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2013 Volleyball Preview
8/29/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug 29, 2013
Coming off one of its more successful seasons in recent memory, the Seton Hall women's volleyball team returns a veteran nucleus poised to move up the standings in a new-look BIG EAST Conference.
In her first year at the helm, head coach Allison Yaeger led the Pirates to 18 wins, the most for the program since 2003, but a disappointing finish prevented Seton Hall from appearing in its fourth straight BIG EAST Tournament. This year, Yaeger thinks her players will use that difficult finish as motivation in 2013.
"The way we finished the season certainly left a bad taste in their mouths," Yaeger said. "It's something we talk about all the time. I think they'll remember how it felt not to make the BIG EAST Tournament and use it to push harder and work harder so they're not disappointed again this year."
Seton Hall returns all of its statistical leaders from a year ago. The Pirates' lone senior Alyssa Warren (Joliet, Ill.) led the team in digs and digs per set in 2012. Shelbey Manthorpe (Merion Station, Pa.) led the Pirates in assists and assists per set as the team's setter. Her sister, Stacey Manthorpe (Merion Station, Pa.) was the top offensive force for Seton Hall, leading the team in kills and kills per set. Sophomore Amanda Hansen (Pewaukee, Wis.) proved to be a blocking force from the start of her collegiate career, leading the Pirates in blocks per set.
The BIG EAST coaches have taken note that most of Seton Hall's significant pieces are returning in 2013, and therefore, ranked the Pirates fourth among the nine-team conference in the preseason poll.
"It's nice to get the respect from the other coaches around the league," Yaeger said. "It's just about where I expected to be picked. If we were lower, I would have been disappointed. To be picked behind only one other "old BIG EAST" member (Marquette), I think says a lot of about the talent others see in this team."
Warren led the BIG EAST in digs and digs per set, ranking seventh in the nation, and was named BIG EAST Libero of the Year in 2012. She enters her final collegiate season needing just 204 digs to become Seton Hall's career leader in the category, passing former great and current Pirate assistant coach Allie Matters.
"We have high expectations for Alyssa this year," Yaeger said. "She is such a hard worker. There's not a week that goes by throughout the year that she's not playing volleyball. I know that she wants badly to repeat as Libero of the Year, and hopefully, this year we can get her All-America recognition."
Shelbey Manthorpe is coming off one of the finest individual seasons in Seton Hall volleyball history. The junior led the team with 19 double-doubles and led the nation with eight triple-doubles. A First Team All-Conference selection, she was named Seton Hall's Sophomore Female Athlete of the Year and earned BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll recognition six times. Poised to have another big season, Shelbey was named to the 2013 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team for a second straight year.
"Shelbey was named one of our captains this year, with Alyssa," Yaeger said. "She's always in the shape; she always looks good out there. Shelbey is excited about being a captain and now she can show the same leadership off the court that she does on the court as our setter. I think she is one of the best setters in the conference if not the country."
Stacey Manthorpe used the 2012 season to establish herself as the primary offensive threat in the Seton Hall lineup. Named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team, she led the Pirates in kills and kills per game and tallied a team second-best 17 double-doubles.
"Stacey is incredibly competitive; she wants to play so badly," Yaeger said. "Not playing right now is really killing her, but once healthy, I have high expectations for Stacey. I think she'll be the same offensive force she was for us last year."
Sophomore outside hitters Molly Grammer (Center Valley, Pa.) and junior Simona Sekulova (Auckland, New Zealand) are also large parts of Seton Hall's offensive attack, but are coming off significant knee injuries. The Pirates will be careful not to overwhelm their workload early, but are looking forward to their contributions.
"Molly, Simona and Stacey Manthorpe, who's been battling a shoulder injury, have all been working extremely hard to get back on the floor for us," Yaeger said. "Molly is 100%, we're hoping to have Simona back by BIG EAST competition, and Stacey is kind of day-to-day. We're willing to rest them more now to be sure we're at full strength when conference matches begin."
Amanda Hansen will return to provide a blocking force in the middle of the Pirates' front line. The sophomore led the Pirates in blocks per set and ranked among the conference leaders in attack percentage.
Other returning veterans, Jamie Froning (Huntington Beach, Calif.), Sam Duncan (Tucson, Ariz.), Ashani Rubin (Philadelphia, Pa.), Kayla Kohler (Whitehall, Pa.), Kacey Richards (Macedon, N.Y.) and Sara Connell (Dousman, Wis.), will all likely see time in their respective roles or as key backups.
Newcomers to the team in 2013 are freshmen Tessa Fournier (Redondo Beach, Calif.), Hailey Hetzer (San Pedro, Calif.) and Danielle Schroeder (Chicago, Ill.). Yaeger likes the new additions and the depth they'll be able to provide this year's team.
"Tessa and Dani will see a lot of playing time this year," Yaeger said. "Tessa will likely take over the full-time libero duties after Alyssa graduates so it'll be a good learning year for her. Dani will be starting at outside hitter this weekend and will regularly see action this year. She's been playing her whole life and comes from programs that are always winning. She'll be a big asset for us. It will be good for all three of them to learn the speed of the college game and the speed of the BIG EAST."
The road to the post season this year will have a significantly different look as the college athletics landscape changed again in the offseason. Gone are BIG EAST volleyball stalwarts, Louisville, Notre Dame and Cincinnati, as well as Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse and USF. Joining the six remaining teams is national power Creighton, as well as Butler and Xavier.
The new-look, nine-team BIG EAST enables each team to play its eight opponents twice, both home and away. The BIG EAST Tournament will be held in D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, Neb. and hosted by Creighton University. The top four teams in the final BIG EAST standings will advance to the tournament, Nov. 29-30.
"We're really excited about playing in this new era of BIG EAST volleyball," Yaeger said. "The girls talk about it all the time. We're looking forward to starting some new rivalries and cementing our place as one of the teams to beat in the newly-organized conference."
