Volleyball Opens 2006 Preseason Practice At Reily Center
Aug 11, 2006 | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 11, 2006
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Seven veterans, one transfer and a trio of true freshmen took the court Friday afternoon at the Reily Student Recreation Center as the Tulane University volleyball team opened preseason practice in preparation for the 2006 season.
The team went through basic first-day drills which included position work, fundamental instruction and match-like simulation. The practice ended with a spirited scrimmage that saw the teams on both sides of the net give second-year head coach Liz Kritza a reason to smile.
"The first day of practice is a highly-anticipated day every year," Kritza said. "As a player and a coach, this is the 12th one I've seen, and today ranks way up there. The players worked hard in the offseason and put in time together on their own throughout the summer.
"You could really see the dedication these young women have for this program pay off in their performances today at practice. They were very receptive to the things we went over and really picked things up very quickly. It was just one day, but if this is the sign of things to come, we are going to have an exciting 2006 season as long as we put in the hours now."
Among the list of returnees are sophomore outside hitter Sara Radosevic, who was named AVCA All-American and earned C-USA and AVCA Midwest Region Freshman of the Year honors, and sophomore setter Luna Rebrovic, who claimed C-USA All-Freshman Team honors in 2005. Last season, the Green Wave went through an up-and-down year that was partially interrupted by Hurricane Katrina and subsequent move to College Station, Texas, and the campus of Texas A&M following the storm.
Despite going 3-14 during the regular season, Tulane put it all together in the C-USA Tournament to defeat host Rice and Tulsa to advance to the tournament semifinals for the first time since 1997. Joining the team in 2006 are a trio of true freshmen - setter/right-side hitter Rachel Lindelow (Mandeville, La.), libero Jenn Miller (San Pedro, Calif.) and outside hitter/middle blocker Ksenija Vlaskovic (Pozarevac, Serbia & Montenegro).
The team was forced to move practice from Fogelman Arena - the Green Wave's home since the inception of the program in 1975 - to Reily as Fogelman is currently undergoing renovation. Work crews are busy putting down a new hard-wood court, and completion of that project is currently on hold as a new, state-of-the-art scoreboard is being installed.
"I can't thank the people at Reily enough," Kritza said. "Construction in the New Orleans area is a sign of the city's resurgence, and Tulane is no different. We're looking forward to getting back in Fogelman, but Reily is a viable option. We are all appreciative of the opportunity to practice there."
The Green Wave open the 2006 season on Friday, Aug. 25, when they play host to Lamar in game one of the Kathy Trosclair Memorial Classic. Individual-match and season tickets are available via the Tulane Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE. The ticket office is located on the first floor of the James W. Wilson, Jr. Center and is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in person, via telephone and on-line at www.TulaneGreenWave.com.
