The Virginia women's volleyball team will play on a brand new court in Memorial Gymnasium this fall. With that new court comes the hope of a fresh start for a Cavalier team reeling from past disappointing seasons.
Virginia has not recorded a winning season since 2000. They were just 8-24 overall last year, winning only two conference games. With cautious optimism, the Cavaliers now are hoping they have the needed weapons to turn the tide and come up with a winning season.
"We will have more success than previous years," Virginia head coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton said. "We have a lot of potential, but it really depends on our heart."
In past years, the Cavaliers have put an extremely young squad on the court. This season they will benefit from the leadership of seven upperclassmen on their 15-player roster and will rely on the play of key veterans such as senior middle Shannon Boyle and senior libero Whitney Ashcraft.
Virginia also welcomes some fresh young talent, most notably freshman outside hitter Lindsay Orsco, who was first team All-Texas in her 2002 high school season. The Cavaliers will have to throw much of the leadership burden on the shoulders of freshmen Emily Kirkwood or Kathleen Branagh. Both of these players will vie for the starting setter position.
"This season will be interesting," Ashcraft said. "We have a lot of first- years, but we also have a very deep roster."
That roster includes a strong group of outside hitters. Junior Celeste Laborde will head up the left side, while senior Katie Synan, who racked up 176 kills, will solidify the right side and add power to Virginia's game. Also look for senior Paige Davis, sophomore Kristin Chaney, and red-shirt sophomore Lisa Krowlikowski to make key contributions.
At middle, junior Alexis Geocaris and senior Shannon Boyle should be a reliable tandem. Both have the ability to hit over .400 and Boyle was fourth on the team last season with 2.23 kills per game.
Freshman Meghan O'Leary may lack some of the experience of her fellow rookies, but she might be the team's best athlete. While at Episcopal High School in Baton Rouge, La., O'Leary starred in three sports -- volleyball, basketball and softball -- and was named the winner of the 2002 Wendy's High School Heisman.
At the libero position, the defensive specialist of the team, the Cavaliers have no need to fret. Virginia boasts the top libero in the ACC, Ashcraft, who had an impressive 499 digs last season. The Cavaliers will look to her to be the foundation of a team filled with talented players who seem a tad uncertain about their capabilities.
"Everyone has to step up and do their job, not just certain individuals," Ashcraft said. "If we can do that we'll be an awesome team."
Suffering from previous disappointments, Virginia has been careful not to indulge in overzealous expectations. Most of all they want to improve, take one game at a time and, as Ashcraft puts it, "we just want to win."
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