Upperclassmen Will Lead The Way For Blazers' Women's Volleyball In 2010

In 2010, third-year head coach Sheila Gisbrecht will direct her deepest team since taking over the program in 2008.

With a pair of seniors leading a group of seven returners, the Blazers' roster of 13 players features six juniors, a sophomore and four freshmen.

In 2009, Elms College won five of its final six matches and garnered the fourth seed in the New England Collegiate Conference tournament before falling in the semifinal contest. Junior outside hitter Stacy Croteau (Agawam, Mass.) earned First Team All-NECC honors, while senior Melissa Clark (Chicopee, Mass.) was named to the second team.

Graduated senior setter and the program's all-time leader in assists Kim Phillips (Randolph, Mass.) earned Honorable Mention All-NECC for her efforts during her final campaign with the Blazers.

For coach Gisbrecht, strength and experience is centered in the squad's outside hitters. Anchored by Croteau, a two-time First Team All-NECC selection and the program's third all-time leader in kills, the Blazers will look to utilize two other veterans and a pair of newcomers to pace the offense.

Outside Hitters

In 2009, Croteau smashed a team-high and collegiate career best 204 kills, while sophomore Christina Martin (Chicopee, Mass.) terminated 118 balls for Elms.

Junior Jenn Rego (Fall River, Mass.) will see action on the outside as well as at setter as she has the last two seasons and will provide solid experience at both positions.

Freshman Rachel Cowan (Ellington, Conn.), an opposite side hitter, and freshman Mayralee Marquez (Springfield, Mass.) round out a stellar corps of hitters.

Middle Hitters

Clark and senior Laura Kulig (Holyoke, Mass.) will patrol the middle this season. Clark has made a name for herself with sensational play at the net. Not only is she the program's all-time leader in total blocks (153) including 69 in 2009, she also ranks second on Elms College's all-time kills list with 429. She is also fourth all-time in digs for the Blazers with 440.

The Blazers will also welcome back junior Annette Dzidek (Chicopee, Mass.) who missed the bulk of last season due to a knee injury. Dzidek will be used primarily as a middle hitter, but will also fill a role on the outside.

Setters

Freshman Ashley Fuller (Amherst, Mass.) will take over as the primary setter for the Blazers and will look for guidance from Rego in directing the offensive attack. Classmate Megan Grygorcewicz (Easthampton, Mass.) and Rego will all see action at the setter position this season.

Defensive Specialists/Liberos

Junior Anacelis Gonzales (Springfield, Mass.) will lead a group of four specialized defenders that also includes Grygorcewicz and juniors Anne Blanchette (Byfield, Mass.) and Samalid Maldonado (Springfield, Mass.). Blanchette played two seasons at Division III Anna Maria College, while Maldonado joins the team following a two-year stint at Holyoke Community College.

Where Elms lacks in overall experience (setter/defensive specialist/libero), height and depth at those positions makes up for it. The Blazers have eight players over five-foot six-inches tall which will allow the blocking game to develop.

Question and Answer with Coach Gisbrecht
Q: Which player(s) need(s) to make the biggest impact to have a successful 2010 season?
A: Melissa Clark and Stacy Croteau are going to need to be our biggest impact players. We need both of them to have very efficient and outstanding seasons. Stacy is definitely one of our most efficient hitters and Mel is just a machine. 

Q: Which newcomer(s) need to step in and fill and immediate void left by the 2009 graduating class?
A: Ashley Fuller at setter will immediately be put into a starting role. Another newcomer that will play a pretty significant role is Rachel Cowan. The kid is just a huge block, we just need to get her caught up with everything that we're trying to do.

Q: Teams usually don't see a first-year setter come in and start. Comment on the transition from high school to college as a setter.
A: It is definitely going to be trial by fire with her. She's a great setter. She has a great set of hands, she just needs to make some technical adjustments. We also completely changed her battle plan. For her it's going to be how quickly she can adjust in transition and how she runs the offense. If she can get through that part of the game, everything else will start piecing together and it will be like she's been with us for a very long time. She's already made a great connection with Mel and Stacy and with the other hitters it's just about repetition. There's a lot of potential for some great chemistry there, and that is one of the hardest things to accomplish for a setter – good chemistry with the hitters.

Q: Comment on the leadership role(s) the upperclassmen will play. What makes this group of upperclassmen unique both on and off the court?
A: Since I've been here, this is the first time we have a significant upperclassmen presence on the court. Last year, the majority of our roster was sophomores and freshmen. Now, the experience is finally there. It's now a trickle-down effect that needs to happen. How well will the upperclassmen take the newcomers "under their wing" and help them adjust to the college game and how we run things in our program. So far the upperclassmen have been great. They have sort of said to the freshmen "hey, you're in let's go" and have really helped guide them thus far.

Q: What player has improved the most since last season?
A: This is a hard question because we've made such a huge increase in maturity with all of the returners. Stacy and Mel are two that come to mind right away. Although Mel was a presence last year, she's even more so this year. People know where she is on the court at all times, be it on offense, defense at the net. Stacy will probably be one of the top hitters in our conference and the region this season. She has really matured.

Q: Which position will be the strongest for the team this season and why?
A: I think this is going to be one of the first years where things are going to be more even. Last year we were a good passing team but not a great hitting team. This year I really think the hitting is going to catch up with the passing and I think that our passing will be even better than it was a year ago. I expect us to serve receive at a higher efficiency rating, I think we'll even dig more, but I think where we'll also see a major improvement is in our jumping and blocking as a team. Mel is blocking well, Stacy has made some big improvements at the net, Laura Kulig and Jenn Rego have been getting more touches, and the addition of Ashley and Rachel Cowan, two tall bodies, it's going to be huge for us. I truly believe we're going to be an all-around team rather than just a defensive team

Q: What are some of the challenges that the team needs to overcome this year in order to be productive?
A: The first big challenge is going to come when we have that first rough match; when things aren't going our way. It will definitely be a test of our upperclassmen leadership to rally the squad. I also think a big challenge for us is controlling the speed of our game. This year we have been moving at a faster pace on the court and the players want to go fast, but there needs to be a level of control so that it doesn't become a free-for-all. Being able to control our newfound velocity and rate of movement is going to be an intriguing challenge.