DRC Volleyball NT roster feature youth

[OldTimer]

Volleyball: UNT roster features much youth

09:55 AM CDT on Friday, August 13, 2004

By Matthew Postins / Staff Writer

Most coaches might not be excited about a team with just two returning starters and two seniors coming off a trip to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

But North Texas volleyball coach Cassie Headrick has a smile on her face when she talks about the upcoming season, even though 12 of her 15 players are either freshmen or sophomores.

"I think we’ll get a chance to fly under the radar for a while," said Headrick, in her fifth season as head coach. "I just don’t know how long. If the chemistry on this team comes along, it may not be that long."

Practice started for the Mean Green on Thursday, one day after team meetings to prepare for the season. The team will practice every day through Sunday, with two-a-days today and Saturday.

The Mean Green graduated one of its best classes ever after last season, including the school’s all-time leading hitter, Corina Marginas, and all-time leading setter, Kristin Sheppard. They’re big shoes to fill for this squad, led by senior middle blocker Anne Pope and junior middle blocker Brittany Gregory, last year’s top holdovers.

The other senior, Amanda Clearman, started 14 matches a year ago and should be the team’s top defensive specialist.

But Headrick believes the depth of this team — the Mean Green are three-deep at all positions except setter — could offset the inexperience.

"One thing that will happen is our offense will be totally different," said Headrick. "Last year, you pretty much knew that the offense would flow through Corina. This year we could be much more balanced."

Headrick says the sophomores came along well in spring practices, including setter Heidi Johnson, who appears to have the inside track for the starting job. Tara Hooser, who saw time as an outside hitter as a freshman, had good practices at the right side position.

But what has Headrick most excited is her freshman class, which she says could be the best the school has ever recruited. It’s a class Headrick says she couldn’t have hoped to recruit when she came to the school five years ago.

What sets the class apart is that five of the six players have elite club volleyball experience. Setter Ashley Bass enrolled at UNT in the spring so she could go through spring practices with the Mean Green, and could push Johnson for playing time. New Braunfels’ Erica Wendell, a 6-1 middle blocker, was named one of the country’s top 250 recruits by PrepVolleyball.com when UNT signed her.

Jessica Hulsebosch, a 5-10 libero; Katy Prokof, a 5-11 outside hitter; and Brittney Hays, a 5-2 defensive specialist also have club volleyball experience.

"I think we have some spots that are wide open," said Headrick. "It’ll be real interesting, because we’re three-deep at just about every position and they’re going to push each other from the start."

UNT begins the regular season Sept. 1 at Tulsa.

Briefly ...

The Mean Green will have an alumni match on Aug. 28. The alumni team is slated to feature all five of last year’s seniors — Corina Marginas, Kristin Sheppard, Stephanie Connors, Jill Ruskowski and Brieanne Fowler. Head coach Cassie Headrick also said other alumni scheduled to appear include Laura Gomez (1995-99), Michelle Jacobs (1998-99) and Tanya Samples (1999-02).

MATTHEW POSTINS can be reached at 940-566-6874.