USU volleyball team reached top-25
The Utah State women’s volleyball team’s record-breaking season earned it The Utah Statesman Women’s Team of the Year award.
For the first time in 19 years, the team posted more than 20 wins, ending the 2000 season with a 22-10 record. The Aggies finished the season ranked No. 22 in the country, according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll, a first for the team.
And for the first time in school history, USU went to the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies were among the top 32 teams in the nation as they advanced to the second round of the tournament by defeating Missouri in five games. USU then lost to Brigham Young University in the third round.
Heather Olmstead and Chelsi Neves, both juniors, said the loss to BYU was not a terrible setback. Olmstead said it was simply a matter of which team was playing the best at the time of the match. Neves added the team’s goal is to advance past the second round of the tournament next season.
Over the course of the season, the women’s volleyball team swept the state of Utah, beating BYU and Weber State University in three games and the University of Utah in four. The win over the Cougars snapped a 29-game losing streak against BYU.
The Aggies ended another long losing streak by defeating the University of California, Santa Barbara – an achievement USU had not managed to accomplish since 1978. Not only did the Aggies claim victory over the Gauchos, they shut them out in the third and final game of the match. Neves said “bageling” the Gauchos, who were at the time ranked No. 9, was one of the most exciting events for the Aggies.
Olmstead agreed. She said the best wins came against teams most spectators would have doubted the Aggies could beat, including nationally ranked teams like UCSB, then-ranked No. 10, BYU and No. 15 Utah. Both Neves and Olmstead said they would like to see a repeat of those upsets in the 2001 season.
The Aggies dominated both as a team and individually. The “Big Three,” seniors Amy Crosbie, Denae Mohlman and Melissa Schoepf, are all ranked in the top three for all-time USU career kills, as Crosbie recorded a total of 1436 kills during her years at USU, Mohlman posted 1276 and Schoepf recorded 945. All three seniors are also in the top eight for most games and matches played in USU history. Crosbie and Schoepf are tied for fourth for most service aces (95), and Mohlman sits atop the record books for most block assists (408) and most total blocks (479).
Members of the women’s volleyball team received national attention, as well. Crosbie, Mohlman and Neves were each named Big West players of the week. Mohlman received the honor twice in one season. Crosbie was named national player of the week following the Aggies’ victory over BYU Sept. 12, 2000. For the first time, four Aggies were named to the Big West all-conference team. Crosbie, Mohlman and Schoepf were named to the first team; Neves was named to the second team.
Assistant coach Shay Goulding-Clemensen said she attributes the success of the team to competitive practices and team synergy.
The Aggies return three starters and seven letterwinners of the 2000 team. Although many familiar faces will appear on the court next season, the coaching staff has changed. Bert Fuller will lead the Aggies as head coach for the 2001 campaign. Neves said Fuller has different coaching techniques and different offensive and defensive strategies than former head coach Tom Peterson, but the team is adjusting well. Goulding-Clemensen agreed. She noted that the transition to Fuller was smooth, and many players have commented that it feels like Fuller has been coach all along.
Olmstead said the main goal of the team is to continually raise the standard of excellence. She said she hopes the 2001 team will leave its mark and each team after will continue to be nationally ranked contenders.