Seeking Improvement
September 12, 2008 01:47 PM | General
September 12, 2008
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The Mountaineer volleyball team has displayed tremendous potential on both ends of the court as they begin the home portion of their schedule this weekend. The Mountaineers have posted a 2-4 record through the first two weeks of play, but veteran coach Veronica Hammersmith has detected improvement from her squad.
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| Nicole Jones and her Mountaineer teammates open the home portion of their schedule Friday night against Marshall.
Brian Persinger photo |
“We have been making improvements as we have gone along,” says WVU Head Coach Veronica Hammersmith. “We still have a lot of things to accomplish and a lot of work to be as consistent and as effective as we want to be, but we are making progress and we are getting better each match. All of this is just in preparation to start the conference season.”
A new season has introduced a new setter for the Mountaineers. Sophomore Nicole Jones, a talented player from Racine, Wisc., returns to the Mountaineers to take over the setter position after waiting patiently the past two years watching former Mountaineer Kailee Goold. Jones’ first season at WVU was spent as a redshirt.
“From Kaliee I learned what to do in certain situations if we are down or if we are in the lead,” says Jones. ”It was just things like how to run the offense, what hitters respond to different sets and how they respond to different motivation types. Also, I saw what sets work for each hitter, whether they like the faster sets from the outside or if they specialize in running behind you for middles.”
Jones, a three-time captain and a two-time first team all-conference player from Washington Park High, played a vital role in the Mountaineer system last season as she contributed in nine matches. In those nine matches, Jones recorded 41 digs, 11 sets and six service aces.
“I think that last season I just got all of the nerves out,” says Jones. “So this year I definitely just went in with some experience and some confidence to run the team.”
From the looks of it, patience is a virtue and what Jones has learned over the past two years is beginning to pay off. So far this season Jones has posted 195 assists, including a career-high 41 in the Mountaineers’ 3-2 victory over Winthrop at the Hilton Garden Inn Classic, in Rock Hill, S.C. In just six matches Jones has tallied three double-doubles on top of her 51 digs, 22 kills and six service aces.
"Nicole has got the ability to be a good setter. She can set as well as anyone and she knows what we want to do as a team,” says Hammersmith. “She learned a lot from watching Kailee last season and I know she knows what she wants to do this year to become better.”
It’s only the beginning for the first-time setter, but with an improving lineup behind her, Jones is more than ready to show Mountaineer fans and her teammates what she can do on the court.
“I stayed in Morgantown for the whole summer,” says Jones. “I was in the gym everyday so that I could try to be the best that I could for this fall, so people had someone to look up too.”
Aiding Jones are senior team captains and middle blockers Tammy Wolf and Lisa Hough, who tied last season for second in kills with 218 a piece. Consistent forces on the court, both Hough and Wolf look for their senior seasons to be their best yet.
Also returning in the starting lineup is sophomore libero Bonnie West, who posted one of the most prolific freshman campaigns in West Virginia history. In her debut, West posted 534 total digs second most in a single season at WVU.
With the loss of powerhouse hitter Abby Tevis to graduation, junior Kristina Gallahan, sophomore Abby Norman and freshman Kylie Armbruster have been getting considerable playing time at the net.
Now, Jones enters her first weekend of home play as the Mountaineers face in-state rival Marshall on Friday, Sept. 12, and Youngstown State on Sunday, Sept. 14. But it’s not just her teammates and her drive to win that keeps her going through the season – it’s the Mountaineer spirit.
“The spirit and enthusiasm that all the students and fans have for their teams here is great,” says Jones. “It makes me really proud to play for this school.”
After coming back last season to post a 16-14 overall, including a 5-9 record in BIG EAST play, the Mountaineers hope to exceed that mark as they fight for a conference tournament appearance. Look for Jones, to be in the middle of it all as she leads the Mountaineers toward that goal.
Tonight's match against Marshall is set to get underway at 7 pm.
