2008 Wooster Volleyball Season Outlook

Drushal-Led Scots Aiming to Be Among Best in NCAC Again

Senior Megan Earle will be a force both offensively and defensively for the Fighting Scots.

The 2008 campaign brings a sense of excitement and promise to The College of Wooster volleyball team, but that’s nothing new for the program, which finished in third-place in the North Coast Athletic Conference last fall – a transition year. Sarah Davis, now in her second season as head coach, helped the Fighting Scots overcome a challenging early schedule and they came together to win nine of their final 12 matches for a winning record of 15-14 overall.

That finish, paired with eight returning letterwinners, including Ali Drushal, already a two-time NCAC Libero of the Year, and a talented recruiting class has Wooster eyeing a 20-win season as well as a return to the conference’s four-team postseason tournament. Last season, the only teams to finish ahead of the Scots, who last won 20 matches during 2005 (25-7), were NCAA Tournament participants Wittenberg University and Hiram College.

“It will be a lot of fun building off the momentum (from) last fall,” Davis said. “We have a group of players with very high expectations, led by the returnees who never lost a fifth game of a match in 2007.”

Drushal, who last fall became the first libero to be named to the All-NCAC First Team, and outside hitter Megan Earle are expected to be the centerpieces of Wooster’s defense and serve reception areas again. Drushal led all of NCAA Div. III in digs in 2007, averaging 8.09 per game, and has a school-record 2,309 total digs for her career. With 381 more, Drushal, also a standout server, will become the conference’s all-time leader in that category. A pair of sophomores, Abby Jensen and Amanda Gottesman, both of whom already have gained valuable experience, will provide support in the back row.

Up front, there are four veterans in Earle and fellow senior Abbie Casey and juniors KateLynn Riley and Sarah Lorch. The versatile Earle looks to build off a season, in which she averaged career highs of 2.39 kills and 3.88 digs, while Casey played three positions (right-side hitter, outside hitter, setter), notching 1.48 kills and 2.12 digs, as well as a team-high 41 service aces.

Riley may become the team’s go-to hitter, following the graduation of all-conference performers Erin Wright and Carolyn Ciriegio. She split that duty last year, tying for the team lead with 2.95 kills per game, though her .238 attack percentage was the best among the squad’s regulars. Riley also contributed 0.55 blocks, an area that Lorch has the potential to excel in during 2008. The middle hitter is hoping to make her presence felt after suffering an injury that sidelined her for a portion of last season.

The biggest void the Scots have to fill is at setter, where Heather Wolff, a three-time all-NCAC selection and the school’s all-time leader in assists (3,712), graduated. Casey played the position as a sophomore, and one or two freshmen may have a chance to lead the offense, too.

There are six newcomers in all, several of whom could make immediate contributions.

“We hope to continue to improve (at) every position each and every day from our first-year players to our seniors. If we commit to this and focus on getting everyone headed in the same direction, working towards the same goals, then the wins will take care of themselves,” summed up Davis.