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"With the four returning
sophomore letter winners and one sophomore transfer, I think we have
the nucleus to compete with everyone on our schedule," said Tippett.
"I have a lot of options this year that were not available last
season. The girls are making it very tough on me trying to figure
out if I should use one or two setters in the lineup.
"Our leading setter will likely
be Christy Raymer, who played right side and setter last season. She
will be replacing Beth Guy, who was a standout for us last season.
Two who are pushing Christy are Maggie Noldan and Rosie Miller. They
are rotating in the back row and setting, and all three of these
young ladies are capable of playing and making huge contributions.
At this point, I really don't know how I am going to comprise the
lineup. We will have to see how things go in the remaining practices
and some of the early games."
Raymer, of Gridley, is joined
on the squad by letter winners Jessica Livezey of Chenoa, Lacey
Jones of Astoria and Ashley Hanson from Naperville. Savannah Hammond
of Galesburg is a sophomore transfer from Carl Sandburg. Freshmen on
the volleyball squad are Melissa Brassard of Milford; LaDrica
Harris, Springfield; Samantha McCoy, Paxton; Jennifer Stedman,
Tremont; Laura Hecht, Downers Grove; Kristin Majka, Hinsdale; Noldan,
Villa Park; and Miller, Ramsey.
"I am looking for a lot of
leadership from the sophomores class," said Tippett. "Livezey
returns as our leader in kills and blocks from last season, and we
are looking for her to have an outstanding season. Hanson is a
defensive specialist who has shown a lot of consistency as a passer
and back row defender. She also gives us a lot of stability as a
server.
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"Jones saw a considerable
amount of playing time as an outside hitter, and she will be
replacing Jeannine Bittner, who led us in a lot of areas last
season. Lacey should be team leader and is an all-around good
offensive player. Brassard will be playing a lot in the middle, and
she has shown a lot of quickness with good offensive instincts.
Majka brings a lot of experience to the program from a large program
in the Chicago area. I have been impressed by her athletic ability
thus far.
"The Libero position is likely
to be handled by Samantha McCoy, who is a tenacious defender and has
shown the ability to be in the right place at the right time. Hecht
is a new addition to the squad who has not played for two years due
to injuries; however, she gets better each and every time out. She
gives us some height with good blocking ability.
"Contending for playing time in
the back row will be Jennifer Stedman and LaDrica Harris," continued
Tippett. "They have shown a lot of progress in their passing
ability, and they give me a lot of options. Hammond did not play at
Carl Sandburg last season, but she has been working her way into
position on the right side and has been working extremely hard in
practice."
Lincoln College opens its
season Sept. 3 at Danville and will open the home season the
following night at 6:30 against Illinois Valley Community College.
"Parkland will probably be the favorite in our conference, with John
Wood returning a strong freshman class," said Tippett. "I feel we
will be competitive with any of the teams on our schedule. The
conference is so balanced any team can beat another on any given
night. I hope our girls will stay focused and jump right into the
competition at a high level. Our attitude has been outstanding at
this time, and the girls appear to be having a lot of fun as they
work hard to have a successful season."
[Bill
Martinie,
Lincoln College
sports information director] |
