New-Look Panthers Will Blend Young And Old
Aug. 18, 2008
MILWAUKEE - There is little question the 2008 version of the Milwaukee volleyball team will have a different look. Now, the plan is to have that different look be just as successful. Fresh off a season where five seniors helped direct the Panthers to 26 victories and a fifth-straight Horizon League regular season title, UWM will take the floor this year with 12 freshmen and sophomores. Combine that with a particularly daunting non-league schedule and a senior-sheavy Horizon League, and it is clear the Panthers face plenty of obstacles ahead. But, expectations from head coach Susie Johnson are for UWM's amazing run of success to continue. The job now is to sort out just who from the 16-person roster will rise to the challenge of keeping the Panthers on top. "I am very excited about it," Johnson said of starting the 2008 season. "There will be a mixture of old and new on the floor, and I don't think blending the two groups will be very tough to do. With all of the new people, it is just hard to know (who will step up). There are going to be some surprises. You just don't know how people are going to react under pressure and in competitive situations. We have 16 players, which is the most we have ever had, so it is really going to create a competitive atmosphere." The lone senior for 2008 is Becky Peters, who made the move from libero to outside hitter on the third weekend of the regular season last year. She claimed most valuable player honors at the Panther Invitational right after making the switch and wound up fifth on the team in kills while still claiming the top spot in digs. With a year under her belt, the thought is she will be even better on the attack while taking a leadership role as a team captain. "I think a year for anyone can make a big difference," Johnson said. "Becky is already mentally tough, she is a great athlete and she is a tremendous leader. The fact she has had a year where in her mind she is a hitter will really help her. She really did a great job this spring of finding her own shots, and I have always told her she has to be her own kind of hitter. She has had success with that, so I am very excited to see her in that role. Her confidence has always been a really strong point for her, but this year I think she has a lot more confidence as a hitter."
Peters is also a cornerstone of UWM's defense, one of the biggest areas of strength for the Panthers. Peters and junior libero Lauren Felsing combined for more than 1,000 digs last season, helping Milwaukee finish fifth in the nation in digs. "The great thing about Becky moving into that hitting role is we have Becky and Lauren on the floor at the same time," Johnson said. "They take up three-quarters of the court, so that right there gives me a comfort level our team is going to be great at defense and passing. Since I know our defense is going to be good, I know we can be in all of our matches. We're going to work on it, but it comes very naturally to this team and the effort is always there." If all goes well, UWM's stellar defense will turn into plenty of offensive opportunities. "As soon as we can dig the ball up, we can transition and score," Johnson said. "We've added a lot of really good hitters to our roster so, whoever steps up, we should end up being a very strong team. We're going to be able to throw things back at people that we haven't been able to do in the past." Felsing is one-half of a small junior class that also includes setter Kellye Zaporski. Felsing has played consistently during her first two seasons, seeing time as a defensive specialist as a freshman before claiming the libero spot last season. She collected 496 digs a season ago and has 712 digs in two years as a Panther. "It just seems like the position of libero was created for someone like Lauren Felsing," Johnson said. "She works hard on every single play whether it is in practice, in a spring match or in the fall. And, she keeps our team in every point of every game of every match because of how hard she works. No matter what they throw at her, she keeps digging and passing and really keeps us alive." Meanwhile, Zaporski has been the setter during portions of each of the past two seasons, often taking one-half of the duties when the Panthers used a 6-2 lineup. In fact, she has 954 assists and 367 digs in two seasons while also performing as UWM's main setter during each of the last two spring seasons. "She was in a position in the spring where sometimes she had hitters to set to and sometimes she didn't due to injuries or whatever else," Johnson said. "She had to be creative, she had to dig down and figure it out and she couldn't just rely on one person. She has really matured a lot even though she has played a lot in the past. She is just becoming better and better and more confident." Perhaps just as important, though, is the emergence of Zaporski and Felsing in a leadership role. "Lauren and Kellye are joining Becky as captains and I have seen them grow, speaking out more and taking on a leadership role," Johnson said. "They are very serious about it and have done a really nice of job of being themselves but still being leaders of the team." Another likely area of strength for the Panthers in 2008 comes in the middle, where sophomores Natalie Schmitting and Maddie Sueppel return after each starting all of last season. In fact, Schmitting earned a spot on the All-Horizon League team while each player captured a place in the league's all-newcomer team. Schmitting's stat line included 276 kills and 123 blocks, while Sueppel pitched in with 190 kills and 83 blocks. "It is funny for that to be one of our more experienced positions because they are each just going to be sophomores," Johnson said. "The demeanor of each of them should be different and more confident, and there are going to be three freshmen middles behind them that will be looking to them for leadership. They have done it, they know what they are doing and they have heard me tell them what to do a number of times. Now they just have to do it. They know what is expected and now they can build on it." For Schmitting, who was actually a walk-on last season but does have a scholarship for the remaining years of her college career, last year proved she could compete and succeed at the Division I level. "Natalie is a very humble person, so she is not very quick to take the compliment. But I think she is a big step ahead of last year because she has already gotten the honors and she deserved those honors," Johnson said. "That was able to sink in during the spring and summer and now she can strive to be great because she knows she can be." Meanwhile, Sueppel has struggled with knee problems throughout her high school and college careers. But, so far this summer she is feeling good and could be poised for a stellar year. "Maddie is going to be really good because she's feeling really good and her body is holding up," Johnson said. "Maddie has a lot of experience now having watched a pair of good middles her first year and then playing all of last year. She really was playing on one leg last year and she had to be creative. Now that leg is stronger I think she is going to be much better." The remaining portion of the roster includes one transfer (Jena Berg) who will not play in 2008, three sophomores with limited experience, one redshirt freshman and six true freshmen. The sophomores - Sarah Sliva, Natalie Chery and Lauren Hintze - combined to play in 34 games last season. Hintze saw the most extensive time as a serving specialist, appearing in 20 games. The redshirt freshman is Kerri Schuh, who played the first weekend of last season before missing the balance of the campaign with a back injury. The true freshmen include Morgan Kilberger, Mackenzie Millis, Mary Beth O'Brien and Samantha Trawitzke along with walk-ons Morgan Potter and Melissa Jansen. At least two or three players from that youngest group will likely emerge as regulars in UWM's rotation and, all in all, UWM will field one of the youngest rosters in the country. "I think that is where I have a little bit of anxiety," Johnson said. "I am expecting great things out of all of them because I recruited them and I feel like they can do it. Early on, it just comes down to them believing they can do it. Sometimes as a freshman, or if you haven't played much, you get intimidated. The competition and the pressure can be taken as a positive or a negative by people, so we have to create an environment everyone is comfortable competing in and where everything is positive around them. We are thrown right in to a highly competitive schedule, so there isn't a lot of time to worry about things - you just have to play." The young group will be tested mightily during a grueling non-league schedule. UWM will play seven matches against NCAA Tournament teams and a total of 11 matches against squads that won at least 19 contests a season ago. In fact, two UWM opponents advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Volleyball Championships in 2007. "This would appear to be, by far, the toughest schedule we have had here at UWM," Johnson said. "When you look at the number of NCAA Tournament teams, and the number of teams with high RPIs, you can see the incredible challenges we will face this season. We've designed this schedule to give our team an opportunity to prove itself against the top teams in the country. The goal is always to play a level of competition that allows you to get better each time you play." Then there is the Horizon League slate, which seems to prove tougher every year. A number of teams near the top of the league return much of their squads from a season ago. And, even if the faces on the roster have changed, the Panthers will likely still have a target on their backs thanks to their run of league titles. "The league will be really strong again this year," Johnson said. "I never think any match in our league is going to be an easy match. If you are in the gym, you know. It has been obvious over the years that everyone plays up when they play us. I just have come to expect everyone to be better when they play us, so I have respect for all of the teams." But, before getting to any of that, the process of sorting through the lengthy roster will take center stage. Johnson is eager to see how her charges perform in what should be an intense preseason camp. "It should be an extremely competitive preseason," Johnson said. "With 16 players, we will have a lot of competition. We are deep in every position and I believe a naturally competitive atmosphere helps step up the level of play. There should be excellent competition for all three weeks leading up to the start of the season, and then you'll usually see the top players rise up. But, because of our depth, that competition will continue into the season and a lot of different players will certainly have an opportunity to contribute." |
