. She finished with 16 kills on the night.
"Our passing was pretty steady all weekend again, and we had some good productivity from our three main hitters," Stanton said.The other two games were losses to Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech. The scores in the season finale to the Wildcats were 30-28, 30-28, and 30-18. Against the Huskies it was a bit closer, as the Cards lost 30-18, 23-30, 30-28, and 30-27.
Against MTU, the Cardinals were led by freshman Sarah Redoute, who had 15 kills and also tallied eight digs. Beaver tallied 13 kills and 14 digs for her second straight double-double.
Against the Wildcats, senior Julie Ritsema had two assisted blocks in the final match of her career. Dryer again led the Cardinals with 14 kills and added six digs and two blocks. Redoute reached double figures with 13 kills and ten digs while hitting .400 on 30 attacks with one attack error.
"In order for us to compete, we need to have contribution from nearly every player on the floor and we were able to get that again this weekend, so we were happy with the team as a whole," Stanton said.
SVSU ends their season with an overall record of 8-23 and 2-16 in the GLIAC. The record far surpassed last year's record of 2-29 overall and 0-18 in the GLIAC, showing improvement for this young team.
Stanton also remains optimistic about the future of his team.
"We were very happy with the progress of our sophomore class, and also pleased with the large contribution from so many of our first-year players," he said. "Having four first-year players in the program step in and start and be so steady for us was a pleasant surprise. And a good sign for the future."
Injuries hampered the Cardinals all season long and made the team unable to compete at the level that they could have, Stanton said.
"We felt we had the ability to be competitive in more of the conference matches and be in the running for a spot in the GLIAC tournament," he added.
Next season will be different for the Cardinals, with 16 players returning. They lose only Ritsema to graduation and currently have a roster filled with seven freshmen. This will not only add depth, but also stability and familiarity.
"We were able to get some great experience again this year by playing several first-year players," Stanton said. "If we continue to develop our offensive consistency and have another productive spring season we should be ready to make our mark on the conference next year."