August 19
August 19, 2008
Edna Breaux Uzee
August 21, 2008
Nicholls State volleyball coach Chris Laird has had his share of misfortune the last three seasons.
When he arrived in 2005, Stopher Gymnasium was serving as a makeshift evacuation shelter. The team’s season was spent on the road.
In 2006, then-senior Atina Porter, a key player, was injured, halting the Lady Colonels’ momentum. For the remainder of the season, the team struggled.
Last season, Karma reared its head again. The Lady Colonels floundered to an 8-24 overall finish – last in the conference.
For the first time since he initially set foot on campus, Laird believes he’s assembled “his team” – players who will turn the program around.
“We’re very excited,” Laird said of the upcoming season. “We’re kind of worn down a little because the girls have been working really hard. I haven’t had to challenge them, they’ve done it all on their own. As a coaching staff, we are probably most excited about this season than we were in seasons past.”
Laird’s players will now rely on strong passing – instead of power – to stay alive.
“If we are going to be known for anything, it is going to be our ball control and our tenacious defense,” he explained. “In the past, we’ve had a standout hitter. (Porter) came through and she was very big, a high flyer. Last year, Kindra (Halverson) was a high flyer for us. This year, they are going to see a lot of the balance that we had last year. We have girls that can play different positions and we have depth this year. We’re not there yet, but we are closer.”
Despite the loss of Halverson, who led the team with 264 kills last season, the Lady Colonels have a slew of key players returning.
Senior outside hitter Mallory McInnis (redshirted because of an injury) returns to the court. In 2006, she led the team with 39 service aces and was in the top three in kills with 200.
Junior middle hitter Amy Beshir also returns. She finished the 2007 season with 142 kills. Also back this year are junior setter Amy Whitehead (65 kills), senior outside hitter Chelsea Adams (60 kills), senior libero Enjoli Ford, sophomore defensive specialist Elise King and junior outside hitter Rachel Spreen (213 kills).
Laird said he was intrigued not only by the number of players returning, but by the effort they have extended to get newcomers up to speed. New to the team are Casie Blanchard (outside hitter), Danielle Daigle (defensive specialist), Manieka Golden (outside hitter), Jordan Karst (setter), Kellie Sorrells (outside hitter) and Rachel Yezak (right side hitter).
In fact, Laird believes this year’s team has the most depth it has had since he first arrived on campus, making it more difficult to name a “star” player.
“It would be unfair to name just one person whom I would consider ‘the main player,'” he said. “I really couldn’t say that in the past. The returners as a whole have done a great job; they’ve all stepped up. Our floor captain right now is Whitehead. She has done a great job of getting behind the program and getting the other girls to play. That being said, everyone has really stepped up their game. They know what it felt like to lose and they want to change that this season.”
The Lady Colonels certainly have a difficult task at hand with a tough non-conference schedule that features opening weekend games against Western Kentucky, Alabama and Iowa. Laird hopes to use those games, along with the rest of the non-conference schedule, as an opportunity to correct any problems and help the Lady Colonels be competitive in conference play.
“We feel like we are right on track and doing the things we need to right now,” he said. “Every year, we talk about the conference tournament and every year we feel like we are one step closer to it. We can make a big stride this year.”
Senior Mallory McInnis returns for her senior season with the Lady Colonels. After finishing with 200 kills she was redshirted due to an injury. * Photo courtesy of NSU
