Yellowjackets Open the 2010 Season Thursday in the Aloha State

BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State Billings volleyball team opens the 2010 season Thursday versus Western New Mexico at the Vulcan Classic hosted by University of Hawaii-Hilo.  MSUB then is scheduled to play Hawaii Pacific on Friday and then Ashland University (Ohio) and the host Vulcans on Saturday. 

MSUB stays in Hawaii the following week where it will face Hawaii-Hilo again, BYU-Hawaii, Hawaii Pacific and Chaminade the following week.  The Jackets then return home for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference opener, Sept. 16 versus Northwest Nazarene at Alterowitz Gymnasium. 

MSUB second year head coach, Steve Smith, sat down to answer six questions about the season before heading to Hawaii.

What will be the greatest strength of your team in 2010?
I think there are two things that we can look for as far as being strengths for this year’s team. First would be blocking. Last year, we were one of the best blocking teams in the conference and we’ve continued to improve on that skill over the past year’s training. Second, would be our ability to get quality swings out of transition. With the addition of Brooke Tolman to our roster at the setting position, I really think our offense will take off this year.  She is an exceptional athlete and can deliver the ball from just about anywhere on the court.  I am expecting that we will be able to get good swings from all positions even off the occasional bad pass.

Which returning players will be key factors to your team’s success?
We have five players returning to our roster who saw significant playing time last year.  They were all very important in our run in the second half of last season.  Morgan Moss will be a sophomore and is likely to fill the libero position. She will take over for Jill Trabing who graduated last spring.  Melissa Porter and Jody Lutz are our returning middles.  Melissa will be a junior and Jody a sophomore. Both earned GNAC Player of the Week honors last year and I’m expecting that they will be key to our success this year.  Another sophomore, Hannah Johnson, returns as our right side hitter from last year’s squad. She was instrumental last season in wins against Seattle Pacific and conference champion Alaska Anchorage. Finally we have Jen Boe, our lone senior.  Jen went on a tear the last three weeks of conference play last year and was in my mind the best outside hitter in the conference during that stretch.  She has established herself as a team leader and will probably be in the running for conference player of the year.

Which incoming players do you expect to contribute this year?
All of our incoming players will contribute to our development as a team on a day to day basis.  Of these players, two will stand out. First is Geneva Blunt, a 6’3” MH/ RS who joined the team last January. Geneva will be a huge presence in the front court for us and is expected to see significant playing time this year. Second is our setter, Brooke Tolman.  Brooke’s leadership and competitiveness will be obvious to anyone who watches our team play.  As I’ve already said, she’s an exceptional athlete and will most likely be one of the top 2-3 setters in the conference.

Break down the GNAC.  Who are the teams to beat and how do the Yellowjackets stack up?
The GNAC is a great conference.  Our top teams have proven that they can compete on a national level. This year I’m expecting Western Washington, Seattle Pacific and Alaska Anchorage to battle for the conference championship. Central Washington, as always, will be right there, too. Northwest Nazarene and Alaska Fairbanks have historically been great programs and I’m expecting that they will be very competitive this year also. Western Oregon will be trying to rebound from a down year last and establish themselves as one of the better teams in the conference. Simon Fraser is joining the conference this year and they are a bit of an unknown. They have struggled over the past few years but I’m expecting that they will be a tough opponent as well.  How we finish will depend on how fast we can put it together in the preseason. We showed last year that we can compete with anyone in the conference, however, we did have a slow start and it took awhile before we started playing to our potential. I am expecting that we will be a good team and will have opportunities to beat any team in the conference.

What are your expectations for the team this year?
I expect the team to work hard and hold themselves to high standards in their work ethic and their behavior in the gym, on campus and in the community. I have a firm belief that it’s what you do on a day to day basis that determines your success in competition and in life. If we take care of the details, and work hard on daily basis, wins will take care of themselves.

What are your thoughts on the schedule, both conference and non-conference?
I believe that we have a great schedule this year.  We start with our first two tournaments in Hawaii, which will provide us with great competition in the preseason. These matches are really important for us to break into the regional rankings. Our conference schedule will be tough. We will have to be on top of our game every single time we take the court. The key to success in this conference will be to protect our home court and come up with key wins on the road.