‘A top-two team’
Leave it to the preseason polls to get a team fired up.
After a third-place finish in the WAC last season, Utah State was predicted to finish fifth in the WAC by the preseason coaches’ poll.
“I do think that they have underestimated us, and we’re just excited to get playing and show them how good we are,” senior outside hitter Melissa Osterloh said. “We’re gonna be a top-three team. Or a top-two team.”
The USU volleyball team will kick off its 32nd season of play Friday against BYU.
The Aggies begin the season with 10 returning players, including 2007 WAC freshman of the year, Chelsea Fowles.
“We’ve brought back a lot of experience and we have some nice new kids,” said head coach Grayson DuBose.
Osterloh said the team this year is better rounded, and is ready to start playing matches.
“Last year we depended on a few specific players to get us our points, but this year it’ll be every player,” she said.
Coach DuBose was joined this spring by former USU head coach Tom Peterson, who has returned as an assistant coach. Osterloh said Peterson has brought a lot to the team since day one.
The Aggies will play three matches this weekend in Provo at the BYU Molten Classic tournament. They will play BYU Friday evening, and then will face Missouri and Tulane Saturday. USU will play its first home game against Weber State Tuesday, Sept. 2 at the Spectrum. Overall, the Aggies will play nine of its first 10 matches on the road.
“It’s definitely a bigger challenge when you’re on the road because it’s not your gym, it’s not your environment,” Fowles said. “It’s going to make us a stronger team to be able to play in those different places.”
DuBose said the team chemistry is high and the players are committed to perfecting their games.
“One of our major goals as a team is just to be better each time we step out there,” he said. “It’s another great coaching cliché, but these girls have really bought into it. Every day they go work hard, and it’s fun. It’s fun to come in the gym.”
<h3>The returning players</h3>
No. 2: Chelsea Fowles – Fowles is a sophomore setter and was named to the 2008 preseason all-WAC team. She averaged 12.45 assists per game in 2007, and was named WAC freshman of the year. Fowles said college volleyball is a very different game than high school or club, and she has matured a lot after playing one season.
No. 3: Melissa Osterloh – Osterloh, a senior hitter, earned second-team all-WAC honors last season while starting all 30 matches. She was the WAC Player of the Week on Oct. 1 after leading USU to a pair of victories on the road. As a junior, she averaged 3.16 kills, 2.88 digs and 0.75 blocks per game.
No. 4: Jessalyn Payne – Payne is a junior hitter for the Aggies. Last season she averaged 1.29 digs per game while playing in 26 matches. She had 22 service aces, and ranked 10th in the WAC with 0.29 service aces per game.
No. 5: Danielle Taylor – Taylor is a junior middle blocker. In 2007, she earned second-team all-WAC honors while averaging 2.07 kills, 1.12 blocks and 0.52 digs per game. She was ranked seventh in the WAC in hitting percentage and 10th in blocking. She finished the 2007 season with 114 block assists, which ties her for seventh place in school history for a single season.
No. 7: Katie Astle – Astle, a sophomore middle blocker, played in 15 matches in her freshman year, including starting two matches. She averaged 0.87 blocks and 0.78 kills per game while hitting .448.
No. 9: Rebecca Anderson – Anderson started 17 matches as a junior in 2007 and played in 22. She averaged 1.10 kills, 1.22 blocks, 0.22 digs and 0.14 assists per game. She led the team in blocks and was ranked fifth in the WAC. She also led the team with a .297 hitting percentage.
No. 10: Kris Hymas – As a junior hitter, Hymas played in 18 matches for USU. She finished last season averaging 1.19 kills, 1.34 digs and 0.44 blocks per game.
No. 14: Christine Morrill – Morrill returns to USU after playing in 24 matches as a freshman. She averaged 3.92 digs per game and ranked eight in the WAC. She had 333 digs last year, which ranks seventh in school history for a single season.
No. 17: Lori Wilson – Wilson is a sophomore hitter, returning after playing in nine matches as a freshman. She finished the 2007 season with eight kills, five digs and three blocks.
No. 23: Heather Hillier – Hillier, a senior setter, played in 26 matches last season, starting five. She averaged 2.15 assists, 0.84 digs and 0.22 service aces per game. She finished the season with 174 assists, second on the team.
<h3>The new players</h3>
No. 11: Shanda Larson – Larson is a junior who brings depth to USU’s defense. She played for two seasons at Salt Lake Community College, helping her team to a 44-2 record and a third-place national finish in 2007. As a high school senior, she was named player of the year in Cache Valley by the Herald Journal.
No. 12: Emily Kortsen – Kortsen is a freshman hitter from Hollister, Calif. While in high school, she was named MVP of the Tri-County League for three straight years. She was also named a Junior Olympic All-American in 2007.
No. 18: Liz McArthur – McArthur is a freshman hitter from St. George, Utah. She was named the state’s MVP during her junior and senior years of high school. As a senior, she led her team to the 4A state championship and was named MVP of the tournament.
No. 21: Shantell Durrant – The 6-foot-2-inch Durrant is the tallest player on the team. She is a sophomore middle blocker. She comes to USU after spending two seasons at the University of Washington, redshirting in 2006 and playing in four matches in 2007. In high school, she was team captain for two years and lettered all four.
—joseph.w@aggiemail.usu.edu