Women's Volleyball: Season Preview

WEST CHESTER, Pa. - After picking up their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance and victory in program history last season against Pitt-Johnstown, the Golden Rams are eager to begin their 2016 campaign. West Chester's 26-11 record from a season ago marks the second most wins in a season to only the 2007 squad that produced 28 victories. That kind of production is something that head coach Kassie Bellaver sets as the goal for the team each year as she enters her 11th season for the Golden Rams. In regards to the NCAA Tournament victory, Bellaver mentioned how achieving that goal was a big step for the program. Building off that record-breaking year, Bellaver is excited about the chemistry and strong core of players returning for the Golden Rams. Many of which were freshmen, who received a decent amount of playing time. "The good news is that although we lost some key seniors, we had a lot of younger players who played key roles on that roster who are returning," Bellaver stated. Back for the Golden Rams is sophomore, Jillian Grammer (Center Valley, Pa./Southern Lehigh), who earned second team All-PSAC East honors as a setter in 2015. Grammer compiled 1,075 set assists, which averaged 10.22 assists per set, placing her second in the conference in that category. Bellaver hopes to get the same kind of production out of Grammer this time around. "She really took over as a freshman. She's running the offense out there and did a phenomenal job. So, I do anticipate the same kind of performance from her." Nicki Yates (Coopersburg, Pa./Southern Lehigh) is another sophomore, who will represent the Golden Rams as the libero. Last season, Yates produced 5.48 digs per set that earned her the top spot in West Chester's individual season record book. "She is the cornerstone of the defense," Bellaver remarked. "She will be out there for all six rotations. She will be the leader on the defense." Yates sets the tone defensively, while also providing a good serve receive for the squad. The Golden Rams return both middle blockers as well in junior Victoria Cruciani (Phoenixville, Pa./Pope John Paul II) and sophomore Allie Duffy (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle). Both middles put up superb offensive numbers, while also generating big blocks on defense. Cruciani had a big season in 2015, registering 95 block assists in 122 sets. Overall, she is slated fifth in program history with a total of 189 career block assists. Alongside Cruciani is Duffy, who has a very fast approach and is quick in the middle. Her offensive production landed her a .315 attack percentage. West Chester will be very strong in the middle with this duo. OUTSIDE HITTER Junior Karleigh Lutz (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) will be a contributor for West Chester as an outside hitter with the potential of playing all the way around. Also receiving playing time as a freshman last fall was Abbie Dischert (Wilmington, Del./Concord). There are high expectations for her as she heads into her sophomore campaign.Peighton Wright (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) is an incoming freshman, who is listed as a right-side hitter standing at 6 feet, 2 inches tall, but is very versatile having played middle before. Wright is expected to get a significant amount of playing time as a freshman. Another first-year player is Rachel Robb (Blackwood, N.J./Paul VI), who is similar to Wright in that she can play right outside hitter or middle. Amy Kovacs (Allentown, Pa. /Allentown Central Catholic) is a sophomore on the squad looking to contribute. One of the strongest arms on the squad is Brooke Priestas (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty). Unfortunately, Priestas has been plagued by injury and hopes to return to the court as soon as possible. DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST Defense is a major component for West Chester's success as they head into the season. There are seven defensive specialists listed on the roster, utilizing a variety of different players on the squad. Coach Bellaver will substitute a vast amount almost using the maximum for substitutes each match. Callie Krajcir (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) is a returning senior that eclipsed over a 1,000 digs in her career. She is currently listed with 1,318 digs. Additionally, she is listed fourth in program history with a career 4.04 digs per set in a minimum of 200 sets. Another pair of players also in the senior class are Bethany Gould (Camp Hill, Pa./Cumberland Valley) and Rachel Powers (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven). Both will provide leadership to the team. A player that provides stability on the squad is junior Lyndsey Iacobelli (Allentown, Pa./Parkland). The fastest defensive specialist on the team according to Bellaver is Ashley Oleksa (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield). The sophomore is coming off shoulder surgery and will compete for time on the court. Rounding out the defensive specialists is freshman Alex Gleason (Ladenberg, Pa./Kennett), who is a consistent player with a strong arm. Additionally, she provides a possible back row attack and strong serve for the Golden Rams. SETTER West Chester will be running a 5-1 with Grammer as center. However, Emily Ahern (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) will be looking to contribute as a freshman. Bellaver sees her as a utility player that can fill multiple roles. OVERVIEW With a strong core intact, the Golden Rams are confident that they can duplicate the kind of success they had a season ago. This is still a relatively young squad, but they do have experience after their NCAA run and tremendous chemistry for a winning combination. SCHEDULE In terms of the schedule, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference has split up into four different pods. The format was changed, eliminating crossover matches that forced teams to play four matches in two days. It is a different setup as the Golden Rams will play teams in their own division twice, compared to playing the other teams only once.

West Chester opens up its season against Daemen College (N.Y.) to begin their very own Ram Fest Tournament on Friday, Sept. 2 at 2 p.m. inside Hollinger Fieldhouse. Later that evening, the Golden Rams face West Virginia Wesleyan at 6 p.m. ADDITIONAL NOTES: Joe Portland was named West Chester's new assistant coach, returning to his alma mater. Academically, the Golden Rams received the American Volleyball Coaches' Association team academic award for their overall cumulative grade-point average of 3.54 from last season.