Current ISU coach helped build nucleus of team
that went to NCAA for first time in 2010
KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. ? Third year Indiana State volleyball coach Traci Dahl has worked hard to transform the Sycamores into a Missouri Valley Conference contender and her efforts are being to bear fruit. The skills that she is using to recruit players and develop them at Indiana State are the same as those that she learned during her time as a player at Long Beach State, the boy's coach at Downey High School, and an assistant at Cal State Fullerton.
One of her Fullerton recruits, Erin Saddler, recently led the team to their first conference championship and their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. According to a column by Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register, Dahl originally talked Erin's 6-foot-5-inch brother Chris into playing on the boy's team when she was the boy's coach at Downey High School and then found out that she had a sister.
Dahl, who was an assistant at CSF for three seasons (2005-2007), was instrumental in recruiting the 6-foot-2-inch Saddler and was the first to greet her every day of practice. Saddler, like Dahl was at Long Beach State, is a middle blocker.
Cal State Fullerton, who plays in the same conference as Long Beach State, made the Top 25, won the Big West Conference, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, all for the first time in school history, and all behind Saddler who was named the Big West Player of the Year.
The Titans played Colorado State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, winning the first two sets but then dropping three straight to fall 2-3 and finish the season at 26-6. CSF set numerous school records during the recently completed season including recording 26 wins and 14 conference wins. The team also had four first-team all-conference selections and the Big West Coach of the Year.
The Cal State Fullerton story line could be the future story line for a Sycamore team that has improved throughout each of Dahl's first three seasons. Indiana State posted their best overall record in six years during the 2010 season, had an MVC Player of the Week (Stacy Qualizza) for the first time in 11 years, and had four players ranked among the top 250 in the nation for the first time in school history.
Sophomore outside hitter Morgan Dall led the Missouri Valley Conference in kills and kills per set and was among the best in points and points per set. The sophomore ranked 29th nationally in kills per set (4.11) at the end of the regular season and 40th in points per set (4.49).
Junior middle blocker Stacy Qualizza finished the season ranked 240th in hitting percentage (.289), junior defensive specialist Kiya James 123rd in digs per set (4.35), and junior setter Shelbi Fouty 240th in assists per set (7.19) despite being the primary set-up artist for just the last half of the season.
Qualizza was named to the second team All-Missouri Valley Conference while Dahl and Fouty were named first team All-Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete team.
The Mark Whicker column can be seen at http://www.ocregister.com/articles/saddler-278555-erin-state.html
