NOTE: This is a monthly column written by Sports Information Director Jason Knavel. The column is intended as a way to highlight our student-athletes (especially those who may not typically get a lot of media attention) and to give our fans glimpses into the decisions and "behind the scenes" workings of the athletic department. Please feel free to e-mail comments to jknavel@mercyhurst.edu.
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Over the past year, I’ve talked with very few people who feel that the decision to move to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference was a bad one, especially once all the reasons are explained. Within the athletic department, we are genuinely excited about the upcoming year and building rivalries with teams like Edinboro, IUP, Slippery Rock and Clarion. While we feel that our athletic teams will be able to compete on a more equal footing in many sports throughout the conference, one fall team, in particular, has a great opportunity to surprise.
The women’s volleyball team went 18-14 a year ago, which marked an 11-win improvement over the 2006 season. It was the most wins for the program since the 2002 squad went 21-8. And heading into 2008, the outlook could not be much brighter.
“We were making the right steps in the GLIAC,” head coach Ryan Patton said, “but maybe for the first time ever a volleyball team at Mercyhurst can enter the season with legitimate postseason goals.”
Why so much optimism? Consider this. Over the past three years, Mercyhurst went just 9-42 against GLIAC opponents compared to 4-1 against PSAC schools. And a third of those GLIAC victories came against Gannon, another school moving to the PSAC.
There are still some very good PSAC opponents. Cal went 35-4 last year and advanced to the NCAA Division II quarterfinals, while Clarion finished 28-6 and Shippensburg went 30-12. But the depth of the PSAC may not be as strong as the GLIAC. And less travel time means that Mercyhurst should be stronger than it’s ever been as the season reaches the final month.
For Mercyhurst to reach any postseason goals, the team will look toward two seniors, Jenna Matson and Lauren Kubinski. In the 37-year history of the Mercyhurst volleyball program, very few duos have done as much. They rank fifth and sixth in career kills at Mercyhurst and Matson also ranks ninth in career digs. With a normal season, Kubinski will finish in the top 10 in career blocks. These two have played key roles since the day they began playing for the Lakers.
“Jenna has played just about every position during her career and things don’t faze her,” Patton said. “She always seems comfortable playing and making plays. Lauren is a very physical player. We can count on her to score a lot of points for us as a spiker, a blocker, and a server.”
With six starters back and eight returning letter winners, the women’s volleyball program should reach an interesting milestone very early in the season. Entering the 2008 season, the program has 496 all-time victories, needing just four more to surpass 500. Only the Mercyhurst baseball and men’s basketball programs have attained that many wins. But four wins is definitely not the goal of this team, and with a strong season, that 500-win total could be left in the dust.