Blend of Youth and Experience Will Propel Oakland
Volleyball in 2005
Entering his third season at the helm of the
Oakland volleyball program, head coach
Dave Schmidlin has worked
hard to construct a foundation that the team can build upon to place the
program among the best in the Mid-Continent Conference. After two seasons
of work, the Golden Grizzlies are now ready to move forward and begin
their climb up the Mid-Con ladder.
Oakland finished the 2004
season with a 5-24 record and a 3-11 Mid-Con mark. With a roster that was
short on players and a tough early season schedule, the Golden Grizzlies
struggled to find their rhythm at the start of the season. Despite the
lack of wins, the team showed more consistency over the second half of the
season and found themselves in most of its contests. With a pair of
all-conference caliber players returning and the team?s lack of depth
solved with nine new faces on the roster, the Golden Grizzlies should be in
a position to get the season started off on a positive note.
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Senior Heather
Lippert will look to continue her All-Mid-Con form from the 2004
season. |
?After two years we have
established a culture that will enable us to build on our successes,?
remarked Schmidlin. ?With nine new players most of the team has not been
around to experience losing over 40 matches over the last two years. When
we do lose a few matches I don?t think that this team will let that
manifest itself into a losing attitude. All of our new players come from
winning programs at one level or another, so we don?t have that specter of
losing hanging over our head. With so many new faces this group is going
to look forward, not backward.?
Indeed the team will have
almost a completely different look in 2005. After having just three new
players on last season?s squad, the Golden Grizzlies will welcome nine new
players to the fold this season; three juniors and six freshmen. With only
five returning players, the new group will be counted on to contribute
right away.
?Our new players will
play large roles in a couple of different ways,? said Schmidlin.
?Obviously there are going to be some new kids on the court. While they
may be inexperienced in terms of not having played in a Division I
volleyball match, they are coming in hungry to show what they can do and
will provide us with the versatility and depth that we did not have last
season.?
Flexibility will be a key
ingredient to the Oakland game in 2005. ?We have a number of players who
are capable of playing multiple positions,? said Schmidlin. ?No one is
going to be pigeon holed into a position. We are going to be much more
flexible, not only with our players on the court, but with our players
coming off the bench as well.?
While the team will be a
young one in 2005, the Golden Grizzlies do have a trio of returning
seniors that the squad can turn to for leadership and experience. Leading
the group is Heather Lippert (Walled
Lake, Mich.), a second team All-Mid-Con selection a year ago. Last season
she evolved into one of the top middle hitters in the Mid-Con, leading
Oakland in kills and blocks while also finishing near the top in hitting
percentage and aces. With her all-around abilities she will play a key
role in both OU?s offense and defense in 2005.
With three seasons of
starting experience as OU?s setter, Becca
Moller (Columbiaville, Mich.) has worked extremely hard in the off
season and looks to be set for her best season yet. A solid all-around
player as well, she ranked sixth in the league in assists and led the team
in hitting percentage and double-doubles. Her 2,417 career assists rank
seventh all-time at OU and is second among Division I players.
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Senior Becca Moller
is seventh all-time at OU in assists. |
Erin Palmer (Centerville, Mich.) did
nothing but impress in her first season at Oakland after transferring in
from the junior college ranks. She finished among the team leaders in
virtually all categories and should play a large role again, provided she
recovers from a knee injury sustained over the summer.
Not only do the Golden
Grizzlies return three senior starters, there is also a fourth senior in
Whitney Lane (Kentwood, Mich.). She
played well down the stretch for OU after battling injuries at the start
of the season. With her solid play in her limited opportunity last season
and senior experience, she will be looking to play a larger role in 2005
and provide the squad with another experience player that can help guide
the young squad.
Only one other player
returns with experience from last season, and that is sophomore
Chelsea Licavoli (Clinton Township,
Mich.). It was an impressive first season that culminated in a selection
to the Mid-Con all-freshman team. Splitting her time between an outside
hitter and the libero, Licavoli showed that she should be a force to be
reckoned with in the future. She finished among the team leaders in kills
and digs and finished an impressive second in the Mid-Con in aces per
game, totaling a school DI record of 42.
With the versatility of
the team being one of the squad?s strengths in 2005, look for Schmidlin to
implement a new three-middle system to capitalize on that versatility.
Adrienne Leone (Clinton Township, Mich.)
and Leah Dupuie (Leonard, Mich.) are
a pair of freshmen that should step in and join Lippert at middle hitter.
Leone hails from Fraser High School, a school that has been a volleyball
powerhouse in Michigan, and was an all-state selection as a senior as well
as winning a pair of state championships. Dupuie comes from Romeo High
School, where she was named All-Region. Freshman Nikki Pawson
(Blissfield, Mich.), an honorable mention all-state and three-time
all-conference performer from Class C Champion Blissfield High School,
also joins the program, providing for even greater depth.
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Sophomore Chelsea
Licavoli set a school DI record with 42 aces and was named to the
Mid-Con All-Freshman team. |
With 12 varsity letters
under her belt at Clarkston High School,
Stephanie Parkin (Clarkston, Mich.) could be one of the most
athletic players that Oakland has seen under Schmidlin. One of those
versatile types, she could play a role at both outside hitter and as a
back-row player.
Adding needed depth and
challenging for the starting position at setter is another member of
Oakland?s freshman class, Geri Geml
(Harrison Township, Mich.). She totaled over 1,000 assists last season at
L?Anse Creuse High School, the 2005 Class A State Semi-Finalist, earning
all-state, all-region and all-conference honors along the way.
Another area that has
improved in terms of depth for the Golden Grizzlies is among the squad?s
defensive specialists. Coming into the program with junior college
experience at nearby Mott Community College are
Jillian Hauk (Owosso, Mich.) and Jenny
Dodson (Burton, Mich.). Dodson was second in the MCCAA in digs last
season with 847, while Hauk totaled 680. Both players totaled over 1,000
digs and 500 kills in their two seasons at Mott. Also bringing JC
experience to the fold will Katrina
Calianno (Imlay City, Mich.) who played at Oakland CC for a
season.
Rounding out the back
row players will be another of Oakland?s freshman class,
Lauren Duquette (Clinton Township,
Mich.). A teammate of Licavoli?s at Chippewa Valley High School, she
averaged over 150 digs a season during her prep career.
?Depending on how quickly
the new players get acclimated to the Division I game, we are in a
position to jump into the top half of the conference from a talent
standpoint,? says Schmidlin. ?Our experience level will be the only thing
that could hold us back. We will need all 15 players to step up and play
at a higher level.?
While the team is young,
Oakland does have the talent that can compete with the rest of the teams
in the Mid-Con. With the depth and versatility of the team this season, it
will be a challenge for Schmidlin and his staff to put the pieces together
and find the right combination that can spell success for the Golden
Grizzlies. If the team and the staff can find the answers in the early
portion of the schedule, they should be ready to make a statement when the
Mid-Con portion of the season rolls around.
Oakland
University 2005. All rights reserved.
