The man behind the music...Chad Teichert
One bit of news before I get started, the official ISU website cannot be updated at the moment, so the legions of Bengal fans shall have to visit the ISU Bengal Blog for news. And here as well; I will update as much as I can.
Overview:
The 2010 version of the Bengal Volleyball squad is hoping to pull off something no Bengal squad has pulled off since 1990: winning the Big Sky Tournament. Under the wise, firm and calm leadership of Chad Teichert, ISU definitely has a legitimate chance at doing it. The coaching staff will feature a new face as Katie Edgson has departed for married life with her husband, Nic, who played defense for the football team and finished this past year. That new face is Ali Gorny, a 2004 graduate of the volleyball team and has stuck around here for awhile working on her advanced degrees (you know...the really fancy kind). Teichert, along with David Hyte, will be entering his third year at the helm.
Personnel:
Teichert enters his 3rd year without a few players due to graduation and other reasons. The graduating players were Emily Waldron, Kolay Mickelson-Sutton, and Paige Palmer, who all had some solid, if not bright, careers at ISU (Paige Palmer especially). The players who left on their own accord were Emily Beardmore (transferred to Texas Tech), Savannah Leckington (married), Bryndy Anderson, Malia Bird, and Paige Findlay (joined the tennis team). However, Teichert will be welcoming back 4 seniors, all of whom who will form the core of the best team ISU has seen in recent memory. Sarah Carson (Middleback), Britta Bartschi-Rhodehouse (another Middleback), Jenna Proost (Defensive Specialist/Libero) and Haylee Thompson-Brock (Outside Hitter) have been terrors for other teams: Carson is very skilled, Thompson-Brock can pack some vicious power in her hitting (I've seen the craters), Proost is very versatile and there's not a lot that can get by her (hehe...she's a Court Ninja), and Bartschi-Rhodehouse is probably a living Berlin Wall...good luck getting much past her on the court. ISU will also be welcoming back a very talented duo in juniors Karissa LeGeaux and Jaclyn Hone, who provided a lot of excitement last year, not to mention blistering hitting power and brought a lot of skill and talent to the team. Hone, if you saw her last year, blasted teams with sheer might (and one of those hits laid out a UVU player. No, I'm not kidding. That ball hit the poor girl in the face and sent her to the ground, spread-eagled). LeGeaux did much of the same; while not possessing Hone's power, she has a lot of talent and figures to really bloom this season. ISU will be welcoming some newcomers who will likely contribute to a hopefully great campaign this season: Lori Mendenhall, a Setter from Salt Lake City, Utah; Kylee Searle, a Defensive Specialist/Libero from Idaho Falls, Idaho; Danielle Downs, an Outside Hitter from Kaysville, Utah; and Vanessa Muir (pronounced, by any respectful fanbase, as MERRRRRRRR), a junior Middleback transfer from Casper College (she's from Smoot, Wyoming). There is a group of untested freshmen in Paige Hansen and Katie Grajewski, both Defensive Specialists who should likely see some action this year. Breanne Van Every saw some action and figures to see some more playing time this year (she's an Outside Hitter). The position breakdown is as follows:
Outside Hitter: (5: Jaclyn Hone, Breanne Van Every, Paige Hansen, Haylee Thompson-Brock, Danielle Downs)
Setter: (2: Karissa LeGeaux, Lori Mendenhall)
Middle Blocker: (3: Sarah Carson, Britta Bartschi-Rhodehouse, Vanessa Muir)
Libero/Defensive Specialist: (3: Jenna Proost, Katie Grajewski, Kylee Searle)
OH/Defensive Specialist: (2: Jaclyn Hone, Paige Hansen)
Record analysis:
Last year, if many of you recall, ISU had a really good showing. The 13-15 record (7-9 Big Sky and a nice 3-2 record on neutral courts) was a vast improvement from the past 5 years and this year will welcome back a lot of veterans from that campaign; many of them key players. ISU was so very close to a tournament berth and had a few potential wins slip away at the last moment (see: the near 3-0 beating of Conference #1 Son Eastern Washington; they would rally to win 3-2 after we jumped out to a 2-0 lead and a wild 3-2 affair with conference champion Northern Colorado). This could very well be our year if everyone comes together and survives the usual brutal start to the season (being away for a good 3 weeks to start the season is not easy, even if you're Penn State or Nebraska). ISU could have a tough time if it doesn't get together by September 17th, which is when the conference season commences and could miss out on a golden opportunity with the wealth of talent and skill that returns for the 2010-2011 campaign. ISU also must protect Reed Gym; a 5-6 record at home is not the way to blaze into conference, and ISU must improve on the road. A 5-7 record is not bad, given the distance one must cover in a short time in the Big Sky Conference, but there is room for improvement.
The Bengals, in matches that go 3 sets, are about average with a 7-8 record. ISU should be able to build off of a 5-3 record in matches that go 4 sets. One of the major reasons why ISU did not advance to the conference tournament, if not the biggest of them all, was ISU's inability to close out 5-set matches. ISU was 1-4 last year in matches that went 5 sets, and given that we missed the conference tournament by 1-2 games, we could have not only gotten in with a better record in the 5 set matches but even a better seed in the tournament. ISU MUST improve on the 5 set record while building and improving on the 3 set and 4 set records.
Final Analysis:
This is ISU's year. The Bengals not only possess the talent and skill, but the experience. Although we will be missing Emily Waldron and Paige Palmer, we have some the most solid players in ISU history coming back. This is the best chance at our first tournament berth since 2005 and we could potentially win the Big Sky Championship for the first time since 1990. Everything points in the right direction. The pieces are in place. The players are hungry and ready. 2010-2011 should be a great year for Idaho State!
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