A Sea Of Red

I think the lineup for 2009 will be Nicki and Karyl on the outside, Kallie setting, Chelaine and Kirstyn in the middle, Brittany on the right side and Kelly as libero. I think we may see more of Courtney Boggs playing back row for defensive purposes and being ready in case Kallie should suffer an injury. The incoming freshmen may see some time in back up. Any discussion?

I think you'll see Boggs play a bigger role then if KC suffers an injury....even this year she came in when rhythm was off...she will be used in a much larger role this year...by no means will she be taking the place of anyone but she will be prepared for when the ball is her's to control

I suspect we'll see a Freshman getting a little PT...there's one coming in that a lot of teams in the BSC wanted and tried to steal even after the verbal was given because the talent was there...I think we may have a sleeper on our hands from what I'm hearing.


I'm also hoping we get another sleeper, one that could have the body and frame of elite volleyball just not seasoned as she's new to the game...we'll see if it works out, I know she will be looked at here very soon...as far as potential goes, this girl doesnt have a limit with the proper training and program.

Next year will be fun without a doubt, and hopefully you will see signs of what the future holds along with the talent of the present.

One thing I have to wonder about is the right side.
After seeing how much better the team played at the end of the seaon when Nicki moved to right side, it makes me wonder.
I know we need Nicki to fill the hole left by Jessica, so it will be interesting to see what Shane tries.
We seem to have much depth of talent so it will be fun to see which players excel. There should be a lot of competition for play time.

I know coach is committed to having Nicki on the outside. Nicki is committed to play there, too. Her slow shoulder recovery last year limited her ability to practice and work on the outside position last spring. Her shoulder is much better now, and I believe the spring preparation will make her more than ready to perform on the outside next year. This past year, we had quality players on the outside and could afford to move Nicki back to the right side. This year, I believe BP is going to have a breakout year from the right side, and Nicki will have a great year on the outside.

For what it's worth I've heard great things about the girls in the off season...Nik in particular...I hear she's a beast in the weight room right now...I hope everyone stays focused in the off season and all of this carries over into the next season. Summers are always the best test for a team...some stay and some go home for the summer...I have a good feeling though about this group of girls.


It's getting to a point where they are all seasoned and anyone new coming in will learn the way we do things at LU and the way you do things on LU's volleyball team, and that's the bottom line. It's a good feeling when you look at a team and you can see Doc's vision in everyone of their eyes...you talk to them and they can tell you his vision for LU and they know their vision as well and they coincide

I think the lineup will be a strong one again this year. It looks like Coach Pinder has done a good job recruiting, and the holes left by graduating seniors will be filled, without too much loss of talent. My only concern is using Karyl totally as an OH. What I witnessed in the Nebraska game was that once they figured out to not even attempt to block her, she had a tough time hitting the ball in. She can probably get away with that most of the season, but really good teams are going to pick up on that. Don't get me wrong, she is an incredible player and a sweet person, and a great OH in spite of her size. She is a perfect utility player and has the athleticism to play several positions. I think having Nicki back healthy and strong will give Coach the flexibility to move the lineup around as necessary. I know those shoulder injuries take time, that's what ultimately led up to my own retirement. I can't wait until the season starts; it's personally my favorite sport on campus to watch.

ECUnited wrote:I think the lineup will be a strong one again this year. It looks like Coach Pinder has done a good job recruiting, and the holes left by graduating seniors will be filled, without too much loss of talent. My only concern is using Karyl totally as an OH. What I witnessed in the Nebraska game was that once they figured out to not even attempt to block her, she had a tough time hitting the ball in. She can probably get away with that most of the season, but really good teams are going to pick up on that. Don't get me wrong, she is an incredible player and a sweet person, and a great OH in spite of her size. She is a perfect utility player and has the athleticism to play several positions. I think having Nicki back healthy and strong will give Coach the flexibility to move the lineup around as necessary. I know those shoulder injuries take time, that's what ultimately led up to my own retirement. I can't wait until the season starts; it's personally my favorite sport on campus to watch.

KB is undersized against those trees...but luckily we only face teams like that in the NCAA...even though our non conf schedule is the best the program has ever seen its still against teams that give us a good shot at winning and they arent the elite group of the NCAA

But dont sleep on KB...you can see her body transforming and her athletic movements increasing by the day...I'm not saying she'll be at that level of that tiny girl from Cal last year, but she will be the BSC version of that and maybe more

do you see Julie J getting more PT in this line up?

Who are you speaking of?

The big surprise this spring and most improved status from my view is Claire Jacobsma. She is playing with a lot more confidence now. She hit a super hard ball against VT at a crucial time in the match. Kirstyn looked good in the UVA tournament despite playing in obvious pain.

I heard from some people that watched that Claire is putting a little thump on the ball....that's nice to hear!

I would agree with a lot of these posts... having Nicki on the outside is awesome to see, but then again... when we run that slide offense, great stuff happens... It will be really interesting so see Erika when she comes in... Solid, tall, athletic volleyball player...

I think what we have seen this spring season is a very strong indication of what will be happening this fall. Kallie setting, Nicki and Karyl on the outside, Chelaine and Kirstyn running middle, and hopefully a good mix of BP and Claire on OPP. I would LOVE to see BP coming out swinging hard... we all know she can. And of course Kelly running the back row at libero... A good solid line-up, that I think keeps defense at it's strongest... Having Karyl and Nicki, 2 of the teams best defensive and serve-receive passers hitting out...

Its going to be an awesome year!!