Washington State Women's Volleyball Fall Practices Underway for Cougar Volleyball Team
PULLMAN, Wash. -- The Washington State women’s volleyball program has hunkered down in Bohler Gym for the first week of the Fall practice sessions, preparing for the 2010 season under third-year Head Coach and 2009 Pacific-10 Conference Coach of the Year, Andrew Palileo.
The Cougars return four starters from the 2009 NCAA Championships first round squad: senior middle blocker Brittany Tillman, junior outside hitter Meagan Ganzer, sophomore libero Oceana Bush, a first team Pac-10 All-Freshman selection, and rightside hitter Rachel Todorovich, an honorable mention selection to the Pac-10 All-Freshman team. Other letterwinners returning from the 2009 squad include sophomore junior defensive specialist Faith Hutcherson, junior setter Alex Diemer, and sophomore middle blocker Conley Kipp.
Transfer student-athletes joining the Washington State volleyball team include senior outside hitter Vanessa Murray (Kansas State), junior outside hitter Kaleinani Kabalis (Western Nebraska), and junior setter Maddie Dolny (North Idaho). Incoming freshmen on the roster are middle hitters Marcelina Glab and Annie Leendertsen, middle blocker Stephanie Hagins, setter Sara Biondi, and defensive specialist Jordan Levenseller.
Associate Head Coach Brian Lamppa (third year), Assistant Coach Jennifer Fry (first year), and Operations Coordinator Kara Kiefer (second year) complete the Cougar volleyball coaching staff.
Washington State is coming off an 18-13 overall record, 6-12 Pac-10 record for eighth place and the first trip to the NCAA Championship Tournament since 2002. In the 2010 Pac-10 Volleyball Coaches’ preseason poll, Stanford is selected to take the conference title this fall, followed by USC, Washington, Arizona and California. The Cougars were voted to finish ninth in the preseason poll.
It is not all court practice and weight room conditioning for the Cougar volleyball players in the preseason. Wednesday night, Aug. 11, the volleyball players and coaches took on the WSU women’s soccer team, currently ranked No. 21 nationally, in a very competitive game of slo-pitch softball on the Bailey-Brayton Baseball Field. And next weekend, Aug. 20-21, the volleyball program will participate in the Pullman Lentil Festival, signing autographs downtown Friday night, and be a part of the Saturday morning parade.
The 2010 season begins at home, in Bohler Gym, Aug. 27-28, when WSU hosts the Nike Cougar Invitational featuring NCAA-participants Cal Poly, Weber State, and cross-state rival, Idaho.
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