An Inside Look at Your 2011 Lady Techster Squad
8/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 22, 2011
RUSTON, LA.- The Louisiana Tech volleyball program will open season play this Friday in the Sam Houston Invitational in Huntsville, Texas and with the action quickly approaching, LATechSports.com will offer positional breakdowns this week of your 2011 Lady Techster squad.
Outside hitter
After losing three letterwinners in Taylor Fritz, Jennifer Goodwin and Kassia Pinto, the Lady Techsters will have a void to fill at the outside hitter position. Fritz, Goodwin and Pinto were all starters last season combining for 1,175 kills along with 1,529 digs during their time at Tech.
Looking to fill that void are returners Nataliya Panova and Clara Vido along with freshmen newcomers Bridget Benditz, Shelbie Reed and junior transfer Marcella Braz.
Panova, who redshirted last season while recovering from shoulder surgery started, 30 matches as a sophomore while playing in all 33 on the season. She finished her sophomore season first on the team and second in the Western Athletic Conference with double-doubles and led all Lady Techsters with 284 kills. The now healthy outside hitter looks to make a similar impact this season.
Also returning is sophomore Clara Vido. Vido started 15 matches as a true freshman recording a career-high three solo blocks in a five set win over Nevada (11/18/2010) and totaling a career-high 25 kills at Idaho (11/13/2010). Her 25 kills marked the most by a Lady Techster since the NCAA ruled that all sets be played to a total of 25 points rather than the previous 30.
With the loss of three seniors, this year's newcomers will be called upon early this season.
"With the outside hitters that we have graduated and the talent that we have coming in, I think that the outside hitters are going to immediately play a role," said Sonnichsen.
Benditz, a Houston, Texas native, was named first team all-district three consecutive years and was the Klein Oak High School Volleyball Offensive Player of the Year her junior and senior years. Her counterpart, Reed, joins the team from Barbe High School in Lake Charles where she was named to the all-district team as a junior and senior and earned district MVP honors as a senior.
Braz, a junior college transfer from Midland College, was a member of the NJCAA all-conference team along with being named to the Lee College 22nd Annual Volleyball Classic all-tournament team. Her experience at the collegiate level will be beneficial as she begins Division I play.
Having five student-athletes at the outside hitter position will create added depth as the Lady Techsters enter the 2011 campaign and begin long weekends of top-flight competition.
Right Side hitter
New to this year's roster is the right side hitter position. Coach Sonnichsen looks for this position to bring added depth along with increased passing skills to the Lady Techster team.
"We made a decision to specialize with true/traditional right side players as opposed to using a passing outside hitter. It makes us a bit stronger on the block and will open up our offensive attack," said Sonnichsen.
Sophomore Emily Maher along with freshman newcomer Anne Marie Taylor will fill the position this season.
Maher, a former middle blocker, suffered a season ending injury during the first game of the season last year and was granted a medical redshirt. Before coming to Tech, Maher spent time at Southeast Missouri State where she led the team with 85 total blocks and ranked third with 175 kills.
In an effort to strengthen the right side and to allow Maher to continue her recovery, she made the transition to the right side hitter during this year's preseason camp.
"By moving her (Maher) to the right side, it will allow her to finish out the last of her leg rehab by being able to focus on a north-south approach and jumping/landing with two feet, and it gives us a much stronger presence on the right side," said Sonnichsen.
Taylor was a member of the Global Challenge Team that competed in Europe her senior year. The California native was also instrumental in helping her club team, Club Troy, finish 11th in all of southern California.
Both of these athletes bring in a specialized skill set that will serve as an immediate weapon for the Lady Techsters.
Check back this week for continued position-by-position breakdowns of your 2011 Lady Techsters.
For complete coverage of Techster Volleyball, please visit the official home of Louisiana Tech Athletics at LATechSports.com and follow sports information contact, Kristen Rodgers, on twitter for the latest and most current news.
