Boston College Athletics
2011 Volleyball Outlook
August 24, 2011 | Volleyball
Aug. 24, 2011
Chestnut Hill, Mass. - The 2011 Boston College volleyball season gets under on Friday, August 26, as the Eagles head to Gainesville, Fla. to participate in the Active Ankle ACC/SEC Challenge. BC will take the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) No. 9 Florida on Friday at 7:30 p.m., before facing Auburn on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
THE SCHEDULE
The Eagles slate features seven teams that made the NCAA Tournament, three conference champions and five opponents BC has never taken the court against.
"This off-season we wanted to add matches against teams similar to the caliber we face in the ACC," Campbell said. "The ACC keeps getting better and we need to be prepared for the challenges we'll face during conference play. The ACC/SEC Challenge is an excellent example of that. It's a great event pitting teams from two of the NCAA's top volleyball conferences. Both Florida and Auburn were tournament teams last year, so this serves as clear and definite motivation for us during training camp."
Boston College will kick off the 2011 campaign by competing in its first-ever ACC/SEC Challenge, being hosted by the University of Florida. The Eagles will open the season against the Gators, before meeting Head Coach Chris Campbell's former team, the Auburn Tigers. Reigning SEC Champion Florida was ranked in the top five for all but two weeks - including eight straight weeks at No. 1 - during the 2010 season and finished the year ranked No. 8 by the AVCA; while Auburn is fresh off their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament and will be led by new coaching staff headed by Rick Nold.
BC then returns to New England for the Yale and Rhode Island Tournaments. The Eagles will take on the defending Ivy League champion Bulldogs, Utah and Colgate in New Haven, Conn., before heading to Kingston, R.I. to meet Wisconsin, Columbia and URI in the Art Carmichael Invitational.
The Eagles wrap up their tournament schedule with a trip to West Orange, N.J. for the Seton Hall Invitational. BC will open the contest against TCU, before meeting the Pirates and NJIT.
The ACC schedule will once again prove challenging for Boston College. The conference put five teams - Duke, Florida State, Miami, North Carolina and Virginia Tech - into the postseason for the second consecutive year. Four won their opening game and reached the Round of 32, with the Blue Devils advancing to the Elite 8.
To open ACC play, Maryland will come to town on September 20. The match with the Terrapins begins a five game home stand against NC State (Sept. 23), North Carolina (Sept. 25), Virginia Tech (Sept. 29) and Virginia (Oct. 2).
Consecutive road trips send BC to Clemson and Georgia Tech (Oct. 7-9) and to Duke and Wake Forest (Oct. 14-15), before the Eagles host Miami (Oct. 21) and FSU (Oct. 23) and begin round-robin play.
THE CAPTAINS
Senior Brennan Clark and junior Krystle Higgins have been elected captains for the 2011 season.
After pulling double duty as an outside hitter last season, Clark will return to the libero position full-time for her final campaign. Despite playing multiple positions, the Mililani, Hawaii native ranked 10th in the ACC for digs per set (3.97). Clark recorded 456 digs - second most for the Eagles - and led the team in service aces (23). Her seven double-doubles were the fifth most by a junior in Eagles history. With 1,274 career digs, Clark ranks fourth on BC's all-time list heading into the season.
"We really need Brennan to be a rock for us this year," Campbell stated. "Defensively, she's quite talented, but she's going to have to excel for us to be successful. Brennan will have to anchor our serve/receive and our defense. We're not going to be as deep on ball control as we need to be this season, but we do have the talent. Brennan is a leader by example, works very hard and is extremely focused on goals she is trying to achieve. Those are the qualities you look for in a leader."
Higgins led the team in blocks in each of her first two seasons at Boston College. In 2010, the native of Inglewood, Calif. denied 90 shots and recorded a career-best .188 hitting percentage. On the attack, Higgins delivered 1.27 kills per set as a middle hitter. On defense, the 79 block assists recorded are the seventh greatest single-season total by an Eagle. Higgins presence in the middle will be crucial for the Eagles to build upon last season.
"Krystle's leadership is more of that quiet style," Campbell observed. "She's extremely focused and dedicated and really has a good handle on the idea of the work ethic volleyball requires to be successful. Her continuing to be a leader will be good for us as a team. As a player, blocking remains her strong suit and she took even greater strides on that in the spring. The offensive side of her game is starting to come around more and more, so anything she brings on the attack is really going to help us."
UP THE MIDDLE
The center portion of the BC lineup is bolstered by the return of senior Mollie Kolosky, veteran Melissa McTighe and sophomore transfer Alex Fitzmorris.
After being named a captain as a sophomore, Kolosky missed much of the previous two campaigns due to injury. Despite being sidelined for much of the 2009 season, the Wheaton, Ill. native boasted the sixth best attack percentage (.336) in the ACC. Kolosky also delivered a stellar 3.33 kills per game that year.
"It's going to be great to have Mollie back in the lineup," Campbell said. "She's fully recovered from her ACL. Mollie brings a heavy arm. She hits a heavy ball and is a legitimate scoring threat. We're probably use her more on the right than in the middle, where she can hit off both feet or one foot. She has so much experience at BC and in club, that it will made a notable difference to have her back in the roster this year. From a leadership side, Mollie represents the whole spirit that BC is about. [Boston College] is not just an academic factory. It's about getting a great education and using that education for a great good. Mollie really gets that. She's going to be really good in being our SAAC representative and heading up our community involvement."
As a freshman McTighe attacked with great efficiency, hitting .313 on the year - second highest on the team - with 130 kills in 319 attempts and securing 1.27 kills per game. The Los Altos, Calif. product stuffed 77 opposing attacks - also second best for BC - and averaged 0.75 blocks per set. McTighe racked up the most block assists (68) by a freshman since the 2007 season.
"Melissa really made the most of all the time she saw on the court last year," Campbell noted. "Her strength continues to blocking. Melissa has a great fell for the game, high volleyball IQ and we will need her to be a big presence to slow opposing hitters. Offensively, she is working on a variety of different sets and continues to develop. Melissa's biggest impact will be on the defensive end."
Fitzmorris will don the Maroon and Gold for the first time in 2011. As a rookie at Arkansas, the middle blocker totaled 39 blocks and a .255 attack percentage. The Overland Park, Kan. native enrolled at Boston College for the 2011 spring term.
"Alex has the ability to play middle or outside," Campbell stated. "Her length gives the team advantages. On the right side, she could take away a lot of space and be a huge presence blocking. That same stretch in the middle also allows her to touch a lot of middle attacks really easily. She certainly has some gifts that will benefit the team."
ON THE OUTSIDE
The majority of the Eagles' offensive production in 2010 came from the outside hitters: senior Tsvetelina Dureva, junior Val Mattaliano and sophomore Alexandra Trobbe.
Much of attack flowed through Dureva, whose 3.26 kills per game ranked sixth among the Atlantic Coast. One nine occasions, the Sofia, Bulgaria native posted a hitting percentage over .300 and recorded 19 or more kills five times. Dureva's nine double-doubles are the most since the 2004 season - and second most ever by a junior - in BC history.
"Everyone in the league is going to know Lina when they prepare for us," Campbell commented. "She's our primary scoring threat. Lina finished top 10 in the conference in kills per game and when she's on she hits a heavy ball. Lina is a legitimate threat in the front and the back row. We're going to continue to develop that and lean on her skills this season. She's worked very hard on her blocking and her back row play, which we will need."
Mattaliano had a break out year in 2010, setting career-highs in nearly every statistical category. The Eagle from Glen Ellyn, Ill. graded out with the second most kills (215) and kills per game (2.03) and rated third in blocks with 53. Mattaliano delivered double-digit kills in nine contests and will need to continue her progress for BC to make some noise in the ACC.
"Val's gift is her versatility," Campbell said. "She can play on the left, she can play on the right. Val is such a great athlete, with great speed, that she can play multiple places. Looking towards the season, I see her being able to help out in many different areas depending on what we need in a given match."
Trobbe earned time in 58 matches, largely handling back-row efforts. The Los Gatos, Calif. native tallied 14 kills and 62 digs as a freshman.
"Alex is a hybrid, who is really a DS, but can also attack," Campbell elaborated. "She's made great strides in her game. Defensively, she understands positioning and a lot of the subtleties needed to perform well. Alex has also developed into a real threat on the service line. She's another player that can help us out in couple of specific areas of the game."
Out of Orange, Calif., freshman Courtney Castle also joins the cast for the 2011 tour. The Orange Lutheran product collected numerous Trinity League honors - including 2010 MVP - was twice voted the Best Defensive Player and led her team to a league championship during her tenure witht the Lancers. As a member of TCA California, Castle also won the 16 open silver medal at the Junior Olympics, lead TCA Southern Cal to a No. 3 national ranking and was named a captain of the 2009 Global Challenge Team.
"Courtney is a standout player who will join us after completing stellar careers at one of the top high schools and top club programs in California," Campbell stated. "She is a very physical outside hitter who brings great power, ball control, and desire to the court. I look forward to incorporating her into our program."
DISTRIBUTING THE BALL
Sophomore Cagla Sen is the Eagles' leading returning setter. The native of Istanbul, Turkey championed BC with 476 assists and an average of 6.26 assists per set in only 76 games on the year. Both marks rank as the fifth most by an Eagle in their first year of college. Sen set a team-high when she dished out 55 assists against the Seminoles on Oct. 15 and collected four doubles on the year.
"After a really good spring, Cagla seems to have settled in," Campbell observed. "She looks much more comfortable in our offense and there's a huge improvement in her consistency, both in tempo and location. A setter is a leader by nature, but we're definitely counting on her to continue and expand upon that role she assumed last year. Defensively, she is still very solid. We've put a lot of time into improving her blocking, but I think we will see more out of Cagla this year as her familiarity of our system has grown."
Two new faces will also look to distribute the ball for the Eagles this season.
After a year hiatus from volleyball, sophomore walk-on Courtney Seitz joins the BC program. A three sport standout at the Ursuline Academy in Delaware, Seitz led the Raiders to three consecutive state championships on the court and was an All-State selection as a senior.
"Courtney joined us in the spring and continues to improve," Campbell noted. "She is very understanding of what we're asking her to do within our system. She's developed a nice float serve, which we will have use for. As a setter, Courtney provides us the depth we need at that position and I feel she will be a great addition to our offense."
As a three-year starter at Harvard-Westlake, freshman Kellie Barnum lead the Wolverines to three-consecutive, undefeated Mission League Championships. On two occassions Barnum garnered All-League honors and was named a finalist for the Prep Volleyball Andi Collins Award, presented to the best high school setter in the nation.
"Kellie is one of the top setters in southern California and runs the show for one of the top U-18 club teams in the nation. Her volleyball IQ, skill set, and fierce competitiveness will deliver an impact immediately felt by the team."
DIGGING DEEP
Lauren Fields will back up Clark as the Eagles' second defensive specialist. The rookie from Orange, Calif. handled libero duties for TCA VC and Orange Lutheran High School, earning Best Defensive Player and Best Passer honors in 2010 and 2009, respectively. The three-year letterman led the Lancers to Trinity League championships in 2008 and 2010, earning All-League Second-Team honors as a senior.
"Lauren comes from great California high school and club programs giving her extensive, high level, volleyball experience. Her ball control will be an immediate asset to our program."
2010 RECAP
Chris Campbell was named the head coach of the Boston College volleyball program in early February. As the team adjusted to Campbell's system, many players found themselves having their most productive seasons since coming to BC. Junior Tsvetelina Dureva tallied the sixth best kills per game (3.36) average in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while senior Kristen Baader and junior Brennan Clark finished in eighth (4.10) and 10th (3.96) in digs, respectively. For the first time in their careers, Clark and Dureva posted numerous double-doubles. Sophomore Krystle Higgins also set a career-high in block assists (79), the most by an Eagle in four years. With that production, Campbell had the squad rewriting the BC record book in just one year.
The Eagles captured the Harvard Tournament with a thrilling five-set win over New Hampshire and straight set wins against Eastern Illinois and the Crimson. BC also brought home the Brown Tournament title, having defeated Central Connecticut, Holy Cross and the Bears in three games sweeps. Although the Eagles finished with a 9-24 record, the transition had begun.
Academically, Baader and Dureva were named to the 2010 All-ACC Academic Team and eight team members were recipients of the Athletic Director's Award of Academic Achievement - an award recognizing student-athletes who maintain a gpa of 3.0 or above.
DEPARTURES
Kristen Baader, Melanie Cimino, Rainey Hanley and Dani Moskitis graduated from Boston College in May of 2011. In addition to excellence track records in the classroom and the community, each of these Eagles provided leadership in different areas on the court. Moving between outside hitter and libero throughout her career, Baader finished her tenure at fifth on BC's all-time digs list. Cimino's hitting earned her playing time early on in her career, but as time went by she found herself climbing into eighth for all-time blocks at BC. Hanley transferred into BC as a junior and was a constant spark plug for the Eagles on both sides of the ball for two years. A two-time captain, Moskitis set her way into ninth for assists in the Eagles record book.
