Sept. 6, 2010
Contact: Greg Murphy
With the Labor Day weekend just about behind us, it's time to look ahead as college athletics is back in full swing.
And if you are looking for something to do this weekend, why not come and check out the Cleveland State volleyball team which returns home to host the CSU Invitational Presented by the Crowne Plaza Cleveland South on Friday and Saturday (Sept. 10-11) in Woodling Gym.
There are two matches on Friday with Kent State playing Morgan State at 4:30 p.m. and the Vikings hosting George Washington at 7:00 p.m.
On Saturday, Kent State plays George Washington at 10:30 with CSU playing Morgan State at 1:00 p.m. Morgan State has a quick turnaround and will face GWU at 4:30 p.m. with the Vikings and Golden Flashes concluding the tournament with a 7:00 p.m. match.
There will be a lot of good volleyball this weekend and I for one am excited to see the Vikings in person.
I have had a chance to watch some preseason practices, as well as an inter-squad scrimmage in August, but from the looks of the first two tournaments, it appears that this could be a very special squad.
Just take a look at what the team has done during the early part of the season.
CSU has played in two tournaments, the East Carolina Classic and the Thunder Invitational Tourney, hosted by Marshall. The Vikings have won them both.
The 6-0 start is the second best start in school history, topped only by the 1977 squad which began the season 7-0.
The Vikings have won matches in every which way, including three sweeps, one four-set victory and two five-set wins in which CSU rallied from 2-1 deficits both times to earn come-from-behind wins.
That's the sign of a strong team.
Next, you have to look at the individual performances of the team.
In talking with the coaches during the preseason, they were not to sure what to expect. After all, the graduations of honorable mention All-Americans Liz Fazio and Beth Greulich left the Vikings without their top two attackers from last season after the duo accounted for 47-percent of CSU's swings.
Enter a few underclassmen who have picked up their games.
First is sophomore Kara Koch, who arrived at CSU as the all-time leader in kills in Ohio high school history. And at the rate she is going this year, Koch could challenge Jamie Bouyer's CSU record of 1,626 career kills.
After adjusting to the collegiate game last year, Koch has taken a huge leap during the first two weeks of her sophomore year, earning MVP honors at both tournaments. She is averaging 4.22 kills per set this year and capped the Marshall tournament with a dominating 25 kill performance.
Then there is Jackie Dabbelt, who redshirted last season. She has enjoyed a phenomenal start to her collegiate career, leading the team and ranking among the Horizon League leaders with a .327 attack percentage. In her first career college match, Dabbelt hammered out 17 kills to lead CSU past Liberty in five sets.
And don't forget about senior Amy Benz or junior Megan Barhorst who have done an outstanding job patrolling the middle of the court this year both offensively and defensively.
Throw in junior Lindsey Griffith, who has been in the program for four years, and the Vikings have five players who can beat the opposition on offense. Griffith has always had to battle through a numbers game as there were always upperclassmen ahead of her in the outside hitter rotation. This year, she is the most experienced player on the roster at outside hitter and has come through during the first two weeks, averaging 2.00 kills per set and hitting .224.
Behind the success of all these attackers is junior setter Jordan Goad, an honorable mention All-American last year. Already ranked fifth in career assists in CSU history, Goad has all the makings of a successful setter. She is athletic, intelligent and builds a good rapport with each and every one of her hitters.
Goad's backup is Annie Djukic, a redshirt freshman who continues to be ready to take the court. This was never more evident that Saturday's first match at Marshall against Hofstra when Djukic got the call to give Goad a chance to rest her back. All Djukic did was dish out 32 assists and lead the Vikings to a .429 attack percentage in her first career start.
And don't forget about the Viking defense, a scrappy bunch led by junior libero Amy Grabiec. A former walk-on who is now a team captain, Grabiec has seemed to pick up anything and everything that has been hit at her early this season. She is averaging 5.42 digs per set and made a career-high 31 digs in the win over Marshall. She has joined Koch on the all-tournament teams at both events this year.
Sophomores Amanda Medvetz and Brittany Holland, as well as senior Meghan Mental join Grabiec in the backrow.
As you can see, there is a lot of talent on the volleyball team and they have been working hard during the preseason and in practices leading up to the season. The squad has a chance to win another tournament title right in their home gym this weekend, as well as a chance to get off to the best start in school history.
Come on out and watch the Vikings in Woodling Gym this weekend.
