The Baker University volleyball team will bump start its season Friday when it travels to Northwestern University in Sioux City, Iowa for a two-day tournament.
“We usually start out the season looking for some real strong competition so we can see how we fit in the national scene,” head volleyball coach Kathy Allen said.
The Wildcats had a tough time meeting expectations last year after a terrific season two years ago.
“Last year we did well but not as well as we wanted,” Allen said. “Now we’re just looking to the future and hoping to do our best.”
And the best for the Wildcats should be exceptional considering the large senior class and a talented incoming class.
“We’ve got a very experienced team this year with just a few freshmen that are extremely talented,” Allen said.
The team is eager to begin its season as well.
“I’m excited for getting the season started and just to get things rolling,” senior Jamie Starling said.
Senior Kayla Anderson said the team has been meshing well and while the competition at Northwestern will be tough, she thinks the team is ready.
“This year we’ve stepped it up a little bit more,” Anderson said. “We’ve always been a team that can outlast the other.”
Allen said she’d like to use this first tournament to shake out some cobwebs and re-establish the team in the same position they were in last season.
The volleyball team did lose All-American Brooke Pryor from last year but the team still has a lot of depth.
“I think that our attack and our offense will be a little bit more diversified,” Allen said. “We don’t have a Pryor on the team but we have a lot of talent at every position.”
The Wildcats will look to freshmen, as well as returners, to fill the vacant varsity positions.
“The freshmen are probably one of the best recruiting classes we’ve had since I’ve been here,” senior Jamie Starling said.
The ’Cats have played two scrimmages and an alumni game to get ready for the Northwestern tournament where they will face Doane College, Briar Cliff University, Dordt College and Morningside College.
