Volleyball continues to rebuild

By Kyle Inman

Missouri Western Volleyball looks to continue the rebuilding efforts of third-year coach Cory Frederick in 2011.

Frederick took over a 4-32 team in 2009 and has gone 23-39 in his two seasons as coach for the Griffons. He has increased the win total each year. In 2010 the team finished with a record of 12-17, including eight MIAA conference wins, the most for the team since 2002.

The Griffons were picked to finish eighth in the 2011 MIAA pre-season coaches poll, but Frederick hopes to exceed those expectations.

“We obviously expect to finish quite a bit higher than that,” Frederick said. “I don’t put a lot of clout into the preseason polls. We don’t know how the new players at other schools will produce, and we don’t know how our own freshmen will produce.”

The 2011 Griffons will feature seven new players on the roster. According to Frederick, the newcomers will make an immediate impact on the team.

“I’m going to bet that four or five of them see considerable playing time,” Frederick said. “They are going to challenge the returning players this year, which is what we need. Some of the returners need that boost and the challenge of someone behind them.”

The Griffons return versatile 2010 MIAA Freshman of the Year and Honorable Mention all-MIAA player Stephanie Hattey.  She will take on an increased leadership role in 2011 with the departure of some key seniors from last seasons team.

“I think she understands having a good year like last season and she is not going to let down her second year, which is always the worry of the coach,” Frederick said. “She is trying to implement those types of beliefs and attitudes to the new players already, which is great to have back.”

Hattey could compete for the MIAA Player of the Year in her just her sophomore season.

“I’m a very competitive person, so I’m going to go for it, but it’s usually only juniors and seniors who get it,”Hattey said.

Senior Tahler Johnston is the team’s returning leader in kills with 271, averaging 2.53 kills per game. She has set her expectations high for her last season as a Griffon.

“I think people picture us as the underdogs, and I think we will come out and surprise a lot of people this year,” Johnston said. “My expectations are having a better record than last year and making it to the national tournament.”

Another player that Frederick expects big things out of this season is returning senior Alexandra Behnke.

“We expect to have a lot more production out of Behnke than in the past,” Frederick said. “She has played a lot this summer and has been lifting and working out.”

Frederick knows how it feels to be a winner. He won a national championship in 2008 when he led Park University to a 29-1 record and a National Championship.

“It’s a tough thing to break a losing mentality,” Frederick said. “We are instilling the right beliefs in our players, and it seems to be working with us moving in the right direction every year.”

Last year the team had players who had been beaten year in and year out by the other MIAA teams.  Frederick said this group won’t have the preconceived notion that they are going to lose because they don’t have those experiences.

“I think that is going to make one of the biggest differences from this season to last season,” Frederick said. ”We don’t have that losing mentality anymore.”