Capital volleyball looks forward to a 2009 season with the hopes of building upon the strong play of five returning seniors and the experience gained during a 24-9 record last season and a fifth place finish in the Ohio Athletic Conference.
With 10 returning letterwinners, Head Coach Pam Briggs' Capital volleyball team look to be near the top of the OAC standings this season after a 2008 campaign that saw all nine losses come to regionally-ranked teams. The Crusaders, which have won an OAC Regular Season and Tournament championship this decade, also have the benefit of welcoming 12 newcomers to the program.
"I have some very talented, aggressive, and highly competitive freshmen entering the program," Briggs, whose squad looks to head to the NCAA tournament for the third time this decade, said. "Three of four of them will be expected to start at the varsity level."
Briggs said that the team's success will depend on her five seniors leading by example, both on the court and in the classroom.
"These seniors are going to be leaving a legacy that requires having the ability to perform both academically and athletically," Briggs said. "Last year's team had a 3.8 GPA, which is remarkable. It's been passed on from athletes in the past, and I think they will step up to the calling."
Along with their accomplishments last season, the team takes great pride in leading all varsity teams in GPA last school year.
"(Having the highest GPA) is a really big accomplishment," senior Allison Hostetler said. "The team goes above and beyond the campus grade expectation for the teams. We study a lot during road trips and matches during the season. I'm really proud of what we achieved this and I think a lot other people look up to us because of what we've done academically."
Hostetler, an All-OAC Second Team pick in 2009, led Capital with 2.60 kps and 1.06 bps last season. She posted a career-best 296 kills as a junior while hitting at a .297 clip and recording 36 solo blocks. The 2007 All-OAC Honorable Mention selection out of Dalton High School ranked second in the OAC in blocks, eighth in hitting percentage and 10th in kills last year.
Sara Doebel, who holds the highest GPA of any student athlete on campus, welcomes the process of acclimating her new teammates to Capital's program.
I'm very excited (to work with the freshmen)," Doebel, CU's leader in digs last season with 4.24 dpg, said. "I want to show them what this program is all about and show them the way. I want all of them to be good so that we can win games and that they have a great time."
While the team welcomes in new faces, Capital's goal and slogan over the past several years has remained constant.
"Ever since we were freshmen, our slogan has been ‘Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable.' It basically means that there are things we won't want to do, but if we do those things then we'll only grow stronger and better," Hostetler said. "I want to win the league and get to the NCAA Tournament again."
Senior Jennifer Fekpe, who had 1.76 kps in her first season at CU in 2008, added, "The team goals are generally the same it's just how to go about it that varies from year to year. My goal is to get better, make my team better, and win."
Other Capital seniors that will make an impact this season include Jenna Zumberger and Sarah Gallik. Zumberger had 32 aces and 2.08 dps to go along with a .322 hitting percentage last season while Gallik had 25 blocks as hit at a .252 clip as a junior in 2008.
Briggs said the team has improved on their aggressiveness and their serve while building high goals for 2009.
"I've been here 16 years, and this team has the chance to be one of the top three teams that I have coached."