CHICO – The Chico State volleyball team has set a number of goals as it begins the 2010 season this Friday and Saturday at the Sonoma State-hosted Seawolf Spike Tournament in Rohnert Park. The Wildcats will look to improve on its 23-9 record of a year ago, and in the process make Cody Hein the winningest coach in Chico State volleyball history. But the team’s main goal is something that eluded the ’Cats in 2009 – a trip back to the NCAA Championship Tournament.
Chico State will break the seal on the 2010 campaign at 9 a.m. Friday when it takes on Dominican University in the first of four matches the ’Cats will play at the Seawolf Spike Tournament. The Wildcats will then battle the Seasiders of BYU-Hawaii at 1:30 Friday afternoon. Saturday the ’Cats will meet Grand Canyon University for a 9:00 a.m. match, then wrap up the tournament with an afternoon tilt against Seattle Pacific at 1:30. You can follow all four Chico State volleyball matches via Live Stats on the Wildcats Athletics website.
The 2009 Chico State volleyball season produced a generous array of positive storylines. The team, featuring no less than five freshman among its 12 players, won 11 of its first 12 matches, while Makenzie Snyder resoundingly established herself as one of the top two hitters in the country. Gillian Heydorff wrapped up her memorable Wildcat career with the most service aces and the second most kills in the program’s history. As a result, the ’Cats won more matches than any Chico State volleyball team since 1992.
One little problem, though. Chico State’s impressive 23-9 record was not enough to get the Wildcats into the postseason, snapping a string of three consecutive trips to the NCAA Championship Tournament. But despite that huge disappointment, head coach Cody Hein was pleased with his team’s performance in 2009.
“It was a great year,” Hein said. “In the previous three or four seasons we set some high expectations and we met them, but maybe didn’t exceed them, whereas in 2009 we set some high expectations, and in my opinion – other than the fact that the NCAA selection committee didn’t agree – we exceeded those expectations. Our freshman turned out to be a lot better than we thought. I knew we had a good recruiting class, and they demonstrated that on the court. (Not making the postseason in ’09) will be a big-time motivator for this year’s team.”
The 2010 season begins with a similar “good news, bad news” scenario, but thankfully the positives far outweigh the negatives. The returning Wildcats are a year older and possess the valuable experience needed to be a legitimate competitor in the always-tough California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Chico State also welcomes in a bumper crop of top-notch recruits, many of who could provide an immediate impact on the team’s fortunes. Middle hitter Crystal Trifeletti, an all-conference performer in 2008 whose knee injury sidelined her for all of last season, is healthy once again and ready to beef up the team’s offensive and defensive attack. The ’Cats are quicker and boast considerably more depth than they did a year ago.
But there’s no escaping the fact that Chico State will have to play the 2010 campaign without the electrifying Snyder, who will be forced to sit out after undergoing offseason wrist surgery. With Heydorff’s departure and the injury to Snyder, the Wildcats will need their hitters to replace the duo’s 960 kills – no mean feat. “Eighty percent of the offense,” Hein said. “With Gillian, it’s a senior process, and you deal with that. Losing Makenzie hurts. She’s an All-American who changes the dynamic of the game. She doesn’t just get the kills, she hits it like a football player and that helps our offense put the other team’s defense on its heels. We’re really going to miss having Makenzie on the floor.”
Despite the loss of Snyder, Hein and assistant coaches Jamie Houle, Tommy Gott and Nick Kokinos are confident the ’Cats have more than enough weapons and offensive sets to stay aggressive at the net and keep opponents off balance. Trifeletti, who delivered 249 kills in 2008 and has piled up 480 in her Chico State career, is expected to inherit a good portion of the load. She instantly upgrades the Wildcats’ defensive front, bringing 21 career solo blocks and 113 total blocks to the floor. “Blocking is a known weakness of ours,” Hein said. “Crystal provides us with a six-footer and a second team all-conference performer that will definitely help us a lot.”
Sophomore Jessica Leek registered 187 kills in her first year as a Wildcat last season, and should prove to be a key factor in how successful Chico State will be in 2010. “(Jessica) had one of the highest hitting percentages (.263) of any starter in my seven years here,” said Hein. “Very smart, very intelligent hitter. We’ll really need her to step up this season.” Leek, with 41 aces last season, also established herself as one of the deadliest servers in the CCAA.
Sophomore Kayla Baumgardner (140 kills in 2009) and junior Jacqueline Johnson (a career-high 125 kills last year) need to at least match that production this season. The duo proved solid on defense in ’09 as well, with a combined 70 total blocks. Sophomore Jordan Bambas also returns and should see an expanded role in 2010.
The Wildcats have brought in several hitters to bolster the offense, including Juliet Conant, Makenzie Fahnestock and Alex Shurtz. The 6’3” Conant brings Chico State a tall presence at the net that the program has been missing in recent years. “We’ve never had that size, and that immediately helps us a lot in blocking,” Hein said of Conant. “Juliet’s mobility is good enough that she gives us a blocking sphere of influence both in the middle and on the right side.”
Fahnestock, an all-conference star at Idaho’s Eagle High School, brings an outstanding all-around game to the Wildcats, adept at both passing and defense as well as hitting, while Shurtz – a Bay Area standout at Campolindo High School – is versatile enough to play both opposite and outside hitter positions. “They’re going to perhaps be our two left side (hitters),” said Hein. “That’s asking a lot all of a sudden to have two freshman out there if they don’t have the bulldog-like mentality that Snyder had as a freshman. But we feel they’re up to the challenge.”
Sophomore Sable Villaescusa will once again serve as the centerpiece of the Wildcat offense. She enjoyed a sensational year as a freshman, doling out 1,195 assists – the third highest single season total of any setter in Wildcat history – and managed to improve her game during the spring. “If our passing is good, we’re going to have a much better year that some people think (without Snyder),” said Hein. “If we pass decent enough to let Sable work her magic, we’ll be fine if we can get her the ball in good situations.” Kristan Music, a transfer from Yuba College, will provide some experienced backup at the setter position, and can give the Wildcats minutes if needed as both a defensive specialist and outside hitter.
The Wildcats’ defensive specialists are young, but possess the quickness and athleticism to keep the ball in play and provide ample striking opportunities for the team’s many hitters. Sophomore Jessica Simms, with 393 digs last year, heads the group, with junior Morgan Hammerstrom making the transition from middle hitter to DS. Three freshmen – Molly Ratto, Kiel Tamiyasu and Sophia Somers – have the potential to make big contributions Chico State’s defensive efforts. “Jessica will once again be the emotional sparkplug, but we’ll be asking her to cover a much larger amount of the court than she did last year,” Hein said. “I see Sophia as a setter down the road, but she’ll be able to help us this year as a DS. She’s a great kid and a great team player. Kiel is a fun player to watch; really active…she’s an outstanding defender. We’re also excited about Molly; she’s a very good passer that will also be able to help us an outside hitter.”
As always, Chico State will have its hands full battling conference powerhouses UC San Diego, Cal State L.A., Cal State San Bernardino and Sonoma State to earn an NCAA Tournament bid, but Hein – who enters the season with 113 victories as the Wildcats’ head coach, just 11 shy of the school record for career wins – is confident the ’Cats will be squarely in the postseason mix come November. “Our goal has always been to (compete with) the northern California schools and keep making inroads against the SoCals. The northern California schools are definitely getting tougher, but if we can do the things we need to do and execute on the court night in and night out, the Wildcats will be right there in the end.”
Chico State was picked to finish fifth in the CCAA this year in a pre-season poll of the 12 conference coaches. Cal State San Bernardino, which took top conference honors and advanced to the NCAA Championship semifinals last season, was chosen to win its fifth straight CCAA title.
The Wildcats don’t have a whole lot of time to gel prior to its CCAA opener Sept. 10 in Los Angeles. While last year’s team played 10 matches before starting conference play, this season the ’Cats compete in only five non-conference matches. Grand Canyon and Seattle Pacific will each provide Chico State with early tests this weekend – the Antelopes were 21-8 last season, while the Falcons were one of two Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) schools to reach the NCAA Championship Tournament.
