2009 York College Volleyball Preview
Strong veterans + a talented group of
incoming players = a highly successful 2009 season. That is a
formula that the York College volleyball squad hopes will work for
the upcoming season.
Spartan head coach Sue DuMars
begins her 14th season at the helm of the program looking to build
on a 19-win season in 2008. DuMars welcomes back a strong core of
returning players, many of whom earned extensive experience last
season.
DuMars has three seniors on this year’s
squad as outside hitter Jaclyn Davis, libero
Amanda Clemens, and setter Amanda
Rouillard give the Spartans steady leadership. Juniors
Alishia
Waltermyer, Sarah Jackson, Jana
Arentz, and Alysse Beshore provide DuMars
with a deep class while the sophomore group of Heather
Bucher, Heather Toth, Cortni
Rentzel, and Julie Coombs all got
significant time as freshmen, giving them valuable experience in
preparation for 2009.
The Spartan recruiting class includes middle
hitter Melissa Patterson, outside hitter
Ashley Rineman, and middle hitter Meaghan
Jackson. DuMars is very high on the class that she hopes
can get the Spartans over the top and earn their first conference
title since 1997.
“I am very excited about the composition
of this team,” says DuMars. “I believe practices will
be highly competitive as the players will push each other for floor
time. We will have as much depth and size as we have had here
during my tenure at York. I think our talent level is very strong
and should be as good as we have ever had.”
The Spartans will also have a great deal of
versatility with their lineup this year. A number of players can
play multiple positions giving DuMars the ability to mix and match
lineups based on how the Spartans are playing and what they
need.
DuMars will turn to Waltermyer to lead the
Spartan attack in the middle. Waltermyer is the Spartans’
returning All-CAC player and she should again be one of the top
players in the conference and the league. Waltermyer is a very
strong offensive threat who finished third in the CAC in attack
percentage. Waltermyer hit .320 with 2.33 kills and 0.85 blocks per
set. Waltermyer paced the Spartans as she averaged 2.96 points per
set
“Alishia is one of the top players in our
league.” says DuMars. “She had a fantastic sophomore
year and she continues to get better with her strong work ethic.
Alishia has a strong desire to be a great player, and she expects
to play great every match.”
Waltermyer will be joined in the middle by
Beshore, and Patterson. Beshore had a good first year in the Green
and White as she played in 33 matches, starting 32 of those
contests. She hit .208 and averaged 1.3 kills and 1.75 points per
set. Patterson is an experienced middle hitter from South River
High School. She has extensive club experience and brings a solid
6’1” frame to the Spartan program.
“I am optimistic about the ability and
depth we have in the middle,” states DuMars. “We should
be strong and deep in the middle this year.”
DuMars will also have a wealth of depth on the
outside as York features a number of experienced hitters. Bucher
moves to the outside after spending most of last season setting for
the Green and White. She played in all 34 matches last year as she
hit .145 with 1.68 kills, 3.06 assists, and 1.77digs per set.
Bucher finished last year averaging 2.20 points per set. She will
be one of the Spartans’ captains this year as her
determination and work ethic help make her a core member of the
program.
“Heather has the potential to be one of
the most explosive players in the CAC,” states DuMars.
“She is very athletic and strong while her understanding of
the game is also good. She has the potential to be one of the top
players in our league as a sophomore.”
Joining Bucher on the outside are Davis, Toth,
Coombs, Rineman, and Meaghan Jackson.
Davis returns to the Spartan lineup after
suffering a season ending injury early in 2008. Davis played in 16
matches as she had a .147 attack percentage while she averaged 1.47
kills and 1.76 digs per set. Davis finished the year averaging 2.30
points per set. Toth missed all of last year due to injury and she
will move to the outside after spending her freshman year as a
middle hitter. Toth played in all 36 matches in 2007 as she hit
.162 with 1.39 kills per set. Toth also contributed 0.58 blocks per
set. Coombs had a very solid freshman year in which she hit .146 in
28 matches. She averaged 1.47 kills per set during her freshman
campaign.
“Our returning outside hitters are strong
and focused,” says DuMars. “I am happy how they played
in the spring, and I have some high expectations for their play in
the fall. I think we are in good shape in terms of talent and
depth.”
Rineman enters the Spartan program as a
freshman that will have the ability to contribute immediately.
Rineman comes to York from Delone Catholic and brings extensive
club experience to the program. She is a very dynamic and exciting
player that is a great all-around player. Jackson enters the
Spartan program as a player that was a middle hitter at Goshen
Central High School but she will move to the outside for the
Spartans. She is a player that is very focused and driven and will
compete for time in the Spartan rotation.
The Spartans should also be very strong
defensively as Clemens returns to the lineup and will be pushed by
Rentzel for the starting libero position. Joining Clemens and
Rentzel are Arentz and Sarah Jackson.
Clemens finished last year ranked second in the
CAC in digs per set at 5.39. She is a vocal leader on the floor
that is also highly competitive. Rentzel moves to libero after
spending most of last year as one of the Spartan setters. Rentzel
played in all 34 matches last year as she averaged 5.31 assists and
2.14 digs per set. The two will compete for the starting job but
both should get significant time during the course of the season.
Jackson, a Spartan captain in 2009, is a very intelligent player
that should see most of her time as a back row player. She is a
good athlete that has a great understanding of the game. Arentz saw
action in 16 matches last year as she will compete for time in the
back row.
“We are in very capable hands
defensively,” comments the 14-year Spartan mentor. “We
have experience and talent which should provide for outstanding
defense and passing. Amanda was very strong last year, and Cortni
is a very athletic player that covers a good deal of
ground.”
DuMars will turn the setting duties over to
Rouillard. Rouillard provides the Spartans with a dedicated worker
with experience. She has worked very hard in the offseason to put
herself in position to compete for the starting job. Rouillard
played in 18 matches last season, averaging 4.18 assists per
set.
“I like our depth at setter,”
states DuMars. “Amanda brings experience and a desire to
shoulder the load while we also have Cortni and Heather that could
move back to setter if we needed to make a move like that. Amanda
has worked very hard heading into her senior year and is primed to
have a great final season.”
DuMars is excited about the potential of her
2009 squad.
“I am not sure what our record will be at
the end of the season but I fully expect to be in contention for a
CAC title. We are still a young team, but I feel very comfortable
with our talent and our leadership. We have the potential to have
an outstanding season, but we need to work very hard every day from
the start of preseason practice through our final game of the year.
I expect us to improve as a team each and every day. If we can do
that, we will achieve the goals we have set for the season.”
2009 SPARTAN VOLLEYBALL ROSTER