KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, IND. ? The third edition of the Indiana State Sycamores coached by Traci Dahl will be unveiled to the public Saturday afternoon when ISU hosts its annual Blue-White Scrimmage in the air-conditioned ISU Arena starting at 2 p.m.
Indiana State took major strides during the 2009 season and look to continue that movement up this year. The Sycamores have four straight road games before opening their home season with the ISU/Drury Inn Classic Sept. 3-4. ISU's season opener will be played at the SIUE Volleyball Classic on Friday, Aug. 27 when they meet the host Cougars at 8 p.m. (ET).
The Sycamores have just one senior on the roster this season as outside hitter Ana Maira Charun (Indian Hills Community College/Lima, Peru) competes in her final campaign this season. Charun, who transferred to Indiana State from Indian Hills Community College, started 21 of the 31 games she played in during the 2009 season and was second on the team in kills per set at 2.30. She had a game high 15 kills against Drake on Sept. 26, 2009.
Three juniors will also be counted on during the season including setter Shelbi Fouty (Plainfield High School/Plainfield, Ind.), defensive specialist Kiya James (Pike High School/Indianapolis, Ind.), and middle blocker Stacy Qualizza (Crown Point High School/Crown Point, Ind.).
Fouty played in 32 games during the 2009 season as she split time at the setter position with graduate Whitney Fromm. She was second on the team in set assists while finishing third on the team in aces, digs, and digs per set. She had a career high 30 assists against Creighton on Sept. 30, 2009 and a career high 17 digs against Bradley on Nov. 6, 2009.
James also played in 32 games during the 2009 season and was among the conference leaders in digs and digs per set as she led the team in digs (527) and digs per set (4.71). She had a career high 30 digs against Bradley on Nov. 6, 2009. The 527 digs was the third best single season total in school history. She now 708 career digs and should move into the top 10 in the ISU record book this year.
Qualizza has been a mainstay in the middle for the Sycamores in each of her first two seasons and the 2010 campaign should be no exception. She was second on the team in kills (233), kills per set (2.18), blocks (57), blocks per set (0.53), and points per set (2.49) for the Sycamores a year ago. She had a career high .700 attack percentage against Southern Illinois on Oct. 30, 2009 while also setting a career high in blocks with five in two games (Southern Illinois on Oct. 3 and Eastern Illinois on Sept. 11).
Three of the five sophomores also saw considerable time on the court last year including outside hitter Morgan Dall (Breese Mater Dei Catholic High School/Aviston, Ill.), middle blocker Shea Doran (Martinsville High School/Martinsville, Ind.), and middle blocker Auriel Armstrong (Wilson High School/Long Beach, Calif.). The other two sophomores are outside hitters Christie Fullenkamp (Botkins High School/Botkins, Ohio) and Aralena Haynes (Lithia Springs High School/Douglasville, Ga.) who are expected to provide support when they are rotated in.
Dall played in 30 games with 155 kills and 32 blocks. She had a career high 19 kills against Illinois State on Nov. 12 and a career high five blocks against Evansville on Oct. 2. Doran played in 17 games recording a career high seven kills against Creighton on Sept. 25 and a career high four blocks against Southern Illinois on Oct. 3. Armstrong appeared in 16 games with a career high eight kills and three blocks against Illinois State on Nov. 12.
Five freshmen will be looking to make their mark on the success of the Sycamore program this year including outsider hitter Monique Morris (Brown Deer High School/Brown Deer, Wis.), middle blocker Alysse Hogan (Los Alamitos High School/Seal Beach, Calif.), defensive specialist Lindsey Leonard (Elkhart Memorial High School/Elkhart, Ind.), setter Loni Mackinson (Pontiac Township High School/Pontiac, Ill.), and outside hitter Molly Murphy (Marist High School/Chicago, Ill.).
The Indiana State season begins with a tough non-conference schedule. ISU opens at the SIUE Volleyball Classic in Edwardsville, Ill., August 27-28, where the Sycamores meet SIU Edwardsville (Aug. 27), Ball State (Aug. 28), and The Citadel (Aug. 28). Indiana State plays a road game at IUPUI on Aug. 31 before opening the home season with the ISU/Drury Inn Classic. The Sycamores will face SIU Edwardsville for the second time this season in their tournament opener on Sept. 3 and then play Western Carolina and Montana State on Sept. 4.
The Sycamores host Valparaiso on Sept. 7 before playing in their final regular season tournament which will be held at Akron Sept. 10-11. Indiana State will meet St. Francis (PA) and Akron on Sept. 10 and conclude the tournament against Appalachian State on Sept. 11. The final non-conference road game will be played Sept. 14 at Loyola (Chicago) with the final home non-conference game on Sept. 16 against Chicago State.
ISU opens the 2010 Missouri Valley Conference season with a home game against Illinois State on Sept. 17. The Sycamores play at Missouri State (Sept. 24) and Wichita State (Sept. 25) before returning home to host Drake (Oct. 1) and Creighton (Oct. 2). Indiana State plays at Southern Illinois (Oct. 6) and Evansville (Oct. 7) before opening a four-game home stand as the host Northern Iowa (Oct. 15), Bradley (Oct. 16), Wichita State (Oct. 22), and Missouri State (Oct. 23). Road games at Creighton (Oct. 29) and Drake (Oct. 30) precede the final two home games of the season when ISU hosts Evansville (Nov. 5) and Southern Illinois (Nov. 6). The Sycamores conclude the regular season on the road, playing at Northern Iowa (Nov. 12), Bradley (Nov. 13), and Illinois State (Nov. 19).
The Indiana State volleyball team has finished ninth in the Missouri Valley Conference the past two seasons and that is where they were picked to finish again this year in a poll of Valley coaches.
“We ended the season last year in ninth place,” Traci Dahl, Indiana State volleyball coach said. “We need to prove that we are better than what we are ranked in order to gain the respect of the other conference opponents. Pre-season rankings really don't tell the tale.
“We have a lot of really young talented players who are ready to come in and contribute immediately,” Dahl said. “Getting them ready to compete as well as the returners is something that we are working hard on. Every year the players are getting a better understanding of what it takes to win and a clearer idea of the commitment it takes in order to become a championship team.”
Northern Iowa was the unanimous pick to repeat as the Missouri Valley Conference champion, garnering all 10 first place votes and 100 points. Missouri State edged out Wichita State for second with the Bears receiving 86 points and the Shockers 80. Creighton was picked fourth with 63 points, Drake fifth with 61, Southern Illinois sixth with 56, Illinois State seventh with 38, Evansville eighth with 31, Indiana State ninth with 19, and Bradley 10th with 16 points.
Northern Iowa opens the season ranked 24th in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) rankings. Both Missouri State and Wichita State received votes in the poll.
