University of Tennessee Athletics
Volleyball is Fine Tuned for the 2001 Season
September 07, 2001 | Volleyball
Sept. 7, 2001
"FINE TUNED"
2001 Lady Vol Volleyball PreviewLady Vol head coach Rob Patrick has been building the University of Tennessee volleyball machine for four years. In each of the previous seasons, the coach has assembled a different part of the program. It started in 1997 with the chassis, when he came in and used the frame that was left for him to utilize as the foundation. After his first full year of recruiting, he added the major components of the engine in 1998, including current seniors Erica Lear, Andrea Peterson and Ariana Wilson. In 1999, the fuel system was upgraded to maximize performance with the addition of current go-to juniors Kelli Scott and Janelle Hester. Finally, in 2000, the exterior was sanded, painted and polished just in time for the team's return to the NCAA Tournament after a seven-year absence. In 2001, it seems as if all of the parts are gelling to produce a "Fine Tuned" volleyball team.
The millennial squad came of age and set the standard for Patrick's program and, by making the NCAA Tournament, it reached its major goal for a season. Rather than rest on past laurels, Patrick has challenged his new model to aim higher. The returning Lady Vols answered by drawing up new goals that included not only a second consecutive trip to the field of 64, but also tournament victories and a Southeastern Conference championship.
"The team has actually set some very high goals for the season," said fifth-year mentor Rob Patrick. "They have put in a tremendous amount of work in the off-season and extra work where they feel that they have earned the right to go far into the NCAA Tournament and to challenge for an SEC title."
To help achieve these goals, adjustments were made in the off-season and over the summer. Patrick tinkered with his squad, his staff and the team's game plan. After the departure of assistant coach Brian Meyer in May, Mike Minnis joined the Lady Vol bench and assumed the role of recruiting coordinator. Assistant coach Sherry Dunbar, who has been on Patrick's staff all four years of his tenure, saw her role shift to more of a mentor for the team. Dunbar had taken care of UT's recruiting efforts through the infancy of Patrick's reign and will now work closer with the athletes she has brought in as she takes over many of the homebase operations. Patrick also added even more experience to his bench with the arrival of volunteer assistant Randi Jensen, who was a four-year standout at the University of the Pacific and is working toward her teaching certification at Tennessee.
"Although we had a really great staff before, we just upgraded it a bit more by fine tuning certain areas," Patrick said. "Moving Sherry to a place that we can better utilize her talents for developing players and having Randi on board will improve our productivity in the gym."
Returning to the Lady Vol lineup are AVCA All-Region honorees Lear and Wilson and their classmate Peterson. That trio will provide senior leadership on and off the court.
Four years ago, Lear, Wilson and Peterson walked onto the UT campus as parts of Patrick's first recruiting efforts. Each was leaned on from the start of their collegiate careers to be part of the frame from which Patrick would rebuild the Tennessee volleyball machine. Now in their final phase of development, the seniors have goals of their own.
"Our seniors want to finish what they started," Patrick said. "When they first came here, they wanted to take the Tennessee program from where it sat in the bottom third of the nation to become one of the elite programs in the country. I think they have just about reached that goal. This year they will have an opportunity to put an exclamation point on achieving that elite status in four short years."
| "The team has actually set some very high goals for the season. They have put in a tremendous amount of work in the off-season and extra work where they feel that they have earned the right to go far into the NCAA Tournament and to challenge for an SEC title." -Coach Rob Patrick |
As the squad's resident power hitter, Wilson, a 6-2 outside hitter, has carved her niche as an offensive threat. She averaged more kills per game last season than anyone in the SEC. A threat anywhere on the front row, Wilson has twice earned All-Region honors. After the UT staff switched her position from middle blocker to outside hitter last season, she became more of a threat as she gained consistency all over the court. Wilson continues to work on her defense and hopes to become a more complete all-around player. Patrick and his staff are counting on her to remain the primary focus of opponents' defenses.
As the top returning setter in the league, the 5-9 Lear will resume her role as the floor general. Patrick has given her free reign to run the offense, so it will be up to Lear to read the opponents' defense and steer the Lady Vols in the right direction. A natural leader, Lear will also be counted on as the oil that keeps the team running smoothly.
Peterson, a 6-0 outside hitter, has always delivered as a role player for Patrick's squads and this season should be no different. Shifting her to more of a defensive specialist and less of a hitter will allow for the Lady Vols to capitalize on Peterson's ball control and team-best passing. If Lear is responsible for setting the pace for the team, it is up to Peterson to deliver the keys to the ignition.
This trio will shoulder the burden on keeping Patrick's machine together and running at the best of its ability.
"We finally have a class that has been with us for four years and are used to doing things the Tennessee way." Patrick said. "With six newcomers, the veterans should help us tremendously in bringing them up to speed pretty quickly. The senior leadership should also bring a greater focus in our matches and practices."
Patrick's junior class, consisting of middle blocker Janelle Hester and outside hitter Kelli Scott, will be secondary guides this season. Their leadership has already been revealed through setting a good example. Scott, a 5-11 outside hitter, returned from her summer at home in Peoria, Ariz., leaner, stronger and more determined than she ever has been. Always a team player, preseason practices have shown Scott to be intensely competitive and she has pushed her teammates to be the same way. Hester, a 6-1 middle blocker, stayed in Knoxville over the summer to work on her conditioning, illustrating her commitment to the program.
"Our junior class has become a quiet group of leaders on the team," Patrick said. "They are the type that show the way by example. Janelle and Kelli have shown unwavering dedication to being Lady Vols, and I hope that our newcomers recognize and try to emulate that."
Hester is one of the most athletic middle blockers in the SEC and, under the tutelage of Dunbar, has become a consistent offensive threat for the Lady Vols. Her name is one that no doubt shows up in opponents' scouting reports.
In 2000, Scott saw her function on the team evolve from a role player to consistent starter as only Lear was on the court more last season. An AVCA/Sports Imports National Player of the Week, she turned in breakout performances against two of the SEC's top teams in Arkansas and Louisiana State. However, as the season progressed, her consistency wavered. Patrick notes that Scott's role on the team may continue to evolve as the dynamics of UT's volleyball machine are worked out. However, he is impressed with her renewed commitment to the team and the sport.
Three freshmen helped the team reach its goals last season and those three are back for more in 2001. According to Patrick, middle blocker Trinia Cuseo and defensive specialists Megan Arner and Alex Compeau will be feeling some pressure this season to perform. He expects the trio to step up and challenge the upperclassmen while leading the newcomers.
"The sophomores' roles will become more urgent this season as they will probably see more pressure situations," Patrick said. "Now they are going to be the ones looked to by the freshmen and it will be up to them to set a good example. Because of their contributions last season, my expectations for them have risen."
Based on statistics alone, one would say that Cuseo had the biggest impact as a rookie. She led the team in hitting percentage at .362 and spent time among the national leaders in that category while also ranking second on the team in blocking with 95 stuffs. The Forrestville, Calif., native also brings an intense, competitive spirit to the floor. She became a more technically sound hitter and blocker after training with Dunbar in the spring.
Arner anchored the defense for the Lady Vols in the later parts of 2000 as injuries forced Peterson to spend more time as a hitter. That experience and a full year of training behind her should give Arner the confidence she needs to take the Orange and White defensive efforts on her back.
| "The one question mark on our team revolves around how so many newcomers are going to mesh with the returning players. That is something we are going to address. With all the resources we have at the University of Tennessee, sports psychologists, the Thornton Student Life Center and our own facility that we have access to any time, I don't think that it will present too big of a problem." -Coach Rob Patrick |
Compeau, like Scott, could see her role on the team shift. The addition of freshman back-up setter Mary Clare Coghlan has Compeau concentrating more on defense and passing than setting in 2001. Having played outside hitter and setter in high school, Compeau brings a versatility and athleticism to the position that the Lady Vols have been missing in past years.
The 2001 edition of the Lady Vol volleyball team has upgraded since last season, trading in five letterwinners for six newcomers in an attempt to move into the last lane. The new parts will up the value of the machine in size as the team's average height increases from 5'10" to 6'0". Nine of the 14 team members are six feet or taller. The new components include freshmen Coghlan, Whitney Gifford, Nikki Huffman, Michelle Piantadosi and Holly Schetzsle, as well as junior college transfer Caley Carter.
"The newcomers are the last parts of the machine we are building to take us to the next level," Patrick said. "They are going to come in, and whether they will play or serve as role players, they will still be difference makers for this team. They should provide us with a increased amount of depth."
Piantadosi and Carter were both All-America athletes last season at their respective schools, Piantadosi as a prep player and Carter in the junior college ranks.
Piantadosi, a 6-3 middle blocker, will add height and depth to an already solid slot in the UT lineup. Though Patrick's middles have always delivered a high kill percentage, a weakness has been their ability to produce a consistent blocking effort. Piantadosi specializes in blocking and should be a force to be reckoned with along the Orange and White net.
Carter will be tapped to fill Elliott's position on the outside. A natural power hitter, she earned all-region or all-league honors every year that she has competed for a school. Patrick is counting on this juco transfer to contribute in the back row as well as the front.
Gifford is another addition that will be challenged to contribute all over the court. The 6-0 Dallastown, Pa., native is coming off a stellar conclusion to her prep career. As a senior she earned all-county honors not only in volleyball but soccer and basketball as well. Her size and competitiveness will allow her to push the returnees for playing time right away.
Schetzsle, a 6-2 outside hitter, will provide Patrick with some depth at that position. As she trains and becomes confident in her play she could challenge for playing time. The Pataskala, Ohio, native earned all-state honors in her senior season on her way to becoming the Central Region and Capitol District's Player of the Year.
Huffman can play all over the front row and her versatility should result in more playing time. A 6-0 outside hitter from Omaha, Neb., Huffman had a standout high school career, which included AAU All-America honors and a trip to the Junior Olympic Nationals. Coming from a very developed club program, Huffman is already a more technical player than most of her classmates.
Although a late addition, Coghlan may prove to be one of the most valuable additions for the Lady Vols this season. The 5-7 setter joins the team already well-trained. Her high-level experience from the California club circuit should make her a reliable back-up for Lear and her vocal leadership will make her a team contributor no matter if she is on the court or the sideline.
Adding six new personalities to the mix is going to shake the team up at first, however that may be the only stumbling block the team will encounter in the early parts of the season. In 2000, injuries and the team's lack of depth took its toll in the end. This season, the eight returnees have come back in top shape and injury-free. The newcomers, too, are healthy and showing signs of merging well with the existing framework.
"The one question mark on our team revolves around how so many newcomers are going to mesh with the returning players," Patrick said. "That is something we are going to address. With all the resources we have at the University of Tennessee, sports psychologists, the Thornton Student Life Center and our own facility that we have access to any time, I don't think that it will present too big of a problem."
Once the team gels and starts to hit on all cylinders, it will give Patrick and his staff options. These choices will allow the squad to show different looks for particular foes. With a varied allotment of hitters, Patrick will be able to scout opponents' weaknesses and exploit them by running specialized offenses.
Playing a powerful hitter like Carter on the opposite side of Wilson will render the opposition's block almost useless since it will be hard to target one without leaving the other partially open. Traditional and finesse hitters like Peterson, Huffman and Gifford will diversify the offense even more. Adding to the mix will be Lear's ability to disguise the offense. Her deceptive setting has become increasingly hard for a defense to read. Other weapons in the arsenal are the middle blockers. Like the outside hitters, each of the Orange and White middles has her own style. Hester gives the team an athletic look when she is on the floor, while Cuseo is lethal off the quick set. Piantadosi's 6-3 stature will provide a match-up problem for many teams because she can hit over most blocks.
| "The SEC has six teams with the potential to advance to NCAA's this year. I expect that four of the six teams will receive bids, and that is a testament to the conference's growth." -Coach Rob Patrick |
"This year, I'll be able to tune my team and adjust the game plan for individual opponents because of our depth and the different types of players we have," Patrick said. "Instead of going into every match with the same engine, we should be able to adjust the horsepower and tinker with the set-up."
Those set-ups will go against a myriad of opponents from some of the top volleyball conferences in the country. The Lady Vols will drive their fine tuned machine into action against powers from the Big Ten, Pacific-10, Western Athletic, Atlantic Coast and Conference USA before competing against their SEC brethren. The 2001 schedule features matches with five NCAA Tournament participants from a year ago: Radford, Florida, South Carolina, Louisville and Georgia State.
After two weeks of two-a-day practices in the Stokely Athletics Center in late August, the Lady Vols will hit the road to Dunbar's hometown of Bloomington, Ind., for the Indiana University Blimpie/Holiday Inn Classic to open their 2001 slate. Matches with Bowling Green, Maryland and Indiana will highlight the assistant coach's homecoming. The trip will also serve as a reunion of sorts for Lear as she returns to play in her home state for the first time in her UT career.
"This is a challenging schedule where we play not only five tournament teams but teams from some great volleyball conferences," Patrick said. "Playing clubs from the Big Ten and the Western Athletic Conferences will really prepare the squad for the grind of our SEC competition."
The journey heads west from there as Patrick and the gang will board a plane and fly to California. On the West Coast, matches with California, Florida Atlantic and Rice loom at the Golden Bear Classic. Next on the agenda is hosting the Toyota of Knoxville Lady Vol Classic from Sept. 14-15. The annual tournament has expanded to five teams for the first time and will feature Southern Methodist, Alabama-Birmingham, Radford and Charlotte.
With a tough slate of early non-conference matches, the Big Orange will have little time to rest as a tough SEC schedule awaits the squad. The league ledger includes tilts with two NCAA Tournament participants.
"The SEC has six teams with the potential to advance to NCAA's this year," Patrick said. "I expect that four of the six teams will receive bids, and that is a testament to the conference's growth."
In league play, the Lady Vols will try to improve upon their best confernece record, 9-5, from a year ago when they swept their Western Division rivals. Matches against South Carolina, Florida and Kentucky will pose as rematches for the five losses the team sustained a year ago.
A Thanksgiving weekend match with Marquette closes out the 2001 regular season on Nov. 23. The team will gather two days later to await its NCAA Tournament fate. If the selection committee should invite the Lady Vols back, they will be playing the first and second rounds at a campus site from Nov. 29 through Dec. 2, achieving once again the lofty goals they have set for themselves.
Four years ago, Coach Patrick stripped down the Tennessee volleyball program and started over. Now with the bulk of his rebuilding done, Patrick's finished product is fine tuned and ready to be tested against some of the fiercest competition in the college ranks. He hopes to take this machine with all of its precision and determination and try to steer it into Lady Volunteer history.
