Volleyball: WVU Set for Season Opener
August 27, 2003 06:05 PM | General
August 27, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The WVU volleyball team is set to open the 2003 season with four matches in California beginning Friday, August 29 through Sunday, August 31.
The Mountaineers, 9-19 last season, will face Sacramento State on Friday, August 29, at 5 p.m., to kick off the Loyola Marymount Fumara Hotel Invitational in Loyola, Calif.
WVU will then take on tourney host Loyola Marymount, who received votes in the USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll, at noon on Saturday, August 30. The squad will wrap up the tournament against UNLV at 5 p.m., later that day.
West Virginia caps off its West Coast trip with a match at Cal-Irvine on Sunday, August 31, at noon.
All matches are Pacific Coast Time (PCT).
With 497 career victories, WVU head coach Veronica Hammersmith is just three wins away from becoming just the second coach in school history, in any sport, to reach the 500-win plateau.
She will attempt to reach the benchmark with a talented group that features a strong mix of experience and potential.
Leading the way is sophomore Stephanie Zolna, who recorded a team-high 373 kills and 45 aces as a redshirt freshman last year. Senior outside hitter Dimitra Havriluk and sophomore middle blocker Alison Zemanski were both among the team's kill leaders last season and will be vital to WVU's offensive attack in 2003.
The Mountaineers feature five players from the West Coast in Zolna (Mission Viejo, Calif.), Havriluk (Newport Beach, Calif.), Julie Hockenson (Garden Valley, Calif.), Kristi King (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Kelly Mullins (Scottsdale, Ariz.).
"We will be facing some of the toughest competition of the season in California," said Hammersmith. "It will be tough for us, but we have been practicing well and are looking forward to getting better this weekend and for future matches."
Hammersmith also released that senior Jennifer Hayhurst, a Parkersburg, W.Va., native, has been named the team captain for the season.
WVU returns for its home opener on Saturday, September 6, at noon against Wright State.
