Aug. 19, 2002
With one of the deepest pools of talent in school history, Loyola Marymount University will fight to regain its position among the nation's volleyball elite. The Lions, who have advanced to the NCAA Volleyball Tournament on six occasions in the past eight seasons, will return six starters, including four All-West Coast Conference performers.
The Lions ended the 2001 campaign with a 15-10 mark, while winning seven of their final 10 matches of the season. That ending will hopefully be a springboard for this season's beginning.
"Expectations are always high, with the success we've had here in the past," LMU head coach Steve Stratos said. "We want to be in contention for a conference title and a NCAA bid. Last season, we weren't able to accomplish that and that has given the team a great deal of extra motivation."
Despite returning 10 athletes from last year's squad, LMU is still a relatively young team with just two seniors. Many of the impact players of a year ago, will still be underclassmen.
"Our team does have some experience and the progression the younger athletes achieved last year will be instrumental in this year's success."
At the Net
One of the two LMU seniors will be first-team All-WCC selection Kristen Gallup. Last season, Gallup solidified herself as an elite force, leading the Lions with 433 kills, which placed her second in the conference with 4.81 per game. That outstanding average ranked 15th in the nation.
"Kristen is one of the top two outside hitters in the conference," Stratos said. "We asked a lot of her last season and she came up big for us. She will need to do that again."
Gallup also led the Lions with 1,155 attacks and was second on the team with 262 digs.
Kealani Kimball joined Gallup on the All-WCC first team. As a sophomore, Kimball was second on the team in both attacks (661) and kills (270), along with block solos (12) and total blocks (59). She led the team with 47 block assists.
"Kimball is a tremendous athlete," Stratos said. "Even though she is a bit small for a middle blocker in our league, she makes up for it with incredible jumping ability. She's definitely a high flyer and from what I've seen, she will be even better this season."
A native of Kaunakakai, Hawaii, Kimball raised her game to a new level during conference competition. She was among the league's top 10 in hitting percentage, blocks, kills and digs.
"Krista is as talented as any middle blocker we've ever brought in at the start of her career," Stratos said. "They both have a great deal of talent, but they will have their hands full competing for playing time. One thing is for certain, I'm very excited about the future."
The final returning all-conference performer is sophomore Dina DeBernardi. In her rookie season, DeBernardi led LMU in attack percentage (.314), block solos (24) and total blocks (69). Her attack percentage was third in the WCC.
"They were definitely our big guns, but we have a number of athletes that will be pushing them for playing time," Stratos said.
Junior Tiana Newsome will look to regain the form that led the conference in blocks as a freshman in 2000, while Jody Carlson was a starter at outside hitter as a rookie. Fellow sophomore Kelly Nerison will also be in the mix.
"Those three had great springs," Stratos said. "Tiana is like a human helicopter, the way she hovers above the net and Carlson and Nerison are as good as anybody on this team. Our net players will have to carry the load and I expect a lot of good things out of each of them."
Roxanne Orsini, a junior college All-American at Golden West Community College, will also be in contention for a starting position.
"Roxanne is a very accomplished outside hitter who comes to us with two junior college state championships under her belt," Stratos said. "Furthermore, she is an outstanding performer earning first-team junior college All-American honors following her sophomore season at Golden West College."
A pair of freshmen will also be contending for positions at the net. At 6-3, Krista Houseman will make an impact at either middle blocker or outside hitter, while 5-10 Michelle Look is a tremendous jumper and can be effective from either side.
Setters
One of the major challenges for Coach Stratos will be replacing all-region setter Nicole Oehlman, who suffered a knee injury last spring and will be lost for the season. The two likely candidates will be sophomore Megan Wooton and freshman Nicole Ridley.
Last season, Wooton performed extremely well in her only start, posting 35 assists, along with 14 digs, in a 3-0 victory over No. 20 UC Santa Barbara. In the spring, Wooton was LMU's primary setter, while Stratos counted on an assortment of players to pick up the slack.
Ridley set for one of the top club teams in the nation and will be an asset at the net with her 5-10 frame. She is coming at a very important time, with the loss of Oehlman, but with her advanced experience she should make a smooth transition.
"We will use a combination of sets with both Megan and Nicole (Ridley)," Stratos said. "Oehlman is a great player and it's unfortunate that we won't have her for this season, but the setters we have in place will have to do the job. We feel confident that between the two, we won't suffer much of a drop off."
Libero
The top defensive players in the nation will have an even larger impact this season. Women's collegiate volleyball will implement the Libero, with the hopes of extending rallies. Each team will register one specialized defensive player, or Libero, before each match. She will be restricted to performing in the back row only and will not be allowed to attack the ball above the net. The Libero may not serve, block or attempt to block and must wear a different color shirt from the other members of the team.
Substitutions involving a Libero are not counted as regular and their number is unlimited. A Libero cannot take part in normal substitutions and may only enter or leave the game while the ball is out of play and before the whistle for service.
"We have a real nice group of defensive specialists," Stratos said. "They will all battle for the prize of being the Libero."
Senior
Laura Gustorf and sophomore
Jacene Dimson, both starters a year ago, are the top contenders to be the LMU Libero. Gustorf led the team with 296 digs and 34 service aces, third best in the conference in each category. Her 196 digs in conference play (4.17 dpg) led the league.
Dimson played in all 25 LMU matches last season, starting 18. She posted 191 digs on the season, reaching double figures during eight matches. Gustorf and Dimson will be competing with junior Elizabeth Samson and freshman Tiffiny Self for the position.
Tough Road
The Lions will be severely tested early in the campaign, hosting two tournaments for the first time in school history. LMU will welcome Duke, Oklahoma and Bradley to Los Angeles from August 30-31 for the LMU Invitational to open the season. The following weekend, the Lions will play host to Colorado, Notre Dame and St. Louis during the LMU Volleyball Classic on September 6-7.
Duke advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, before USC ended the Blue Devils march with a 3-0 victory. Oklahoma will bring a battle-tested group from the Big 12 Conference that sent a record eight teams to the NCAA's last season, while Bradley posted another 20-win season.
Both Notre Dame and Colorado are ranked in the 2002 preseason Volleyball Magazine poll at 19th and 20th, respectively. Notre Dame fell to Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Championship last season. The Irish won the 2001 BIG EAST Championship with a 22-7 record, its sixth league championship in seven years, while also advancing to their 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament.
Colorado reached the NCAA Tournament for the 11th consecutive year and advanced to the second round before falling to Colorado State. The Buffs downed American in the opening round. Saint Louis ended its season at 13-14, reaching the quarterfinal match of the Conference USA Tournament.
LMU will then travel to its third and final tournament of the season, the Terrapin Invitational. The Lions will take on Boston College, Indiana and host Maryland. Boston College went 18-11 last season, while the Hoosiers and Maryland struggled through 8-20 and 12-14 seasons, respectively. The Lions defeated Indiana 3-1 at last year's LMU Classic.
The Lions will return home to take on Cal State Fullerton and Idaho State, before heading to San Diego State prior to starting the West Coast Conference schedule. LMU will open up with Portland on Friday, Oct. 4, before hosting Gonzaga the following night.
The Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara will welcome LMU for a mid-week contest, before the Lions return home on Saturday, Oct. 12 to face Pepperdine. The following weekend, LMU will travel northern California to take on Santa Clara and San Francisco.
LMU will conclude October with a pair of home games with San Diego and Saint Mary's, on Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th, respectively.
The second half of the conference slate begins with three straight road games, before the Lions host San Francisco and Santa Clara for their final two home matches of the season on Nov. 15-16. LMU will wrap up the regular season at Saint Mary's on Nov. 22, followed by a Nov. 23 date at San Diego.
The NCAA Tournament will begin Dec. 5 at host school sites. The NCAA Finals will be held at the New Orleans Sports Arena, Thursday, Dec. 19 and Saturday, Dec. 21.
