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Mountaineers to Open Season at Michigan Invite
August 27, 2015 10:18 AM | Volleyball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team will open the season and kick off the Reed Sunahara era this weekend when the Mountaineers head to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the Michigan Invitational this weekend. The team will face Oakland on Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Cliff Keen Arena before taking on George Washington (11 a.m.) and Michigan (7:30 p.m.) on Saturday.
“We’re excited to open the season,” said Sunahara. “There’s going to be some great competition at this tournament; some teams with great RPIs. I think we’re all looking forward kicking things off and finally getting to play.”
The Mountaineers are 18-23 all-time in season openers. The 2015 season marks the third time since 2006 they have opened against Oakland, and the two teams have split the matches in that frame. WVU took a 3-2 win in 2006 while the Golden Grizzlies earned a 3-0 triumph in 2009.
Oakland opens the 2015 season as the defending Horizon League Champions, posting a 22-10 mark in 2014 with wins over Missouri and Bowling Green. The Golden Grizzlies qualified for the 2014 NCAA Tournament, where they fell to Kentucky, 3-0, in Lexington. Senior outside hitter Cassie Pelloni returns after leading the squad with 3.03 kills per set, and middle hitter Amanda Baker returns as the leading blocker (1.06/set). The Mountaineers own a 4-1 mark against the Golden Grizzlies.
GWU finished as the Atlantic 10 runner up last season, going 22-8 overall with wins over Auburn, Arkansas State and North Dakota. Setter Jordan Timmer led the squad with10.79 assists/set in 2014, and libero Maddie Doyle is back for her senior year after leading the Colonials in digs (4.30/set). West Virginia has a long history with George Washington, with Saturday marking the 25th all-time meeting between the two. The teams first squared off in 1983 and last met in 2008, with the Colonials leading the series 17-7. However, WVU took the most recent meeting in a 3-2 win.
The Wolverines registered a 13-17 mark last season, going 8-12 in Big 10 action. They topped No. 19 Duke and also took a win from rival Michigan State in nonconference play. Middle blocker Abby Cole returns after leading Michigan with 3.67 kills per set in 2014, while libero Tiffany Morales also returns. WVU has faced Michigan just once in program history, back in 1989. The Mountaineers topped the Wolverines by a score of 3-1.
SEASON OUTLOOK
Setters
A dependable leader on the floor, senior Brittany Sample transitions back into the full-time role of setter after spending the 2014 season splitting time at defensive specialist and setter. Sample averaged 2.77 assists per set, ranking second on the team with 216, but is expected to see numbers closer to her 10.34 assists per set average from 2012. Haley Roe, who also saw action at defensive specialist in 2014, returns for her junior season with the Mountaineers.
Hitters
Sophomore Morgan Montgomery is the lone returning outside hitter for the new-look Mountaineers, though Sunahara has bolstered the line up with a number of newcomers. Montgomery saw limited action as a rookie, playing in 25 sets while averaging 1.52 kills per set. Right side Dzeni Hadzisehovic and outside hitter Mia Swanegan may be new to Morgantown, but both bring experience with them. Hadzisehovic joins the Mountaineers from North Idaho College. Hadzisehovic led the Cardinals with 3.52 kills per set, earning Second Team All-SWAC Honors for 2014. She previously played for Wyoming Community College, where she hit .257 with 1.99 kills per set. Swanegan, who could also serve as a middle blocker, spent her freshman season at league for TCU where she played in 30 sets for the Horned Frogs, averaging 1.47 kills and 0.73 blocks per set. Another addition to the group is Bridgett Talia, a native of West Center Valley who competed for Taylorsville High.
Blockers
All of WVU’s middle blockers boast Division I experience as they enter the 2015 season. Senior Caleah Wells headlines the group after appearing in 94 sets as a junior and averaging 0.70 blocks and 1.70 kills per set. In fact, Wells has missed just one contest in her career. Junior Hannah Shreve battled back from an injury last season to earn her way into the starting lineup, where she led the Mountaineers with 1.39 blocks per set. Shreve ranked third in the Big 12 in blocking, and earned the league’s Defensive Player of the Week accolade after posting a season-best nine blocks against Baylor in late November. Swanegan will also be counted on as a blocker for the Mountaineers.
Defensive Specialist/Libero
Six players will compete to see action at defensive specialist and libero in 2015, with a pair of returners and four newcomers making this one of the deepest groups on the squad. Gianna Gotterba started at defensive specialist before transitioning to libero for the remainder of her rookie season, leading the team with 2.99 digs per sit and ranking inside the Big 12’s top-10. Classmate Melvina Brown participated in 18 matches last season, averaging 1.68 digs per set. Sophomore Taylor Cross and junior MaTia Hughes will each bring a veteran presence in their first season with the team, as Cross joins the Mountaineers after spending a season at New Mexico while Hughes arrives in Morgantown after playing two years at NYU. Cross appeared in 14 matches for the Lobos, averaging 0.87 digs per set. Hughes was the ECAC-Metro/Upstate Player of the Year for the Violets, earning AVCA All-American Honorable Mention as the libero. She registered 4.77 digs per set with 48 service aces as a sophomore after posting 4.54 digs per set as a freshman. Freshman Paige Zywick joins the team from Seaholm High in Troy, Michigan, while Stone Ridge, Va., native Andrea Phung made the team this spring and will compete in her junior season.
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