2010 SACRAMENTO STATE VOLLEYBALL
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Fresh off a 2009 season in which the Hornets made a six-win improvement from the previous year, Sacramento State third-year head coach Ruben Volta will oversee a squad which returns 10 players, including four starters and the libero. Of those 10 returners, six are juniors or seniors, marking the most upperclassmen Volta has had on the roster since he took over the head coaching reigns in 2008. Last year’s squad went 16-16 overall, and that win total could have easily been more as the Hornets dropped seven five-set matches, including a pair of heart-breaking 18-16 decisions in the fifth. “I was really happy with our improvement last year, but I still felt we lost too may close matches because our lack of experience,” Volta said. “Just having the core of our roster back will help. We have a lot more court experience than we’ve had the past couple years, and hopefully the leadership from our veteran players will translate to more success.” This year’s team will be the most battle-tested squad during Volta’s head coaching tenure as he inherited a major rebuilding project in 2008 that saw the team return just one starter from the previous year. That 2008 team posted a 10-23 record, and ended the program’s run of 11 straight Big Sky Conference championships. The 2009 squad improved to 16 wins and made strides in nearly every area, especially with its serving and defense. In fact, the Hornets easily finished first in the Big Sky in both digs (16.96) and aces per set
(1.55) in 2009. The digs were the 30th best mark in the nation, and the team began to display the stingy defensive attributes that were the cornerstone of the successful Sacramento State teams in the past. “Obviously, defense has been the trademark of our program, and its something we take very seriously,” Volta said. “We improved a lot in that area last season, and will get even better this year. “For most of the last season, I was also happy with our serving and felt like we put a lot of pressure on teams. Its another area where we got better, and its a part of the game we will continue to work on.” Leading the nine returners and hoping to continue to the upward trend of success are team co-captains Janelle Currey and Maddison Thivierge. Currey, a sophomore from Rocklin, set the Sacramento State Div. I-era single-season records for most kills and digs by a freshman outside hitter. In addition, she will become the first underclassmen in recent memory to be named a team captain. Thivierge, who can play in both the middle and on the right side, is the lone senior on this year’s team and is coming off a season in which she set career highs in kills, hitting percentage and blocks. Currey (outside hitter), Thivierge (right side or middle) and junior middle hitter Kelsey Elston (fifth in the Big Sky in blocks last year) are the only three players who have a starting spot locked up when the season gets under way. Other starting position battles include
the second outside hitter spot, rightside hitter, middle hitter, setter and libero. Other returners include two outside hitters (juniors Eryn Kirby and Cayti Crowton), one rightside hitter (junior Anna Schoener), one middle hitter (sophomore Olivia Moss), one setter (sophomore Hannah Hettinga) and a pair of defensive specialists/liberos (junior Breanne Menees and sophomore Sydney Kordic). However, Hettinga has been nursing a knee injury that has not improved, and will undergo season-ending surgery, meaning the Hornets will enter the year with just one player on the roster listed as a setter (freshman Katie Aprile). In a strange twist of events, Schoener, who has played on the right side and in the middle during her Sacramento State career, will now switch positions and be pressed into setter duties alongside Aprile. With 10 returners and five incoming freshmen, Sacramento State will hope to re-establish a tradition that has seen the program consistently reach the NCAA Tournament. In fact, over the last 13 years, the Hornets have advanced to the NCAA Tournament 10 times (including second round appearances in 1998 and 2007) while winning nine Big Sky Tournament crowns (1997-98, 2000, 2002-07) and eight Big Sky regular season championships (1997-01, 2005-07). Moreover, since 1976, Sacramento State has combined for two national championships, 18 conference titles, 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, 30 winning seasons and an 854-331 overall record.
HORNET VOLLEYBALL | BIG SKY CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS 1997, ‘98, ‘99, ‘00, ‘01, ‘02, ‘03, ‘04, ‘05, ‘06, ‘07