Aug 23, 2007 - 04:06:03 CDT
During a volleyball match last fall, University of Mary outside hitter Ashley Maas came to the bench fuming. The opposing defense had dug up one of her heavy hits.That's when coach Heidi Sunderland offered a piece of valuable advice.
"I told her, 'If you want to get more kills out of your great swings, you have to mix it up,' " Sunderland said. "Sometimes you have to use tactics and the element of surprise to fool a defense."
The message got through, which is why Maas should be an even more dangerous weapon as the Marauders open their 2007 season with a trip to Omaha, Neb., this weekend.
"As a freshman and sophomore, I used to just swing as hard as I could all the time. That's what I did back in high school, and it seemed to work,"Maas said with a laugh. "But at the college level you have to change your philosophy a little.
"You have to see the floor more and take advantage of the defense,"she added.
Maas contributed 2.94 kills per game last year, so the Rapid City, S.D., native has always been able to cause headaches for a defense. But Sunderland has noticed a clear improvement.
"She matured in her game," Sunderland said. "She's a great athlete, amazing quick and agile. ... But now she's got some of that suave."
Maas - an excellent student who will be scouting out grad schools on the season-opening trip - helps bring leadership to a team that is light on experience.
U-Mary does have four seniors - Maas, Tatiani Santos, Amanda Hennessy and Ashley McCarty - but just one junior and four sophomores. The rest of the squad is freshmen.
That doesn't mean the Marauders have lowered expectations after last year's 8-19record. Just the opposite.
Santos, a 5-foot-11 middle hitter from Sao Paulo, Brazil, was an honorable mention All-NSIC selection after transferring from National American University. Hennessy and Katie Hogan also garnered substantial playing time last season.
Sunderland also believes the Marauders acquired some quality athletes in this year's recruiting class.
U-Mary is replacing setters Isabella Ferreira and Tia Elzenga - who manned the position for four years - with a freshman. That would seem to make for a rough transition.
Apparently not, as Kristen Collins - a 5-8 setter from Ontario - has showed great promise in the preseason.
"She is delivering a faster ball to our hitters," Sunderland said. "She has a kinesthetic awareness of our hitters and knows where to get them the ball."
Laci Murtha, a freshman from Hutchinson, Minn., has been impressive in the middle.
"She is so smooth and so fluid and she can play any position,"Sunderland said. "She can set, hit, pass, play defense and hit from the back row. She's exciting to watch."
Last season the Marauders were not eligible for the postseason, but now are full-fledged members of NCAA Division II. Hearing that U-Mary's probationary status due to the jump from the NAIA was being waived early was great news for the Marauders. Especially so for a senior class that all of a sudden had something more to play for.
"Last year I think we fell off toward the end, just because we knew the season was coming to an end no matter what,"Maas said. "... When I heard, I was so excited, just ecstatic to have that opportunity to go to a playoff. It's a huge deal."
Eight of 10 teams will qualify for the NSIC tournament, but Maas said the Marauders have set their sights on a conference title. That's a lofty goal considering U-Mary finished seventh last season and was predicted to do the same in the coaches' preseason poll. Also, three NSICteams are ranked in the national top 25.
"We're hoping to win the conference,"Maas said. "It's a pretty high goal, but we've been playing well.
"... I can't stress enough how excited we are," she said. "This team is jelling, and we're all pumped. We can't wait to finally start playing games."
a. sunderland wrote on Sep 14, 2007 6:55 PM:
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