Season Preview: Young Pirates Excited to get Started

While the Seton Hall volleyball roster is once again filled with plenty of youth, there is a confidence present between the players that is making a difference as the 2016 season approaches.

Fifth-year head coach Allison Yaeger is looking for her six-member sophomore class to build upon a 2015 campaign that saw the unit make an immediate impact on the program, while a freshman class enters The Hall and is expected to see time on the court right away.

"With a year underneath their belt, it's huge for us and it's huge for their confidence," said Yaeger of her second-year players. "To make that transition to college and have to make an immediate impact was a lot for them, and to have that experience is important. We worked really hard with them in the spring and have seen many encouraging things in the preseason."

As for the freshman unit, Yaeger will look to a pair of new Pirates to spearhead the efforts in replacing All-BIG EAST honoree Amanda Hansen, who graduated last spring after a tremendous career at middle blocker. It will be newcomers Haylee Gasser, as well as Madison Salkowski, who will take over duties, and Yaeger is pleased with their progression.

"It's a new chapter in our book at middle blocker, and Haylee and Madison have worked extremely hard to earn their spots," said Yaeger. "They are both shorter than what we had in Amanda (Hansen), but both of our freshmen are quick. They've also been very consistent for us, and to be freshmen while also being consistent says a lot."

While there is an influx of young talent, the Pirates' two seniors are the unquestioned leaders of the program. Two-time BIG EAST Libero of the Year Tessa Fournier has already established herself as one of the most decorated players in the history of the program, and will look to become only the second player ever in the history of the conference to win the award three times.

"My expectations for Tessa (Fournier) are out of this world," said Yaeger. "She has that goal of being a three-time libero of the year in the BIG EAST and our program is completely behind her as she goes for that. She will be more vocal for us this year and it's amazing to think that she will be even better."

The Pirates will also look for senior outside hitter Danielle Schroeder to once again lead the team in kills, just as she did last year.

"Every year I think that Dani (Schroeder) can possibly be an all-conference player," said Yaeger. "She's physical and she can jump like crazy. At practice, she has been unstoppable, and we're excited for her to take over on the right side this year."

It's Schroeder who is just one part of a deep group of hitters on the roster. The Pirates have plenty of players who are capable to put the ball away, as the program returns 72 percent of its kills from a season ago.

After Schroeder, who led The Hall last year with 328 kills, the Pirates return Cherise Hennigan, Grace Forren, and Abby Thelen, who were third, fourth, and fifth respectively in kills in 2015. Thelen has proven to be a versatile piece for SHU, bouncing from middle blocker to outside hitter, and expected to be in more of an attacking role this fall.

Who will set the hitters up for Seton Hall?

The Pirates return setter Sophia Coffey, who put up a strong freshman season with a team-high 9.51 assists per set and 1,056 assists on the season.

It's the combination of Coffey, who is a year older, as well as the depth at the attacking positions, that has Yaeger looking at an offense with great potential.

"We have always been a defensive-oriented team," said Yaeger. "We obviously stress that, but this year, I really believe we will be a really good offensive team. I want people to walk away and say, 'wow, they can really put the ball away.'"

Collectively, the combined depth and youth have provided for a strong preseason, and that's what Yaeger wants to see turn into results this fall, as Seton Hall is aiming to return to the BIG EAST Championship just as the Pirates did in 2014 before making the program's first ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

"That season set the standard for our program," said Yaeger. "To make it back to the BIG EAST Tournament and to get back to that championship game, that's what we want to do… and doing that in 2014 has definitely helped us in many ways. The veterans on this team know what it feels like to be on that stage and want to get back there and the freshmen and sophomores were watching us at home, but saw our success and wanted to be a part of it. In some way, shape, or form, it impacted everybody that's part of this program. This year, we want to get back there again, and I believe we have a group that's capable of that."

Seton Hall will open the 2016 season in the Golden Dome Invitational against former BIG EAST foe Notre Dame. The ball flies at 7 p.m. on Friday night, as the Pirates will face the Fighting Irish before going up against Western Michigan and Cleveland State on Saturday to complete their opening weekend.

Follow along for the latest on The Hall during the weekend on SHUpirates.com and on Twitter @SHUVolley.