[Volleyball] 2018 Season Preview: Volleyball
MONTREAT, N.C. - After a bitter end to their 2017 season, the ladies of Montreat volleyball are looking for redemption in 2018. The Cavs are using their frustration from an opening round exit in last year's conference tournament to fuel their determination this season.
"Our goal was to make it to the conference tournament championship, so the end of the season wasn't what we wanted. I think it stung for a little bit, so the returning girls are working twice as hard, not just playing-wise, but also team-wise to bring it for conference this year," said Head Coach Kristy Kamer.
The Cavs are tabbed to finish fourth in the 2018 AAC Volleyball Preseason Poll. With Coach Kamer at the helm of the program for the seventh straight year and Emily Wilhoit in her second season as the graduate assistant coach, finishing in the top four is the overall team goal. "You always want to go for that number one spot, but we want to be realistic and go for fourth and make a run in the AAC Tournament," said Kamer.
This year's team has a little more depth than Coach Kamer has ever had in the past. This depth, along with the team-focused, humble, and hungry attitude will be the squad's biggest strength.
Off the court, Coach Kamer's main focus is the team's GPA. The Cavs volleyball program has received the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Academic Award for six consecutive years, and with a team GPA goal of 3.5 or higher, Coach Kamer expects nothing less this year.
This season, Coach Kamer is looking for her returners to step up and lead by example on and off the court. She expects them to keep positive attitudes throughout the season as she has a very young team who will be looking up to the returners to see how to act. "If the returners are down, then we're down. If they're up, then everybody's up," said Coach Kamer. Specifically, Coach Kamer is relying on a trio of returners that includes senior and 2017 first-team all AAC member Abby Graham, as well as juniors Ila Elstein and Hannah Wyngarden.
Some newcomers to look for this year include transfers Katie Stanton, Tori Carter, and China Brown-Woolfolk. These players know what they are here for, and that is to step in and help out. As for the freshmen, Coach Kamer is excited to see what they will bring to the program.
On the other hand, the Cavs know what they lost in players such as Anyla Kryeziu, Courtney Glover, and Kendra Johnson, and because of that, they know what to do in order to make up for those losses.
The Cavs open their 2018 season Aug. 24-25 with the 10th Annual Volley in the Mountains Tournament. Opening with this tournament every year proves to be a great way for Coach Kamer to gauge her team in areas of improvement. The Cavs then hit the road for the next two weekends to play teams they have never faced before, including a Division II tournament. The coaching staff built the schedule with these tournaments to prepare the team for their conference schedule, which kicks off at home on Sept. 6 against Truett-McConnell College.
To view the full 2018 schedule, click here.