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Aug. 30, 2010

BELLINGHAM, Wash. -

JOE SUNNEN - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

There's a buzz in the air around the Western Washington volleyball program this season and sophomore Marlayna Geary can hardly wait to get things started.

She rubs her hands together like an excited child and her eyes grow wide while she talks about the Vikings potential this year.

"When we practiced our warm-up the other day I was ready to go," Geary said. "I was ready for a game. I was looking for a team to show up. I can't wait."

Senior Allison Gotz shares in the electricity. She grins from ear to ear when it's time to talk WWU volleyball and absolutely gushes about the amount of talent Western will put on the court.

"We're definitely still figuring things out because we're still only two weeks into the season," Gotz said. "But absolutely we have everything here that we need."

Don't be fooled into thinking that's just preseason enthusiasm. The Vikings are going to be good this season. Just how good? Time will tell if they'll be good enough to reach the national tournament again as they did three years ago, but with 14 players returning and a squad with no discernable weaknesses, there are plenty of reasons for optimism.

"I feel really good about the depth that we have at all of our positions," WWU coach Diane Flick said. "That's a comforting fact when you're always thinking that injuries can decide seasons. There's a lot of competition throughout the gym right now."

Western will get its first real look at exactly what it has when the season opens on Friday, Sept. 3 at the Western Oregon Invitational in Monmouth, Ore. There it will face three teams ranked in the top 10 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II Top 25 Preseason Poll. Until then, it will have to settle for some of the most competitive and spirited practices that the program has seen in recent memory.

"The great thing about having as much competition as we have right now is that everyone is getting better," Gotz said. "You're either pushing someone ahead of you to be better or you're pulling someone along to be better. It's a great place to be in."

Indeed, Western heads into 2010 with some heady expectations after finishing 17-10 overall and third in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Personnel wise the Vikings have at least two and sometimes three players at each position capable of starting or who will challenge for playing time. WWU has also been picked as the preseason favorite in the GNAC coaches' poll.

"I think competition creates a lot of learning opportunities because learning happens when there's a need to know," Flick said. "We've been mixing it up enough to where I think if we put any lineup on the floor they would be comfortable next to somebody, but there's probably going to be competition the entire season."

Perhaps the most interesting position battle shaping up is at setter, where sophomore incumbent Laurie Yearout and former starter Kari Rice are competing for the job. Rice opted to redshirt last season and left the door open for Yearout. Now the two are working hard for the spot.

"They are making my job hard," Flick said. "That's what they are supposed to do. I've told everyone out here competing for a spot that all they can do is play their best and control what they can control. Eventually I'm going to have to make a decision."

Among those who should see plenty of playing time this season are Geary, Gotz, Emily Jepsen, Kathryn Mertens and Megan Amundson.

Geary led the team in kills last season and ranked second in digs on her way to being named the GNAC Freshman of the Year. Jepsen paced the team in blocks from her middle blocker spot and shared the lead in aces. Gotz topped the team in digs and was an honorable mention all-conference pick along with right side hitter Amundson.

Every returning player on the roster has improved since last season, even if some of the younger players have shed that anonymity that helped them a year ago.

"It's not like it was when nobody knew who I was," Geary said. "Every team knows what shots I like now. So in practice it's a matter of me working on the shots that I don't like as much. That way when it comes time for a game people have no idea what to expect."

Geary got plenty of work this spring when WWU had the luxury of running full 6 vs. 6 drills during practices thanks to its large group of returning players. It was as close to simulating a match as you can get and the players loved it.

"Spring practice was so much fun," Geary said. "With 14 of us there it was always a good practice. It was always 6 vs. 6. And then when we went into the fall it was really nice because there was a core of us ready to go."

If that wasn't enough, Gotz and Amundson organized a week of practices just before fall camp began to make sure the team was ready to go. The days were filled with intense practices, ran by the team and without the WWU coaching staff, to make sure everyone understood what this season was about.

"It was really good for us to get back in the swing of things," Gotz said. "It helped get the freshmen adjusted and put us in the right mindset. It was also a week of drills that other teams weren't getting. It was so cool to see us put a challenge in front of ourselves and complete it. The coaches didn't tell us to do that. We just did it. And it was really cool to see how we attacked a challenge together."

As perfect as the offseason has been for WWU, it still got a scare early in on in the fall when Jepsen injured her thumb. At first they worried she might miss the season, but now it appears she'll recover in time for the season opener. It shouldn't be a surprise that in her absence the underclassmen stepped in at middle blocker and didn't miss a beat.

"Everyone has benefitted from the competition out here," Flick said. "Competition can either make you scared or make you try to get better. I think everyone has moved to get better and that's just elevated everyone's level of play."