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Aug. 26, 2004
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – After compiling a 25-win campaign in 2003, the Virginia volleyball team enters the 2004 season with confidence and the knowledge that hard work really does pay off. The Cavaliers registered an impressive 16-match improvement in 2003, and the aforementioned confidence and hard work will be major factors in a very young Virginia team’s success in 2004.
Virginia finished its 2003 season with a 25-9 overall record and an 8-8 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The 25 wins are the third-highest single season total in school history. UVa began the season with a school record 16-match winning streak and won all four regular-season tournaments.
“The 2003 season surpassed all of our expectations,” said 10th-year head coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton. “We hoped we were going to be better. What surprised me the most was how well the team adapted to some changes and really fought to win. That was a personality switch for us from the last two years. It was exciting to see and we are hoping to carry over that determination into this year’s younger team,” she said.
Virginia will be a very young team in 2004. The Cavaliers have just two fourth-years and two third-years on their 14-player roster, thus the team’s success will depend on the development of the second and first-year classes. Shelton knows she can depend on the sophomores because three of the five players saw extensive playing time in 2003.
“We have a great returning sophomore class that gained a lot of experience last year,” Shelton said. “Emily Kirkwood and Lindsay Osco were consistent starters for us and Emily Perilli saw a lot of court time during her freshman campaign. When you add in a healthy Meghan O’Leary and a healthy Stephanie Everett, who both had great springs with us, we will do very well. We have three of our five freshmen with experience at the open level in USAV volleyball. That is just an incredible amount of experience to have coming in. It won’t take the first-years as long to get used to the game as it would with kids who played at a lower level. We believe they are going to be able to contribute right away.”
Another change for the Cavaliers is the new look of the ACC. With the addition of Miami and in-state rival Virginia Tech to the conference this season, the league has expanded to 11 teams. “Miami and Virginia Tech add a lot of depth to our conference,” said Shelton. “We usually play Virginia Tech every year, but now it will mean more than just state bragging rights. We play Miami both home and away in 2004. Both Virginia Tech and Miami are very good and very capable of doing well in the ACC. It just makes our conference much stronger overall.”
OUTSIDE HITTERS
The Cavaliers have excellent depth at outside hitter as seven players will train at the position. UVa returns two starters at outside hitter and a total of four letterwinners. In addition to the returning players, Shelton is excited by the prospects of the incoming first-years. The first-years will help fill the void left by the graduation of Paige Davis, who was an honorable mention All-American.
Virginia’s two returning starters are third-year Kristin Chaney and second-year Lindsay Osco. “Kristin and Lindsay had phenomenal seasons and really broke through and did some key things for us at pivotal moments,” said Shelton. “Both players really came through and carried us in a lot of unsung hero type ways – with their ball control, with their consistency, and with their energy. They are probably our two best servers as well.”
Chaney started 25 of the 32 matches she appeared in and saw action in 105 games in her first season as a full-time outside hitter. She was fifth on the team with 178 kills and third with 279 digs, both of which are career highs. Chaney also tallied 40 blocks, 23 assists and 17 service aces. She notched six double-doubles in 2003, including a career-high 13 kills to go along with a season-best 20 digs against North Carolina in the ACC Tournament on November 21.
Osco is coming off an outstanding freshman season in which she earned ACC All-Freshman Team honors. Osco played in all 34 matches a year ago with 30 starts. She finished fourth on the team with 303 kills while hitting .180. Osco, who tallied eight double-doubles in kills and digs, was also one of UVa’s top defensive players. She was second on the team with 376 digs for an average of 3.33 per game. In addition, Osco led the Cavaliers with 34 service aces and added 46 blocks. On three occasions, she registered a career-high 19 kills and also posted four matches with 20 or more digs, including 28 against North Carolina on November 8.
Another second-year who gained valuable playing experience last season is Emily Perilli. Perilli could also see time at libero as she trained at that position during the spring season. She came on strong at the end of last season, starting 13 of the 25 matches in which she appeared. In a total of 59 games, Perilli had 69 kills, 135 digs, and 15 blocks.
“Emily Perilli is probably one of the most coachable players we’ve had on the team. She is just willing to do anything for the team to win. She is going to give us a lot of depth, either at the outside hitter or the libero spot, wherever she earns her position,” said Shelton.
Red-shirt third-year Lisa Krolikowski rounds out the returning letterwinners at outside hitter. “Lisa is coming off a spring where she saw a lot of playing time. She is a big banger and she is learning finesse shots. She can really provide some power for us at the net with a big block and a strong swing,” Shelton said.
Krolikowski saw limited action in 2003 as she appeared in 11 games in 10 matches. She had two kills, four digs and a pair of blocks. She registered her first career kill against Centenary on August 30.
Shelton has recruited three outside hitters she feels can contribute right away. First-years Sarah Kirkwood and Beth Shelton should compete for a starting slot at outside hitter, while first-year Melissa Caldwell could see playing time at outside hitter or libero.
Sarah Kirkwood, the younger sister of second-year setter Emily Kirkwood, is a “very accomplished outside hitter, who has played on the outside most of her career,” Shelton said. “She is extremely competitive, is a great swinger and can hit all sorts of different balls. Sara really focused a lot on her passing and defense this spring with her club team to be ready for us because she really wants to play all six rotations.”
Kirkwood, 6-0, is ranked as the 18th-best outside hitter and the 53rd best player overall in the class of 2004 by PrepVolleyball.com. The high school All-American helped lead Plant High School to three consecutive Florida state championships.
Beth Shelton is a 6-0 outside hitter from Cincinnati, Ohio. She was a starting outside hitter for the 17 Open and 16 Open USAV Junior National champions in 2003 and 2002, respectively. The four-time All-State selection helped lead St. Ursula Academy to the 2001 and 2003 Division I Ohio State Championship and a 2003 national championship (PrepVolleyball.com poll). Like Kirkwood, Shelton was named one of PrepVolleyball.com’s top 100 recruits of 2004.
“Beth Shelton played on the number one club team the last three years in her age division,” Shelton said. “She is a phenomenal outside hitter who is a `steady Betty’ and just plays tough all the time. She is not very emotional, but you can always count on Beth to get the job done.”
Rounding out UVa’s outside hitters is Melissa Caldwell, who hails from Houston, Texas. “Melissa is a player we signed primarily as a libero but may see some time at outside hitter,” noted Shelton. “She is a terrific athlete and a tough-nosed competitor who has played at the highest level and has succeeded in both high school and club ball. She knows what it takes to win.”
Caldwell played middle blocker for Stratford High School and was an outside hitter for the Texas Tornados club team. She helped lead Stratford to three consecutive Texas state 5A semifinal appearances.
“This is the strongest group of outside hitters Virginia has had since I’ve been here. We have depth; we have ball control; we have power; we have size; and we have speed. It is just an incredible group of young ladies. They will be the core of our offensive weapons,” said Shelton.
The Cavaliers return three-year starter Alexis Geocaris at middle, but must find a second starter in place of Shannon Boyle, who graduated in May. In addition to Geocaris, Virginia returns second-year Meghan O’Leary and red-shirt second-year Stephanie Everett. The lone newcomer to the group is first-year Katie Oakes.
MIDDLE
UVa had a great foundation in the middle in Geocaris, a 2004 All-ACC Preseason selection. The fourth-year is one of only two returning players to start all 34 matches and play in all 123 games last season. Geocaris was second on the team with 331 kills and hit a team-best .322, which was sixth best among all ACC players. She also led the team with 151 blocks for an average of 1.23 per game (fifth in the ACC) and added 69 digs and 23 service aces.
“The ACC has a lot of great middles coming back and Alexis is one of the top returnees,” said Shelton. “She is a phenomenal blocker, a great hitter and really matured as a leader during her junior year. We are very excited about the leadership Alexis will be providing this young team. We are looking for her to get a lot of kills, hit at a high percentage and be one of the top few blockers in the ACC. She has a lot to carry, but I feel with the supporting cast of our outside hitters surrounding her in the front row, she will have a wonderful senior campaign,” Shelton noted.
After Geocaris, the most experienced middle on the team is Meghan O’Leary, a very athletic player. O’Leary, who missed quite a bit of her freshman season with injuries, saw limited action in five matches. In a total of eight games in 2003, O’Leary had four kills with two coming against High Point on September 19.
The Cavaliers other returning middle is Stephanie Everett, who was medically red-shirted in 2003. Everett was able to gain some experience during the spring season.
“Our two second-years – Meghan O’Leary and Stephanie Everett – both went through some tough times during their freshman season with injuries,” said Shelton. “They came back and had great springs. Meghan brings a little more quickness and tenacity, while Stephanie brings more size and blocking ability. They are both great players who made a lot of progress and we are anxious to see them on the floor.”
Rounding out the Cavaliers’ middles is first-year Katie Oakes. Oakes helped lead Evangel Christian School to three straight Old Dominion Association of Church Schools Virginia state championships and was named MVP of the ODACS Tournament in 2002 and 2003.
“A lot of people don’t know about Katie. She is a phenomenal athlete with good size at 6-1, moves really well and is a competitive, focused player,” Shelton said. “She will surprise some people. She is really going to push Meghan and Stephanie to earn that other spot opposite Alexis. It is going to be a great battle in August.
“The middle is one of our least experienced positions as neither Stephanie, Meghan nor Katie have played Division I volleyball, other than the spring season. We need to get them accustomed to the game by figuring out ways to make them feel comfortable, while giving them limited rolls. Expanding their roles over the season, as they get used to the speed of the game, will be the key to balancing our offense the three rotations that one of them is in.
“Alexis has been a great role model and will take the middles under her wing again and show them how to do it. We have some inexperienced players at middle, but they have tons of talent and lots of potential. Our middle blocking core looks really good for the next few years,” said Shelton.
SETTER
Virginia returns just one setter from last year’s team, but the good news is that the returnee is last season’s starter, second-year Emily Kirkwood. The only other setter on the team is first-year Taylor Russo. Shelton may also look at some other position players to add more depth to the setting position.
In her freshman season, Kirkwood started all 34 matches at setter. She is also one of only two returning players to appear in all 123 games. Kirkwood handed out 1,120 assists for an average of 9.11 per game. She set the school record by dishing out 81 assists in a win over North Carolina on November 8. Kirkwood was also one of the team’s top servers as she was second with 32 aces, and was fourth on the squad with 248 digs.
“Emily Kirkwood returns as the favorite for the starting setting spot. At the end of last season she was running a 5-1 for us and doing a great job; making a lot of great choices,” Shelton said.
Taylor will be the backup setter. Like Kirkwood, Taylor also played volleyball at Plant High School in Tampa, Fla. She was a Florida Class 5A First Team All-State pick in 2003.
“Taylor is also a state championship setter from Florida. She is small, but don’t let that fool you. She’s a phenomenal athlete: very strong, very fit and very competitive. We are looking forward to having her join our team,” said Shelton.
“Emily is very capable of running a 5-1, but with our depth at the outside hitter position, I don’t know if that is the best utilization of our talent. We might try and venture into the 6-2 again just to get more hitters on the court and more ball control out there all the time.”
LIBERO/DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST
The Cavaliers have three players vying to replace Whitney Ashcraft, one of the top liberos in the country. “Arguably the best defensive player in the ACC, Whitney is a big loss for us. Just like Paige Davis, I think it opens the door for someone else to step up” said Shelton.
Annie Hylton is a returning fourth-year defensive specialist, who has lettered three times for the Cavaliers. She played in 20 games last season and recorded 12 digs. She is the only player on the team to compete in a regular season match as a libero.
Second-year Emily Perilli, who is also an outside hitter, trained in the spring as a libero and did a great job.
The third candidate is first-year Melissa Caldwell, whom the Cavaliers signed to train as the libero. Caldwell could also see time as an outside hitter.
“We really don’t know who is going to have the spot yet,” Shelton said. “It is going to be determined as the season goes on; who plays well and who adds the most to the energy and chemistry of our team.”
OVERALL
“Because we have such a young team, it’s very hard to determine how good we will be and where we might finish in the conference,” said Shelton. “We will have a lot better idea when the preseason is over and we find out who claims the starting roles. We are very optimistic about the season and feel like we can do pretty well in the ACC this year, although we will be the youngest team in the conference by far. Our ACC schedule is pretty tough, with more away matches than home matches. I don’t know if our conference record will be indicative as to how good we are, but I feel that with our youth that if we can pull it all together we can make a big move by conference tournament time in November. It’s going to depend on how fast some of our freshman can come in and contribute.
“We haven’t hosted the ACC Tournament since 1991 and are excited to be the first school to host an 11-team event,” said Shelton. I think it will be great for the kids to play at home with our renovated facility and new locker room.”