Women's Volleyball Opens 2001 Season With First Practice
Aug 10, 2001 | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 10, 2001
NEW ORLEANS, La. - - With heightened levels of excitement and expectation, the Tulane women's volleyball team opened practice for the 2001 season on Friday.
Arriving for its first practice on Friday morning, the squad learned that it was picked to finish sixth in Conference USA in a vote of the league's head coaches. Last season, the Wave were picked to finish ninth, but responded with a sixth-place showing at season's end."
"The 2001 season promises to be one of the best in school history," head coach Betsy Becker said. "After having had our first practice this morning, we are extremely excited about what the season has to hold. We can't wait to get started full time."
Picked as a "Team to Watch" by Volleyball Magazine, the Green Wave return five starters from a team that recorded its highest win total in seven years last season. Setter Jennifer Witte returns for her senior year having already established the Tulane career record for assists. Erin Dobyanski, also a senior, earned All-Conference USA honors last season and brings experience and leadership to the middle of the court.
Sophomore Lauren Jones-McClain will also see time in the middle after having picked up Conference USA All-Freshman honors as a right side hitter last season. Junior Britney Hurst averaged 2.80 kills and 1.03 blocks per game on the left side last season, leading the conference in blocks in league games last year. Also returning to the starting line-up is Karlyn Daly, a defensive specialist. Junior Lindsey Bennett and sophomores Kim Swafford and Paige Licklider also contributed last season.
In addition to the returning talent, the Green Wave boast one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. Freshman Katie Case should push Witte at the setter position after a stint at the prestigious Sport Performance Club in Chicago. Deva Fowler, a native of San Diego, Calif., was heavily recruited because of her ability to hit with power in the middle. Houston, Texas native Iman Houston brings a great deal of athleticism to the right side, while Ana Kenon, from San Antonio, Texas, is expected to be a major factor on the right side after redshirting last season.
Freshman Lindsey Norman, an outstanding passer and defensive player, played on one of the best club teams in the nation last season - the Arizona Juniors. Masharika Prejean, a transfer from Duke, is a versatile player who will surprise a lot of teams this season.
"We have a tremendous amount of depth this season," Becker said. "I think we really have the ability to attack teams from every point on the court. The level of excitement is just unbelievable. This should be a great year for Tulane volleyball."
One thing adding to the excitement is a new rule change which will see all games decided by rally scoring, in which a point is scored on every serve.
"The game is so much faster and fan friendly with rally scoring," Becker said. "I think our fans will really enjoy this season."
Tulane opens the 2001 campaign on Friday, Aug. 31, by hosting the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic at Fogelman Arena. Joining the Green Wave are UNO, LSU, UNLV and Baylor.
