Melissa Vanderhall led the UT volleyball team with 416 kills en route to a 31-3 overall record. | Abby Sanford / The Minaret
With the new year rolling around, the University of Tampa volleyball team is set to kickoff their 2010 campaign. Their team is ranked third in the nation according to 2010 AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll. The rank is the 13th consecutive top 10 placement for the Spartans, who sit behind only Concordia St. Paul and California State, San Bernardino, two of the three teams that defeated UT last season. California ended the Spartans’ run in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
UT will meet volleyball powerhouse and the first-ranked Concordia Golden Bears in the Tampa Classic at the start of this season.
The Spartan team ended its last season with a 31-3 record while also appearing in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in St. Paul, Minn.
All six starters are returning for another season. Two-time Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year Melissa Vanderhall will return in her senior year of play for the Spartans as their season begins on Sept. 3.
Vanderhall had a dominating 2009 campaign that ended with 416 kills and a 3.92 kills per set ratio.
Senior setter Meghan Sherman led the team with 1293 total assists, while outside hitter Kaleigh Cunningham had 354 kills of her own during her breakout season.
The Spartans are beginning their 27th season under the leadership of Head Coach Chris Catanach, who already has compiled an 810-154 career record during his years at UT. Even with his winning record, Catanach remains focused on the season at hand. “Last year was last year, this is a whole new year, we are one year older and one year different,” Coach Catanach says of his returning team.
During the off-season the team traveled to Europe for a team building trek to develop their team mind-set. “We took the team to Europe, bonding us at a higher level,” Coach Catanach stated. Sophomore outside hitter Kady Bruce added that “the competition there was intense and really helped us work together as a team.”
Last year, the Spartans won the NCAA Division II South Region Tournament, defeating conference foe Saint Leo in the finals. Saint Leo was the only SSC team to defeat the Spartans, tying them for first in the conference with a 15-1 mark.
However, in the NCAA South Region Finals, the Spartans defeated the Saint Leo Lions in three sets.
This year the Spartans will have no lack of offense with both Vanderhall and Cunningham returning for their final years, and sophomore Jessica Yingling coming off a strong freshman year of play.
Some new Spartans this year are defensive specialists Kendall Putnam and Frances Cardenas. Putnam, from Parkland, Fla., was a varsity starter her entire high school career, earning her school MVP award in her junior year of play. San Juan native Cardenas has used her talents toward four consecutive Puerto Rican junior national tournaments.
Other new additions include outside hitters Shaina Abdell, Holly Reschke and Italia Woodson; setter Kaylee Koetter and middle hitter Sarah Hall.
As captain of her high school team for three years, Abdell led her senior squad with 194 kills, 51 service aces and 237 digs. Native to Jacksonville, Koetter represented Team Florida in High Performance 2010 in New Zealand. Woodson earned an MVP award in her high school service time while fellow outside hitter Reschke was named the 2009 Naples Daily News Player of the Year.
“Our freshmen are really good. They are all committed to our program and eventhough they may not have an immediate impact, they will continue our reputation as a strong program down the road.” said Bruce.
In their opening weekend, the Spartans play host to their own tournament, the Tampa Classic. During the event hey will be up against many competitive teams. The Spartans will face the no. 13 ranked University of Nebraska Kearney Lopers for their season opener on Sept. 3 slotted for an 8:15 p.m. start.
