Aggie volleyball club looks to get back on track at Utah
Based on the dedication and excitement of its players, the Utah State men’s volleyball club is looking to build upon its fall success as the spring season begins.
“This is a fun group,” said Head Coach Adam Longmore. “They’re excited. They want to play. They feed off each other, and we’re strong because of that.”
In the fall, the Aggies played in three tournaments, one at home, one at the University of Utah and one at Utah Valley State College.
At home, the Aggies finished second to Utah, but were able to win Utah’s tournament. In the final fall tournament at UVSC, going in with high hopes, Utah State finished a disappointing ninth.
“I hope it was a wake-up call, [because] it was for me at least,” Longmore said. “We decided we’re going to play hard regardless of how our teammates are playing and who our opponents are.”
After the loss, USU had several weeks off during Christmas Break in which to look forward to redemption in the spring.
“We ended off on a bad note,” middle blocker Joe Anderson said. “We lost to three teams we know we should have beat. It gives us a sense of wanting revenge, at least for me it does.”
Before playing though, the team had to recover from the long break.
“I’ve realized, and some players have, that time off affects us,” Longmore said. “When we came back we were not where we were [at the end of the fall]. Hopefully that motivates us.”
Having had two weeks of practice, including three days straight the first week, outside hitter Dan Noack said the team is coming together well.
“We’re coming together better now than before the break,” he said.
With the team playing together, Noack said it should probably do well when the season opens Friday at Utah with an 18-team tournament.
The Aggies, who are sending both their A and B teams, will get a chance to see a range of opponents, including schools from Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Washington.
Play will begin Friday with pool play. USU is seeded fourth overall, giving them a number one seed in the fourth pool. Following pool play, the teams will be seeded for tournament play Saturday.
Although the Aggies have been working to get back in rhythm following the break, Longmore said they aren’t at a disadvantage.
“I think the other schools are in the same position we are,” he said. “It will just be good to go and play again.”
With play starting anew, Longmore said one thing the team will need to work on is connecting with its setters.
“We need to get the ball where it needs to be, especially on the outside,” he said.
To accomplish that, the Aggies may be able to rely on what Noack said was one of the team’s strengths — its depth and versatility.
“Most of all we’re good athletes,” he said. “We have versatile players who can play different positions. That’s probably the best part of this team is its depth.”
The Aggies have one injury on their roster, outside hitter Mike Siler, but have added three new players this semester.
Longmore said Siler has been nursing a sprained ankle, but will still play.
The additions include Mike Duncan, an outside hitter from Southern Utah University, and Darin Jackson, a middle blocker who just returned home from a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Aggies also added outside hitter/defensive specialist Jason Stout. Stout was at Salt Lake Community College and has come to USU as a graduate student. Longmore said Stout played and helped coach at SLCC and will do the same at USU.
“He has a great volleyball mind,” Longmore said.
After Utah, the Aggies will have two more tournaments, Arizona in February and Colorado in March, before going to the Mountain West Volleyball Conference championship in Las Vegas at the end of March.
With the upcoming tournaments and the ability of the team, Anderson said he expects a good year.
“We definitely have the ability,” he said. “The semester usually starts well, then slows down. If things stay this way, the sky is the limit, and I think we’ll do well.”
–slbk5@cc.usu.edu