By Tara Sowle
UWRF Sports Information

The Falcon volleyball team is a notable powerhouse in the WIAC and this year's team will look to its junior class to lead them to victory. Of the 23 players on this year's team, 10 are juniors.

This class has already been members of a WIAC Championship in 2003, has also been to the NCAA tournament in 2003, and managed to re-load for the 2004 season and finish third in the always tough WIAC. All these experiences drive us in practice everyday and in the end hopefully get to the top of the WIAC and nationally,” said Falcon Coach Patti Ford.

Returning to the team are four starters; middle hitter Andrea Geehan, setter/outside hitter Kat Krtnick, libero Lindsey Mace, and outside hitter Kate Thompson.

Middle hitter Kiah Sagami and outside hitters Molly Thompson and Tressa Gustafson also return and hope to fill in for the loss of three seniors who covered a lot of playing time last year. In addition, Krista Vandenberg, Vanessa Zamzow and transfer Callie Olson look to add depth to the Falcon lineup.

Barbie Soine is this year’s only senior. She will be relied upon to get the Falcons out of tough situations. Last year she played in 32 games and finished with 45 digs and five assists.

Mace returns to the Falcon line up as the team’s top libero. She played in 133 games last year and led the team with 523 digs. She sees the large return of players as a key to winning. She sees her role on the team as picking everybody up and keeping the energy level high. “One huge strength is that most of us have played together for a while now and we should know how we think and play. My personal goal would have to be to pass every ball perfect and not let a ball hit the floor.” said Mace.

One of the three captains of the team is Gustafson. She played in 51 games last year and finished with 55 kills, 11 aces, 123 digs and seven blocked shots, but she believes her biggest contribution is her communication skills. “I tend to be more vocal on the court then I do off the court.”

Defensive specialist and libero player Zamzow has her eye on the competition this year. “A couple of teams we’ll be looking out for this season will probably be Whitewater and Stout. Both are tough teams to compete against.”

Middle hitter Sagami is also excited about the season. “This year the conference is a little more unpredictable because so many really good teams have a new head coach so that could shake things up a little.” In 2004 she played in 32 games last year and had 28 kills and 13 blocks. Sagami brings experience to her position and she hopes to improve her quickness. She wants to help the team run a faster offense and “dominate on the court.”

Another middle, Vandenberg, played a minimal role in games during the 2004 season, but was named the team’s Most Improved Player. The Falcons will look for her to continue to improve and compete for more extensive playing time as the season progresses.

Molly Thompson begins her third year with the Falcons. Molly missed most of her sophomore season due to injuries and appeared in only five games, but she’s looking forward to the season. “As always being in the WIAC, it’s going to be tough. I don’t take any team for granted.” The most challenging teams the Falcons look to face, according to Thompson, are Whitewater, La Crosse and Eau Claire. “We have a lot of potential on this team, both in starters and our subs.”

With the depth in the bench, Ford doesn’t have to worry about injuries due to overuse. “We’re strong and healthy this year and hope to stay that way.”