Reppin’ the South….land
Time to take on the next NCAA conference, as the season draws ever nearer. Here’s where we left the rundown last time ’round.
America East Conference
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Patriot League
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Big Sky Conference
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Northeast Conference
Big South Conference
Colonial Athletic Association
Ohio Valley Conference
Horizon League
Western Athletic Conference
Southland Conference
Conference USA
The Summit League
Atlantic Sun Conference
American Athletic Conference
Ivy League
Southern Conference
Mid-American Conference
Sun Belt Conference
Atlantic 10 Conference
Big West Conference
Mountain West Conference
Big East Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
Southeastern Conference
Big 12 Conference
West Coast Conference
Big Ten Conference
Pac-12 Conference
This is a big’un, as the Southland Conference expanded to 14 teams this year, and all of them sponsor volleyball. Despite the large roster of teams, the Southland is one of the most geographically compact conferences in NCAA Division I, having its members in just four states — Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana.
No charter members have had uninterrupted tenures since the conference’s 1963 founding, but two have rejoined the league after holding memberships elsewhere. One has returned only this year, as they reclassify back from Division II. Another school also joins this year from Division II, as this year’s expansion gives the Southland more teams than they have had at one time than in any other point in their history. We’ll meet them both as we’re introduced to each team in turn.
The Southland is a strong Football Championship Subdivision conference. They frequently send multiple teams to the NCAA tournament, claim eight national championships, and for the past three years (and the foreseeable future) they’ve hosted the championship game at the conference’s headquarters in Frisco, Texas.
Volleyball in the Southland has had its ups and downs. For a five-year stretch (2007-2011), the conference champion was assigned to be a first-round sacrificial lamb for the Texas Longhorns, who had a single-digit seed each year. Interestingly enough, the previous year (2006), the Southland champion also played Texas, but in a second-round match. That probably makes the Southland the most recently victorious conference in the NCAA tournament in this preview series, but that’s not something I’ve been keeping track of (nor is it anything epsecially significant).
Here were the 2012 Southland volleyball standings:
1. Central Arkansas 15-3 (30-5)
2. Sam Houston State 15-3 (21-11)
3. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 12-6 (21-11)
4. Northwestern State 12-6 (20-11)
5. Stephen F. Austin 11-7 (22-12)
6. Oral Roberts 11-7 (17-15)
7. Nicholls State 6-12 (11-19)
8. Southeastern Louisiana 5-13 (11-19)
9. Lamar 2-16 (10-22)
10. McNeese State 1-17 (7-25)
Central Arkansas was a team I considered as a possible at-large in my bracketologies (which kind of reflects the weakness of the at-large field) last year, but they thankfully made the point moot by winning the Southland tournament championship. They were assigned to face 13th-seeded Washington, and weren’t terribly competitive, losing (25-13, 25-17, 25-18).
I really do think the Sugar Bears (ugh…the first of six schools in the league with different male and female nicknames) could have been an at-large last year. Their RPI last season was 51, right at the cusp of where you figure at-larges can come. Being bracketed against a seeded team would seem to go against that in practice, though.
But it was a really strong 2012 for Central Arkansas. They were one of only seven teams to reach the 30-win plateau, and one of only two to do it in the regular season. That, naturally, means they were up against lesser competition much of the year (is a 30-win Southland team better than a 23-win Big Ten team? Probably not), but it also means they were awfully good themselves. They were the only team to place three players on the year-end all-Southland first-team (hyphen city), conference Setter of the Year Marissa Collins, middle blocker Alicia Dittrich, and outside hitter Jessica Hays. Collins, a three-time all-conference honouree, and Dittrich, conference leader in attacking efficiency, will be beack this year. It was Collins’ second time being named Setter of the Year, as she averaged more than 12 assists per set. Only one returning setter in the nation, Oregon’s All-American Lauren Plum, averaged more.
Hays’ 4.3 kills per set are a pretty substantial loss, though. Stepping into the fold to replace Hays and fellow graduated senior Taylor Hammonds are incoming freshmen at OH and MB. Head coach David McFatrich identified the middle blocker position as one of his team’s key needs (indeed, despite the team’s great successes last year, they were pretty substantially out-blocked by their opponents), so I’d expect middle blocker Fulani Petties to complete for playing time this year. There are probably still better options at outside hitter than the other new freshman Evie Singleton — Scout Brooks and Heather Schnars both averaged around 2 kills per set last year playing most of the season, as did Kyle Hartman in a part-time role. What the Central Arkansas middles lacked in blocking, they made up for in scoring output, as Dittrich, the graduated Hammonds, and Jessica Nagy all topped 2 kills per set themselves. As far as defence goes, it’s a team effort. The Sugar Bears out-dug their opposition last year, but regular libero Shelbee Berringer just managed 4 digs per set — not an especially impressive figure for a back row regular. Five other players averaged more than a dig per.
Looking to the future, Central Arkansas have a difficult non-conference schedule ahead of them for 2013. They start their season at an invitational hosted by Arizona, where they’ll also face 2012 NCAA tournament team Kansas. They’ll face another NCAA tournament team, Jackson State, at their home invitational, and then two more at the Florida-Gulf Coast invitational — Marquette and Penn State. Their win/loss record may not be as sparkling this year as last, but there’s no denying they’ll be battle-tested.
The Bearkats (not a typo) actually claim the 2012 Southland Conference regular season championship from last year, though the conference website lists Central Arkansas first in the standings. They did have the same conference record and split head-to-head with the Sugar Bears, so an upset to Oral Roberts in the conference tournament semifinals may have prevented a nice matchup in the finals.
The Bearkats boast the 2012 conference player of the year in outside hitter Deveney Wells-Gibson, who ranked second in the league in kills per set, first among pin hitters in attacking efficiency, and tenth in digs per set (and remember, this was a ten-team league last year, so she beat out at least one player whose only job was to get digs). You don’t see an all-around talent like that particularly often. Both of the next two highest scorers behind Wells-Gibson on last year’s team are gone to graduation, so the team will have to look for other answers there. Juco transfer Krista Koopmann will most likely be in the rotation, the highlight of a six-player incoming class (three announced there and three more freshmen listed on the team’s roster page). But aside from Wells-Gibson and setter Tayler Gray, herself a very strong defender who was named to the Southland’s smaller second-team all-conference team, this is going to be a team lacking a bit in experience. Middle blocker Haley Neisler, a definite support player in that role, is the only other returner to have had regular playing time last year. Beyond those first three, the next most experienced returner is back row specialist Bridgette Bennett, who played in only about a third of the team’s sets last year.
The Bearkats don’t play a particularly difficult non-conference schedule, with low-profile tournament auto-bid Jackson State and big-conference also-ran Washington State the high points. Their season starts at an invitational hosted by Appalachian State.
I don’t exactly think of islands when I think of Texas, but indeed, TAMU-Corpus Christi is located on something called Ward Island. The Islanders ran a versatile offence last year, with no pin hitter topping a thousand attacking attempts. Two of them will be back, sophomore Ivy Baresh and junior Brianna Brink. Any new support players will have to be brought up from within, as only one new freshman comes in at a pin hitter position. The Islanders were a solid blocking team last year, fourth in the conference, but targetted middle blocker in their recruiting, signing three players at that position. Juco transfer Nicole Soifua will probably be a regular starter, seeking to replace the blocking output of the departed second-team all-conference Brooke Alverson. I’m not sure why she isn’t back, as she was listed as a junior last year, but she indeed isn’t. The Islanders are set to host the year-end conference tournament.
And really…that’s about all I can dredge up for this team. There’s a lot of pieces to be put together, but it’s not quite clear what the picture is going to look like. Their season starts at an invitational hosted by Denver. Their only big conference opponent is LSU.
The Northwestern State Lady Demons (listed as ‘Northwestern Louisiana’ by the Southland Conference stat book, but nowhere else) don’t have a whole lot of room to grow as the fourth-place team from last year, but it looks to me like they will indeed grow. Outside hitter Stacey DiFrancesco and libero Keelie Arneson return as juniors having been first-team all-conference last year. It was DiFrancesco’s second selection as all-conference. DiFrancesco was fourth in the league in scoring output while Arneson was second in digs, checking in right at five per set (DiFrancesco herself is a solid defender, accruing 2.7 digs per set last year). Outside hitter Caiti O’Connell and setter Emily Sweet were named as honourable mention. It’s not clear why Sweet isn’t back, as she was only a sophomore last year, but she indeed isn’t present on the team’s roster. Setting probably falls now to Emily Johnson (I thought for a second this was the same player and that she’d gotten married or something, but it’s not).
Blocking looks solid, too. It was blocking-by-committee last year, with no one attaining a full block per set. Vanessa Coleman and Glynna Johnson put up solid totals and are back this year. So too is Amanda Kunz, who had a nice blocking rate in a limited role (only about 20% of the team’s action). Mackenzie Neely, sort of a jack-of-all-trades listed at middle-stroke-right side, is also back, putting up solid if unremarkable numbers in both offence and blocking.
With pretty much everything already in place, recruiting had eyes for the future (though co-head coaches Hugh and Stephanie Hernesman have said they feel the new recruits fill important roles now). Two players join the program, middle blocker Aaliya Smith and back-row specialist Danielle Sellari. Despite Arneson’s fine digging output, the Lady Demons were still out-paced there by their opponents last year (though this is typical of smaller conference teams). Sellari may well find court time as a DS this year.
I like the look of this team a lot. Maybe not enough to win the conference, because Central Arkansas are also looking strong, but they’ll be in the mix should the Sugar Bears falter at all. Their season starts at an invitational hosted by the Arkansas Razorbacks, the lone 2012 NCAA tournament team in the Lady Demons’ non-conference.
The Stephen F Austin Ladyjacks (I know I’m beating a drum about my dislike for most female-specific team nicknames awfully frequently, but come on, this one isn’t even a real word) finished fifth in the Southland last year. They’ve got a standout returner this year in opposite hitter Jill Ivy, sixth in conference last year in scoring output and third in efficiency among pin hitters. It’ll probably be sophomore Tori Bates lining up on the left side, after her solid freshman campaign last year had her putting up over 2 kills per set. Support players will have to step up from a pool of relative unknowns, as the next most prodigious scorer back from last season is sophomore Keeley Kainer, who only played in about a third of the team’s sets.
The team kinda had the rug pulled out from under them in terms of blocking. Not one but three blockers averaged over a block per set a season ago, and only one is back this year — part-timer Jacque Allen (played in about half the team’s sets last year). It remains to be seen whether Allen can keep that rate up over an entire season (few players can), and even then one standout blocker isn’t usually enough to carry a team’s efforts in that area. Ivy and Bates both put up reasonable blocking numbers for hitters last year, but the team are going to need someone else up the middle, that’s for sure. Unsurprisingly, the middle blocker position is well-represented in the class of ’17, with three players joining the team at MB as freshmen. One, Justice Walker, got a conspicuous announcement, so maybe that means that means that she’s first up. But I love the volleyball name on one of the others — Destiny Diggs. That’s almost as good a volleyball name as Jacob Spiker Gibb.
The Ladyjacks (how do you convey an eye-roll in text?) start their season at an invitational hosted by Southern Miss, where they’ll also face 2012 NCAA tournament team Jackson State. They’ll later play a few big-conference teams later at the TCU invitational (the Horned Frogs themselves, Ole Miss, Houston).
The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles’ big strength last year was the front line. No doubt about it. They dominated the Southland in blocking, averaging 2.8 per set (good for 17th nationally). Jessica Pancratz played every match and every set last year and finished with a very impressive 1.36 blocks per set, leading the league. Strangely, this didn’t afford her any all-conference recognition; not first team, not second team, not even honourable mention. Another middle, Brazilian import Sheina Fernandes, also averaged well better than a block per set and a was a little more well-rounded as a player, attaining first-team all-conference status. She’s gone to graduation, however. Her compatriot Bruna Silva returns for her senior season as the reigning conference Libero of the Year, with 5.22 digs per set a year ago to lead the Southland. Setter Laura Taylor, honourable mention all-Southland last year with just barely under 10 assists per set, returns as a senior.
It’s pin hitting, backbone offence, that seems questionable with this club. Fernandes was actually the team’s most prodigious scorer last year as a middle, and that’s something you usually don’t see. Kylie Johnson returns this year having played every match as a freshman last year, which is something that usually bodes well, and Sara Pope figures to start, being a D-I transfer (from Albany). So they’ll probably be the top two options, but beyond them the picture certainly isn’t clear. New recruit McKenna Qualls will probably be in the mix, too. If the Golden Eagles can put points on the board reliably, they’ll be a team to be reckoned with. It remains to be seen if that’s to happen.
Oral Roberts begin their season at an invitational hosted by Texas Southern (who they’ll face again later at an invitational hosted by UTEP). They don’t face any big conference or NCAA tournament teams in their non-conference.
Nicholls State had a bit of a turbulent offseason. They signed a very large incoming class in December, a total of seven via new recruit and transfer, before incumbent head coach Patrick Hiltz abruptly left the program. 2012 was Hiltz’s first year at the helm, and he left to coach Louisiana-Monroe. The announcement of his departure, linked, contains none of the usual “We thank him for his contributions to the program” quotes that you usually see in such an announcement. That with the timing makes me think the split was a little less than harmonious in nature. Hiltz’s replacement is ten-year NAIA veteran Tommy Harold, in his first NCAA job. Remarkably, six of the seven players announced in December are still with the program, and Harold has also added his first recruit, lefty opposite hitter Kali Schwartz.
So I don’t know if the Colonels should expect to be back in the conference tournament this year — they’ve got a little bit of hunting for an identity to do. That takes time, and a certain amount of growing pains. The Colonels do have two seniors on their roster, but middle blocker Brooke Hopper didn’t play much last year and back-row specialist Carley McInnis didn’t put up great numbers in her field. She may not be the regular libero this year, either, as juco transfer Kalynn Egea, who enters as a junior, could well be in line to edge her out. Beyond the players named in this paragraph, it’s only freshmen and sophomores on the team’s roster. They’ll all grow together, and may well grow with their coach.
Nicholls State begin their season at an invitational hosted by Tulane. They’ll face a couple of big-conference teams in their non-league (Houston, Alabama) but no NCAA tournament teams.
The Lady Lions (uh huh) of Southeastern Louisiana had a bit of a busy offseason, too. No head coaching change, but Geno Frugoli did bring a lot of recruiting to fruition. Outside hitter Tiffany Thompson enters as a transfer from Louisiana Tech (who, incidentally, almost every Southland school have scheduled as a non-conference team), and is joined by four new freshmen, three announced last fall and one in the spring. Those five join 11 holdovers, making for a pretty big team. But despite four seniors, they’re not a very experienced team.
Libero Megan McMillin returns returns for her senior season having been honourable mention all-conference last year, though 4.1 digs per set is a rather pedestrian figure for a regular libero. She is the only player who played every set for the Lady Lions a year ago, though, and I’d imagine her value to the team goes beyond mere numbers. Middle blocker Veronica Turk, sophomore this year, played in all but two sets last year. And that’s it as far as high-playing time returners go. The other three seniors, together with McMillin, are defensive specialist Cherish Krohn, setter Lindsey Young, and outside hitter Jessica Rauch. Last year, Young didn’t set much (if at all) and Rauch hardly played. Krohn did play 100 of the team’s 113 sets, and had to have had some front-row rotations as well (101 attack attempts is a lot for a pure back-row specialist). I don’t know what difference that makes, though. The Lady Lions were a solid blocking team a year ago, out-pacing their opponents, but each of their top three blockers from 2012 are gone. There will be new faces in those roles.
Southeastern Louisiana’s season starts at an invitational hosted by Florida Atlantic. They don’t have any particularly noteworthy non-conference opponents lined up.
Lamar are one of the conference’s prodigal charter members. They left for a period of 12 years, being otherwise affiliated between 1987 and 1999. Every other year since the Southland’s founding in 1963, they’ve been members. The Lady Cardinals have done some interesting recruiting as well. They’ve gone overseas for players, which isn’t by itself that unusual, but where they’ve gone is. Not to traditional volleyball nations, like those in South America or Central Europe, but to England and New Zealand, where the game has far less status.
Outside hitter Beniece Douch (oh god, the puns….unless it’s pronounced some other way) comes in from New Zealand, having suited up for flag and country both indoors and on the beach at the youth and junior levels on many occasions. It’s unclear how much eligibility she’ll have, as she’s also played for New Zealand’s Bethlehem College, where she also played basketball and something called netball. It would take a strong athlete to succeed as an OH while standing just 5-foot-8, and it would seem Douch is such an athlete. Her new English teammate Nicole Parish, also a pin hitter, has also played internationally at the youth and junior levels. Four others joined the program last fall with Parish, hailing from Nebraska and Arizona as well as Lamar University’s home state of Texas. It’ll make for an eclectic mix of young women, that’s for sure.
The new international players will compete for playing time behind returning top scorer Sierra Whittaker, back for her fifth-year senior campaign. Sophomore Cortney Moore is surely the top option up the middle, notching 2.2 kills per set last year and creeping up on a block per. Defence was sort of a by-committee situation for the Cardinals, with no one attaining even 4 digs per set last year and the team leader being Megan Schwartz, a 6-footer listed at OH (she’s back as a junior this year). Setting is an interesting matter. The Lady Cardinals ran with Madi Martin at setter last year after injuries claimed their starter at the position a little over halfway through the season. There’s two new setters among the incoming freshmen, and it appears that one of them figures to be the starter (worth pointing out that Martin had playing time as a DS prior to her taking over the setting duties).
So this is a really interesting team. I’m not sure if interesting necessarily means winning, but hey, we’ll see. Their season starts at an invitational hosted by Texas State. They’ll face two NCAA tournament teams in their non-conference, Jackson State and Texas A&M.
The McNeese State Cowgirls (okay, that one I can let slide from criticism) finished last in the conference last year, and I’m not exactly sure how jazzed the school is about the team this year. Almost none of the ‘top stories’ on the volleyball team’s page are actually about the volleyball team. I suppose that’ll change when the season starts — or at least I hope it will.
The Cowgirls pin their hopes on senior middle blocker Courtni Bauer, the reigning Newcomer of the Year (she entered last year as a juco transfer). Bauer finished eighth in the league in attacking efficiency at .304 and was second for McNeese State in scoring output, with a tick over 2 and a half kills per set. The team’s leading scorer last year was outside hitter Amber Fryer, a more traditional ‘newcomer’ as a freshman. She posted 2.6 kills per set and actually had slightly better blocking figures than Bauer. These two no doubt will anchor the front-line again this season. Other players back having had heavy playing time last year include outside hitter Malina Sanchez, libero/DS Kimberlyn Patterson, setter Kelly Graham, outside hitter Maegan Carlton, and opposite hitter Rachel Cagnina. That, folks, is a starting lineup. This team sure won’t want for experience this season.
I only found a conspicuous announcement for one new recruit, though there are a whopping eight freshmen on the roster (half the team). If anybody displaces the holdovers, which they may (because, without beleaguering the point, 7-25 is not exactly a good season), you know they’ll have earned it. If the four new teams in the league didn’t help project the Cowgirls out of the cellar for 2013, I think these team dynamics would. They should make the conference tournament this year (top eight do, for a simple direct bracket).
McNeese State begin their season at an invitational hosted by DePaul. They don’t play any big-conference teams, but they do have one interesting non-conference foe — New Orleans. The Privateers are one of the Southland’s new members this year, but that match will not count as a conference match. We saw this in men’s basketball this past season when Butler faced new conference opponent Xavier in their preseason before their first and only year in the Atlantic 10. It means nothing more than these teams scheduled that match before they were bound to be conference opponents. McNeese State also host a busy home invitational on 13 and 14 September, as they and four other teams play a full round-robin in just two days.
Now for the Southland’s new members.
Abilene Christian are the “everything old is new again” members of the Southland. They were members for the conference’s first ten years of existence before reclassifying to Division II. Now, they must wait out a four-year probationary period before they are again full members of Division I. Playing last year in D-II’s Lone Star Conference, the Wildcats went 12-19, and 8-12 in league matches.
The Wildcats’ top scoring returner is sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Loerch, and if you’ve been a loyal reader (or just a recent one) of this series, that name may sound familiar. Her older sister Lauren players for New Mexico State, included in the previous piece in this series. Loerch played almost literally the whole season as a freshman last year, chipping in close to 3 kills per set and just under 2 digs per set as a six-rotation player. Another freshman last year, returning this year, is setter Sarah Siemens. Rather tall for a setter (6-foot-1), Siemens beat out more experienced players to take the starting role, posting a very fine 10.6 assists per set to go with serviceable numbers as a supporting blocker. Leading blocker Corrie Reeder is still another player who was a freshman last year. Yet another sophomore is libero Madison Hoover, whose 5 digs per set last season would have put her in the top echelon of Southland liberos a season ago.
Whether the numbers bear it out remains to be seen, but this is a nice young core that may all become better this year than they were last. They’re joined by three incoming freshmen, the school’s first Division I volleyball signing class (the sport wasn’t sponsored in the Southland until 1982). There are two seniors on the roster, but they seem to be supporting player types. The Wildcats begin their Division I lives at an invitational hosted by Texas-Arlington. The highlight of their preseason is certainly the home-and-home they play with the Big 12’s Texas Tech Red Raiders, on 3 and 10 September.
The Houston Baptist Huskies aren’t a new team to NCAA Division I like Abilene Christian, but I would have believed it if you’d told me they were. They played the last few seasons in the ‘land of the misfit toys’ Great West Conference, before they and three others found more fitting conference affiliation. They were reasonably successful, going 20-11 before falling in the GWC championship match to Utah Valley.
The standout returner for the Huskies is middle blocker Caiti Wenger, who was actually the team’s second-leading scorer at 2.8 kills per set, doing it a .316 efficiency. She was second behind Madeline Gaffney, also back this year, in blocking, as both put up solid, if less than mindblowing, numbers. The Huskies lose a key piece at setter, as the 11.6 APS Victoria Weatherly is gone to graduation. Haley Hoffman, a junior, probably steps into the role this year. Bailey Keith is the lone returning pin hitter from the regular rotation last season, so the Huskies will need someone to step up there. Lamar transfer Megan McStravick is a strong possibility, as she’s the highlight of the incoming group of players. Five players have joined for the class of ’17, two announced last fall with McStravick and three announced in the spring. Another area where the team will need to rely on new faces is defence. They out-dug their opponents a season ago, but the top three dig-earners from 2012 are all gone now. Freshman Beth Shecterle and sophomore Haley Mueller are the players listed at DS, one of whom will probably suit up in the off-colour jersey on a regular basis.
The Huskies’ season begins with a home invitational. They’ll play NCAA tournament team NC State, as well as the SEC’s Missouri, at a later invitational hosted by Rice.
The Cardinals from the University of the Incarnate Word made the jump with Abilene Christian from Division II and the Lone Star Conference to Division I and the Southland. This is a pretty small program (with the Division I move, they’ve only just hired their first assistant coach ever) at a pretty small school, so I wouldn’t expect them to be making championship tournaments for a while (not that they’ll be immediately eligible). They’re also easing into Division I play — they have just two Division I non-conference matches scheduled (to go with six agains Division II teams), and one of those D-I foes is Grand Canyon, themselves new to Division I. So it’s baby steps.
Last year in the LSC, the Cardinals went 10-21(7-13 in league). Top scorer Angelique Vidaurri returns for her sophomore season, but no other team leaders do. Incarnate Word used three setters last year, through some combination of strategy and injury, and all three — seniors Danielle Suarez and Sarah Cardenas and sophomore Taylor McClelland — are back this year. The Cardinals will, if nothing else, have experience on their side there. Outside hitter Elizabeth Soukup also returns having been a regular a season ago. The team’s first Division I recruiting class numbers five, three announced this spring. With few standout returners, all should be in the mix for playing time.
As mentioned, Incarnate Word didn’t put together much of a schedule this season. Prior commitments may have played a role in that (also that volleyball probably played no role at all in their D-I jump). Their 2013 begins at an invitational hosted by West Texas A&M (a perennial D-II powerhouse). They also have home-and-homes with Texas A&M-Kingsville and Angelo State — not teams whose names have been said in this series (nor will they be again, I’d imagine). They host Texas Tech on 17 September as their lone non-conference match against a team who were D-I a season ago.
Lastly, we have the (briefly) aforementioned New Orleans Privateers. Here’s a school with an interesting history. Previously members of the Sun Belt Conference, the Privateers looked to reclassify from Division I all the way down to Division III after the 2009-10 athletic and academic year, due to enrollment and budget hits after Hurricane Katrina four years prior. They subsequently revised that to a Division II reclassification, and even accepted a future membership with the Division II Gulf Coast Conference, but have since decided to remain at Division I anyway. After three years as an independent, they’re again affiliated with a conference. The school has a volleyball past, as early 90’s Privateer Javonne Brooks was once the NCAA’s career leader in kills (one of those records that, like career triples in baseball, will probably never be broken again due to fundamental changes in the sport).
The Privateers played 23 matches last year, a relatively light schedule as they had no compulsory opponents (read: conference foes). They mainly played teams from the SWAC and the Southland, going 8-15 in the process. Just nine players saw court time for the Privateers in 2012, a remarkably small roster. That thankfully has expanded to 14 for this season, with three new freshmen, a juco transfer, and Chicago State transfer Alyssa Podwell at middle blocker filling out the ranks. Five of the same players started every match for the Privateers last year (setter was the only variation), and two of those five are back this year, pin hitters Taylor Berry and Marti Richmiller. It’ll be new faces at all the other positions.
The Privateers have, somehow, not yet announced their 2013 schedule. It’s a bit late for that to be the case, so it can’t be too much longer until they do.
The verdict
Shees, that’s a large cast of characters. Despite expansion to 14 teams, I haven’t seen any indication that the Southland are converting to a divisional structure, so I have to assume all 14 teams will just be in a blender together. Thirteen conference opponents are way too many for a full double round-robin, so there’ll be some ‘strength of schedule’ concerns here, and with this many teams (I can’t think of a conference that has more — even the Atlantic “10” is now down to 13), there’s a lot of moving parts. No way am I gonna get every detail right. But as for the broad brushstrokes,
TNS SWAG
1. Central Arkansas
2. Northwestern State
3. Stephen F Austin
4. Oral Roberts
5. Sam Houston State
6. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
7. McNeese State
8. Houston Baptist
9. Lamar
10. Southeastern Louisiana
11. Nicholls State
12. New Orleans
13. Abilene Christian
14. Incarnate Word
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