ANDERSON, S.C. – This is part three of a three-part series previewing the 2019 Anderson University volleyball season. Part three includes a detailed look at the Trojans' libero/defensive specialists and the schedule.
LIBEROS / DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTS
The Trojans feature five libero/defensive specialists on their roster heading into the 2019 campaign, including three true freshmen.
"I'm really proud of this group that we have coming in," said Head Coach Todd Hay. "I think it's going to be a really good season for them. I felt like we recruited well and we've replaced really good players with really good players – yet just a little bit taller. The great thing about our defensive specialists is that we have five really capable players and it will be fun to see how the depth chart establishes itself during the first few weeks of the season. It's significant that our defensive specialists/liberos are physically longer and taller."
Sophomore Meghan DeVaux played in all 34 matches a season ago and handed out 118 assists, including a season-high seven in the NCAA Southeast Region Tournament matchup at Wingate in mid-November. She was second on the team and 11th in the conference with 34 aces, including three in the five-set win at Lincoln Memorial. The Myrtle Beach, S.C., native led the team and ranked seventh in the league with 525 digs on the season and reached double-figure digs on 25 occasions.
"I was really proud of how well Meghan played as a freshman," Hay said. "She stepped in and did the job I expected from her and we are looking forward to her taking that next step and doing even bigger things this year. She's a good leader in the back row and I need her to take more of a leadership role. That gritty, competitive spirit needs to come out a little bit more and be a little more vocal. Her talent is definitely there - She's in that [libero] jersey for a reason and I'm very glad that we have her for three more seasons. She's steady and she doesn't get rattled. Meghan did a phenomenal job as a freshman."
Christina Stacy, a junior from Hendersonville, Tenn., also saw action in all 34 matches last season and notched more than 20 service aces, including a season-best three in the four-set win 3-1 win at Coker. She recorded 72 digs, including a season-high 10 against Lenoir-Rhyne.
"Christina did a great job as our backup setter in her first year – and that was a very important role," noted Hay. "The backup setter is often overlooked by the casual fan, but when you don't have a backup setter, who's going to run the other side of the net when you're going 6-on-6 or in a 5-on-5 drill? It brings up the level of competition in practice and she was able to fill it that role so well as a freshman. And then last year, she was our serving specialist. This year I expect her to challenge for one of our starting back row positions. She is competitive, very vocal on the court and has a good serve. A little bit remains to be seen, but here's her opportunity to compete for one of those starting positions and we'll see how she responds and how she embraces the challenge. I'm expecting big things from her. She understands what we want to do and she won't have freshman nerves. I expect her to be in the mix early on."
Hay brought in three new faces– Megan Harding, Lindsay McCurley and Alexandra McCurley - to help bolster the ranks along the back row.
"All three of our freshmen who are listed as defensive specialists were actually attackers in high school," said Hay. "They all have height, they're quick and they can all attack out of the back row. This whole group has got to come in and someone has to step up and be the primary passer or the two primary passers. We are excited not just for their talent and skill level but also for their length. They are a longer group than who graduated a year ago – when you can replace a 5-foot-5 with a 5-foot-8 player who is as talented and just as quick, that's a good thing."
Harding, who earned all-conference recognition following her senior season at Westminster Catawba Christian, was a five-time Athlete of the Year for the Indians.
"Megan is undergoing a little bit of a position change – we are going to train her as a back row player who can hit in practice or in scrimmages if need be."
McCurley was the team MVP and served as a team captain at Woodmont High School and was selected as a player for the South Carolina High School League North/South All-Star competition.
"Lindsay was an attacker in high school," Hay added. "One of her strengths is her ability to pass/serve – she is good at serve/receive. She has good instincts for the game and reads the game well. She is in the right place at the right time."
Alexandra Petrilli was a four-year team MVP for St. Augustine and recorded more than 1,000 career kills during her prep career with the Yellow Jackets.
"Alex is a good all-around player," Hay noted. "She was an attacker in high school and has a strong attack out of the back row. Her court awareness and ball control is strong. We will need her to fight hard for one of those primary serve-receive roles.
Schedule
"The first part of our schedule – the first six games are going to be challenging," Hay said. "My hope is that the level of competition in Ohio will be helpful in preparing us for that Wingate/Coker road trip to open up conference play, because that's one of those road trips where you can't go into it and come out 0-2. We don't have any easy teams and this will be one of the hardest starts to a season that I've had since I've been in the SAC, but we are excited for the opening road trip."
"The neat thing about the schedule is that eight of our last 12 matches are at home. We've been good at home - we have good crowds and a good game-day environment."
The Trojans are slated to open the campaign with a season-high six-match road swing, beginning with three contests at the Cedarville (Ohio) Yellow Jacket Invite. AU will square off against Indianapolis at 11 a.m. Friday and the host Yellow Jackets at 7:30 p.m.
AU will wrap up the tourney by facing Northwood at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.
