Bowling Green State University Athletics
Volleyball Hits The Court, Prepares For Opener
August 18, 2000 | Volleyball
Aug. 18, 2000
The Bowling Green State University volleyball team is currently embroiled in preseason practices, as the Falcons get ready for the 2000 season. The Brown and Orange will open the campaign by heading to Bloomington, Ind., for a tournament Sept. 1-2. That tourney will see the Falcons facing three 1999 NCAA Tournament participants in Cincinnati, Loyola (Ill.) and host Indiana.
After a highly successful 1999 season, the Falcons will look to keep the program at that high level in the year 2000. The Falcons, perennial title contenders in the late 1980s and early '90s, were back to their winning ways in 1999.
Head coach Denise Van De Walle's club was the most improved team in the Mid-American Conference last year, posting a nine-and-a-half-game improvement over the year before. BGSU went 21-12 overall in 1999, and recorded a 12-6 MAC mark to triple the team's 1998 league win total. But, the Falcons enter the 2000 season looking to replace four players who were crucial to last season's success.
All-MAC performers Melissa Lewis and Lori Kemerer have graduated, as have Heather Greig and Kris Pesorda. That quartet formed two-thirds of last year's starting lineup, and combined to start 366 matches during their tenure. Additionally, all four names can be found throughout the Falcon record books.
"It's hard to replace seniors," said Van De Walle. "They bring experience, leadership, and help with team unity both on and off the court.
"But, the nice thing is that we have 11 players returning, and we had a very good spring. We were very competitive, we beat some very good teams, and I believe that winning attitude carried over from the fall to the spring. They believed, `we're pretty good,' and we didn't miss a beat.
"So, I'm optimistic that the returning players will have us back on track, to where BG volleyball is used to being."
AN OVERVIEW
Van De Walle, the dean of MAC mentors, will look to her two returning starters to lead the way as she heads into her 18th year at the Falcon helm. Senior JoAnna Papageorgiou and junior Amber Vorst each have played in the program for two years, and combined for over 350 kills a year ago. "Pop", a middle, missed several matches due to injury, but still ranked fourth on the team in kills per game and third in blocks. Vorst, a left-side hitter, has seen time in the starting lineup in each of the past two years, and had nine double-digit kills matches last year.
Another trio of Falcon returnees should battle for spots in the starting six. Juniors Caty Rommeck and Shyann Robinson and sophomore Kate Yeo started at least seven matches apiece in 1999. Rommeck provided a spark off the bench, and her 1999 attack percentage of .240 tops all BGSU returnees. A middle hitter, she ranked second on the team with nearly one block per game.
Robinson, like Rommeck, transferred to the BGSU program from Oakland University. Robinson started 10 contests at the left-side spot last fall, and will certainly be in the mix in 2000. Yeo, primarily a defensive specialist, averaged 2.37 digs last year, second behind Vorst (2.67) among the returnees. Yeo's seven double-digit efforts in that department included a season-best 20 digs in BG's MAC Tournament quarterfinal win over Miami.
Krista Davis, a fifth-year senior, also looks to make her presence felt. One of the more versatile Falcons, Davis saw time at both the middle and right-side spots off the bench a year ago, but should settle in on the right side this fall. She and Papageorgiou are the lone seniors on the Falcon squad.
AT SETTER
Perhaps the biggest question mark comes at the setter position, where Greig has graduated after two successful years as a starter. Junior Natalie Becker will be vying for time with freshman Sara Sikorski. Becker played in two-thirds of BGSU's matches a year ago, and has the advantage of having played in Van De Walle's system for two seasons. Sikorski, however, had a successful career both at Henry Ford II High School (Rommeck's alma mater as well) and with the USA Michigan Volleyball Club.
"Natalie is a completely different type of setter than Heather was," said Van De Walle. "She is very competitive, like Heather, but Natalie brings a different style of leadership. I believe Natalie's style is exactly what this team needs. Her style - less emotional, perhaps, but very direct - should enable her teammates to flourish. She was one of our captains in the spring, and had great success at the setting position.
"I'm excited about Sara. I think she has done a great job under (former Western Michigan coach) Rob Buck with her club program. She is very disciplined, and has all the characteristics you would want in a setter. She has good size and speed, she's extremely smart, she plays very good defense, and she's a good blocker. Sara is going to push Natalie, and that competition will be a good thing for our team."
IN THE MIDDLE
Van De Walle considers the middle positions to be the strength of the team, as a trio of experienced players are complemented by a talented newcomer. Papageorgiou will look to nail down a starting spot for the second consecutive year, but Rommeck will look to be a team leader as well. Sophomore Kristin Gamby and freshman Bridget Protas also will look to see time in the middle of the court. Gamby saw some action off the bench last fall after sitting out the 1998 season as a redshirt, while Protas played club ball with Sikorski at USA Michigan.
"JoAnna is experienced in the middle," said Van De Walle. "She hits the quick attack very well, she has fast lateral movement, and she can hit a lot of different types of sets. We certainly won't be one-dimensional with her in the lineup.
"I have big hopes for Caty Rommeck, she is one of the best athletes on our team. When she came to BG last fall, I think she was a bit overwhelmed with our program and the level of expectation that I put on her immediately. But, by the time she left for the summer, she knew exactly what I expected of her, and I think she welcomes that challenge. She plays at a very high level above the net.
"Caty is still learning the game, but she is such a good athlete that it seems like she learns something new every time she takes the floor, and gets good at it quickly. Basically, all I need to do is fit her into our system.
"Kristin Gamby is another good athlete who brings size to the middle position. She was in and out of the lineup this spring and did a great job. Bridget is an outstanding athlete with good size and foot speed. She hasn't been playing volleyball very long, but coming out of USA Michigan, she has been in an elite program and has been trained well. We will just need to see how she reacts to the collegiate game, because that will be the biggest test for her."
ON THE RIGHT SIDE
Davis, a fifth-year senior, is the lone right-side returnee with match experience, but could be pushed by a pair of freshmen in Laura Twyman and Nadia Bedricky. Twyman sat out last fall as a redshirt, while Bedricky is a true freshman who completes Van De Walle's trio of USA Michigan Club recruits.
"Krista is now the veteran of the team," said the head coach. "I think she is ready for the challenge of being a leader on the floor as well as off. At 6-foot-2, she is a skilled blocker, and another intimidating person for us to put on the court. And, as I mentioned, she has the experience that we need as well.
"Laura, another 6-2 player, did not play last year, but got her feet wet in terms of what's expected at the collegiate level and the MAC level of volleyball. I thought she came out of her shell in the spring and displayed some tremendous blocking. Like Krista she is very intimidating to an opponent's left-side attack.
"Nadia is going to be my versatile, utility player. She's only 5-9, but she is fast and has a great jump. I feel that I could move her to left, middle or right, but I'm pencilling her in on the right side for now. She is probably one of the best passers on our team. She is so fundamentally sound that I don't see how she can't play for us, somewhere, right now."
ON THE LEFT SIDE
Vorst, now a junior, has two years of starting experience as a Falcon, and should lead the left-side candidates. Robinson and freshman Susie Norris should make a push for court time as well.
"Amber has been our best passer in the program," said Van De Walle. "Now, she has some big shoes to fill, with the graduation of Melissa Lewis. Amber brings good size and experience to the left side, and she also hits the ball hard. The big test for Amber is this: can she be a go-to player on the left side? She got a taste of that pressure in the spring, and did a pretty good job, but that's her big challenge for the fall, to carry the weight that goes along with that position. We need her to be a "side-out" type of player.
"Shyann is one of the best athletes that we have. Her biggest issue is confidence. She made tremendous strides in that area in the spring, so I'm optimistic that she can carry that into the season. I think Shyann has everything that it takes to be a dominant left-side player for us in the conference."
Norris, Van De Walle's lone in-state recruit in 2000, played for the successful Hopewell-Loudon program, and also played club ball. On the latter team, her coach was former Falcon player and assistant coach Wendy (Watkins) Teaman.
"Susie is a fundamentally-sound player," said Van De Walle. "Her playing for Wendy was probably the best thing that could have happened for me, because, of course, Wendy is quite familiar with our program and how we train. I feel that Susie has the potential to come in and start immediately, and that is exciting. She will give Shyann and Amber a run for their money."
THE DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTS
Van De Walle has the luxury of calling upon any of three defensive specialists, as Yeo is joined by juniors Chris Shepherd and Karen Tangeman. Either Yeo or Shepherd could see time on the left side, if needed, but all three will primarily be called upon for the defensive-specialist role.
"Kate has done an absolutely great job of playing defense for us," said Van De Walle. "I have big hopes that she can step in and fill Lori Kemerer's shoes. Not only was Lori a great offensive player, but she had the biggest range for us in the backcourt. I'm hoping that Kate, with the experience she has gained, can fill those shoes defensively. She gains more and more experience every time she suits up for us or goes home to Singapore and plays.
"'Shep' is a strong player and can hit a hard ball. Being a little bit smaller, though, she needs to continue to work on developing more shots. We will look to her primarily as a defensive specialist, coming in and passing, playing defense and hopefully getting us some aces.
"The same holds true with `Tangey.' She has come into matches in the past and has served and passed the ball very well for us.
"I feel that we can go to any one of the three at any time, and they can change the momentum of the game for us."
THE SCHEDULE / THE MAC
As always, the Mid-American Conference shapes up to be competitive, with each match proving to be important in the battle for playoff positioning. Van De Walle sees the 2000 season as more of the same.
"Again, top to bottom, I just see the MAC as better this year than last year, and I was saying that last year about the year before," said the coach. "Each year, we get more and more competitive as a conference, and we end up upsetting teams in other conferences. There is not that big of a gap between the teams at the top and in the middle, or between the middle and the bottom. There is great parity.
"Heading into the season, I would have to give the nod to Ball State and Western. Ball State didn't lose a player from last year's championship club. Western lost a couple of very good players, but their bench was so deep and so athletic that they should be right up there again.
"In the east, I think things are a little bit different. You go from top to bottom in the east, and I almost feel like you could roll the dice and any one of the teams could come out on top on any given day. I'd like to give the nod to Bowling Green, but we have to make certain that our junior class is ready to step in and take over for last year's seniors. We have a senior class of just two this year, and they can't do it all."
Prior to the MAC slate, the Falcons will compete in tournaments hosted by Indiana and Central Florida, as well as hosting the BGSU Invitational (Sept. 15-16 at Anderson Arena). BG also faces Oakland and Cleveland State in single matches later in the season.
"I'm optimistic," said Van De Walle. "I feel that we've got a pretty tough schedule, but it will prepare us for when we open up MAC play vs. Ball State and Akron that first weekend (Sept. 22-23). All three teams we face in the Indiana Tournament went to the NCAA Tournament last year, so that will be a huge test for us.
"Then, we go to Florida for a tournament and host another one. Those last two tournaments, hopefully, will enable us to enjoy some success and gain some momentum as we head into the MAC schedule."
FINAL THOUGHTS
Van De Walle may have lost a large group of core players from last year's team, but she looks to the rising juniors, in addition to the two seniors, to provide veteran leadership and stability for the 2000 Falcons. That 1999 team enjoyed some success, and the coach feels that the winning feeling from last fall as well as the spring season will continue into this fall.
"There is a huge carryover from (the MAC Tournament win over Miami) and from our competitions in the spring. The returnees remember the feeling of success, and they believe that success is possible.
"The way we ended the season, by finally getting to host a tournament match, then drawing Miami and winning, was exactly what this group of 11 returnees needed to see and feel to bring them into this year. And, I am a believer that the spring season, psychologically, does have an effect on what you are capable of doing."
Additionally, a once-youthful roster is no longer so green, as there are six juniors in addition to the two seniors on the 2000 squad. The head coach will look to those eight players to guide the three sophomores and four freshmen on the current roster.
"If you look at our roster, it seems that all we have on the team is juniors," said Van De Walle. "In this program, once you achieve junior status, the expectation level rises. So, now, I look at these kids - whether it is Amber, Shyann, Caty, or any of the others - as the nucleus of our team.
"The question is: can they handle the pressure that comes with being an upperclassman? I would like to say, `Yes, they can,' and if they can, we are going to have a great year."
So, the Falcons have lost a wealth of talent after last year's solid showing, but the cupboard is far from bare. Van De Walle and her troops have their sights firmly set on an extended stay in the upper echelon of the MAC standings.
BGSU VOLLEYBALL NOTES
QUARTER-CENTURY OF SUCCESS -- The 2000 season marks the 25th campaign of varsity volleyball at BGSU ... over the first 24 years, the Falcons have an overall record of 415-328-3, for a winning percentage of .558 ... that percentage improves to .564 (145-112) in the 17 years of MAC action.
SETTING ACADEMIC STANDARDS -- The following members of the 2000 BGSU volleyball team - seven of the 11 student-athletes that have been on campus prior to the fall of 2000 - currently hold a cumulative grade-point average of 3.00 or greater:
* Natalie Becker * Krista Davis * Kristin Gamby * JoAnna Papageorgiou * Laura Twyman * Amber Vorst * Kate YeoIn fact, at the 1999-2000 Academic Honors Luncheon, the Falcon volleyball team was recognized for having the highest team GPA of any BG team ... the volleyball Falcons have a team cumulative GPA of 3.34 through the spring, 2000, semester ... over the last four years, the Falcons have graduated 12 players from the volleyball program ... no fewer than 10 of those players - Janelle Bassitt, Shayne Crumley, Marin Ferlic, Heather Greig, Lori Hilton, Lori Kemerer, Melissa Lewis, Bridget McIntyre, Erin Siebenhar and Wendy Watkins - had a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better.
TWENTY PLUS ONE, FALCONS END SEASON AT 21-12 -- The Falcons won 21 matches in 1999, marking the eighth time in school history that BGSU has reached the 20-win plateau ... the Falcons tripled the team's Mid-American Conference win total of the previous year ... after going 4-14 in MAC action in 1998, BGSU was 12-6 last fall ... the total of 21 overall wins was BG's most since the 1992 squad ... that team won a school-record 30 matches and advanced to the championship of the NIVC.
QUITE A TURNAROUND -- The Falcons were the most-improved team in the MAC in 1999 ... BGSU, after finishing the 1998 season with an 11-21 overall mark, went 21-12 in 1999, an improvement of nine-and-a-half games ... after a 6-8 start in 1999, the Falcons won 15 of the next 18 matches before falling in the MAC Tournament's semifinal round.
THANKS, SENIORS -- The Falcons saw the careers of four seniors end in the semifinal round of the 1999 MAC Tournament ... setter Heather Greig, middle Lori Kemerer, left-side hitter Melissa Lewis and right-side hitter Kris Pesorda ended their tenure in the Brown and Orange ... the quartet formed two-thirds of the starting lineup last year, helping the Falcons to a 21-win campaign ... they combined to start 129 matches last season and 366 over their four years ... since arriving on campus in 1996, the four teamed for 3,346 kills, 3,099 assists, 3,454 digs and 988 blocks.
LEWIS, KEMERER ARE ALL-MAC PERFORMERS -- Both Melissa Lewis and Lori Kemerer were named to the 1999 All-MAC Team ... Lewis earned All-MAC First-Team honors after totalling a team-best 527 kills on the season ... she was ranked third in the MAC with 4.47 kills per game ... Kemerer was named to the all-conference second team after leading the league with 1.34 blocks per outing ... she also paced the team in digs per game, with 3.06 (Lewis was second with 2.97 dpg) ... Kemerer hit a stellar .314 in league play.
KEMERER HOLDS A BLOCK PARTY -- Lori Kemerer's volleyball life at BGSU seemed to be one big block party ... Kemerer ended her career with 523 total blocks ... that figure ranks second all-time at BG, and is the fifth-highest total in MAC history ... Kemerer finished sixth in BG annals with 110 career solo blocks, and tied for the school record with 413 block assists.
MAC CAREER LIST - TOTAL BLOCKS
1. 651 Angie Henderson (CMU), 1982-85 2. 635 Liz Cothren (BSU), 1994-97 3. 592 Joanne Hoskins (CMU), 1981-84 4. 569 Lisa Mika (BGSU), 1988-91 5. 523 LORI KEMERER (BGSU), 1996-99 6. 515 Melissa Hansen (WMU), 1993-96
"POP" NAMED TO ACADEMIC TEAM -- JoAnna Papageorgiou was named to the 1999 GTE Academic All-District IV Team ... "Pop" was named to the district's third team ... the team is made up of student-athletes from NCAA Division I schools in the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee ... to be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or an important reserve, and carry a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher ... team members are selected by a vote of members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) within the district ... she enters the fall, 2000, semester with a stellar 3.58 GPA.
THANKS, WE'RE ALL SET -- Heather Greig dished out 1,321 assists in 1999 ... that marked the second-highest total in school history ... for her career, Greig had a total of 2,646 assists, the fourth-best total in Falcon annals ... Greig moved into fourth place in her final match, in the MAC Tournament semifinals at Ball State (Nov. 26) ... she passed Wendy (Watkins) Teaman, her former teammate and a BGSU assistant coach in '99 ... Greig capped her career by being named to the 1999 MAC All-Tournament Team.
GETTING OFFENSIVE -- Melissa Lewis was named the MAC's Offensive Player of the Week three times in a four-week span in 1999 ... in the process, she became the first Falcon ever to earn league P-O-W honors three times in the same season.
VAN DE WINNER -- BGSU coach Denise Van De Walle, the dean of MAC mentors, completed her 17th year with the Falcons in 1999 ... Van De Walle is the second-winningest coach in MAC history with 317 career victories, and her 145 MAC wins also rank her second all-time ... Van De Walle reached the 300-win mark for her career Sept. 10, when the Falcons swept Mississippi State ... in her storied BGSU coaching career, Van De Walle has an overall record of 317-212.
BIG WIN -- The Falcons recorded the team's biggest victory in six years with a five-game marathon triumph (15-12, 4-15, 15-5, 5-15, 15-11) over Miami in the quarterfinal round of the 1999 MAC Tournament (Nov. 23) ... the win came before a raucous Anderson Arena crowd ... BGSU captured its first MAC Tournament win since the 1993 season, and the Falcons downed MU for the first time since that same year ... BG had lost 12 consecutive matches to the Redskins/RedHawks during that time ... with the decisive fifth game tied at 11, a kill by Amber Vorst gave BG a lead it would not relinquish ... a Lori Kemerer kill put BG up, 13-11, and Kemerer and Heather Greig combined to block a Miami attack attempt, setting the stage for the match point ... seconds later, Kemerer provided the biggest kill of her career ... Kemerer, known for her ferocious kills, softly placed a ball toward an uncovered area deep in the corner ... when the ball landed just inside the line, the Falcons had the victory.
PROVING `EM WRONG -- Bowling Green was picked to finish fourth in the MAC's East Division by the league's head coaches in 1999 ... BGSU was picked to place behind Miami, Akron and Ohio, but ahead of Kent, Marshall and Buffalo ... the Falcons actually finished second, a game behind Akron, and ahead of (in order) Miami, Kent, Marshall, Buffalo and Ohio.
1,000-1,000-500 -- Lori Kemerer became just the second player in BGSU history with 1,000 kills, 1,000 digs and 500 blocks in her career ... Kemerer, who surpassed the millennium mark in digs during the Wright State match (Oct. 5), had exceeded the 1,000-kill mark on Sept. 10 vs. Mississippi State ... she recorded her 500th career block at Ball State (Nov. 10) ... Lisa Mika is the only other Falcon to reside in the 1,000-1,000-500 club.
MILLENNIUM FALCONS -- Both Lori Kemerer and Melissa Lewis reached the 1,000-career-kill mark in 1999 ... as mentioned, Kemerer banged out her 1,000th kill in the Sept. 10 win over Mississippi State ... Lewis reached that plateau in the Falcons' first 1999 win over Kent (Oct. 8).
BLOCK IT OUT -- As a team, the 1999 Falcons led the MAC in blocking, with 2.74 per game ... that average improved to 2.92 bpg in conference matches only.
THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT -- Senior JoAnna Papageorgiou and sophomore Kate Yeo will look to crack the starting lineup for the 2000 Falcons ... a scan of the MAC preseason rosters reveals that, with 12 letters, Papageorgiou is tied for the longest surname in the league ... with three letters, Yeo is tied for the shortest last name among all MAC volleyball student-athletes.
