By Mike Foley
UWRF Sports Information

The 2003 Falcon volleyball team will sport four new faces behind the net.

Andrea Geehan (MH), Kathryn Krtnick (OH/S), Molly Thompson (OH) and Katie Thompson (OH) will make the traveling team and contribute to an already talented team.

The Falcons are already rich with eight seniors and a handful of talented juniors and sophomores. The young hitters will have plenty of mentors including second team AVCA All-American Melissa Tvrdik (MH) and first team All-WIAC Krystle Brune (OH).

Head coach Patti Ford, last year’s WIAC Coach of the Year, is very excited about the new players and expects them to contribute this year.

"The new players add a lot more depth and balance to what we already have," said Ford. "It’s a really exciting atmosphere. We got exactly what we needed out of this recruiting class."

Geehan, the six-foot middle hitter, will deepen an already strong Falcon middle. After her "All-Everything" high school career at Como Park (Minn.) Senior High, she will have to adjust to a new role. Ford expects Geehan to learn from Tvrdik and battle senior Kristin Brandt for a starting position.

"Andrea will contribute right away," said Ford. "She is a physical specimen and she has a strong presence in the middle. She has a wide array of shots and she will push Kristin for a starting role."

The big freshman is focused and hopes to beat out the experienced senior and start sometime during the season, but she also knows Brandt won’t be a pushover.

"I will have to work hard in practice to play as much as I would like in games," said Geehan. "My goal is to start, but I know I may not get a lot of playing time in the beginning."

Krtnick played on a Junior Olympic team with Geehan and enjoyed a successful career at Fridley (Minn.) High School playing wherever she was needed.

"I don’t really know my position yet," said Krtnick. "In my career I’ve played everything from left to right and I’ve set and played libero. I can play anything but middle blocker."

As a freshman she will be listed as an outside hitter, but Ford may condition her to be the setter of the future.
"Kathryn is very athletic and she covers a lot of ground," said Ford. "She could fill a role as an outside hitter or a libero-type player. Plus she can set. She has all the tools. The more I watch her, the more I believe she can become an outstanding collegiate setter. I tried to recruit an impact setter this year and she went to Div. I, but Kathryn is a breath of fresh air."

Katie and Molly Thompson, twin sisters, played on a Junior Olympics team and at Forest Lake (Minn.) High School. Both young women proved to be solid outside hitters. They will add depth in hitting and blocking options for the Falcons and perhaps fight for starting positions as early as next year.

"Katie and Molly bring our practices to a very high level," said Ford. "They are both fundamentally sound and play a very head strong game."

While the team is eager to get into the NCAA tournament and do some damage, these freshmen will be content getting some good playing time and improving.

"My personal goal is to develop my skills to play better at the college level," said Katie Thompson. "As a team I just hope we can all have fun and give all the seniors a good last year."