Volleyball Team Welcomes 12 Players to Preseason Drills
8/9/2002 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 9, 2002
Tulsa, Okla. - The University of Tulsa volleyball squad opened preseason practice for the 2002 season on Friday, August 9. Six returning letterwinners, including five starters, welcomed six new players to the squad. Entering the 2002 season, The University of Tulsa volleyball offices are filled with an aura of quiet excitement. With five starters returning off a squad that won the program's first Western Athletic Conference Tournament match, who can blame head coach Matt Sonnichsen for a little optimism? One reason for the squad's optimism could be the fact that the Golden Hurricane returns 82-percent of the team's offense from a season ago and 73-percent of the team's defense. "I am very excited about the 2002 campaign," said TU head coach Matt Sonnichsen. "While this will be the youngest team I have put on the court, with 10 of 12 athletes being first or second year players in the program, I know our team has something special this year. I was so happy with our spring and how we grew as a program that I could not wait for August." The Golden Hurricane will turn to a pair of seniors - Tammy Leuer (Corcoran, Minn.) and Amber Martin (San Diego, Calif.) - for leadership. Both athletes return for their fourth year in the TU program. "Tammy and Amber will have a huge challenge as seniors, helping to bring together a team that has six new players," said Sonnichsen. "If any seniors can do it, Tammy and Amber can. They have worked extremely hard from their first day as freshmen. They are on track to graduate in four years; and have done so much to help our program on and off the court. Another reason for optimism by the coaching staff is the return of sophomore class. In 2001, the group owned 67-percent of the team's kills (687), 62-percent of the attacks (1,905), 90-percent of the assists (843), 52-percent of the service aces (67), and 79-percent of the total blocks (118). The newcomers were perhaps among the best-recruited classes in school history. All four players, Dana Weddle (Arlington, Texas), Lindsay Eaves (Houston, Texas), Vanessa Thon (Houston, Texas) and Kristin Bailey (Centennial, Colo.), were listed among the top 180 incoming freshmen for 2001. Four teams that played in the 2001 NCAA national tournament are on the Tulsa volleyball schedule this year. In addition to NCAA participants Hawai`i, Nevada, Northeastern as well as San Jose State, the Golden Hurricane will face eight first-time opponents during the upcoming campaign. "We are excited about the opportunities that our 2002 schedule presents," said Sonnichsen. "I know our team is looking forward to the home opener against Centenary College on September 4th. In addition, our players are excited about playing Oklahoma here at the Reynolds Center in September. The WAC is one of the top conferences in the country for women's volleyball and this year the league will be even stronger. Our schedule will be tough on our young squad, but we will be able to compete solidly and could surprise some teams."
