By RANGER ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
Unlike the new gym floor and bleacher set-up in Percefull Fieldhouse, the Ranger volleyball team will look towards some old faces to continue to build on last year’s conference tournament birth.
Although that birth into the Great American Conference Tournament during the first year of eligibility ultimately ended in heartbreak in the form of a 3-1 loss to rival Southwestern Oklahoma State, the Rangers will return plenty of offensive firepower back to the court.
The Rangers finished the year with an overall record of 11-18 while finishing at 8-8 in the Great American Conference. The 8-8 conference record was good enough for a sixth-place seed in the conference tournament.
Head Coach Fredrick Wagner returns for his second season at the helm of the Rangers’ program after finishing with a record of 11-18 in his first year. Under Wagner’s direction, the Ranger’s established Percefull Fieldhouse as one of the tougher places to play in the Great American Conference, as they finished with an 8-3 home record.
Wagner expressed his enthusiasm towards his veteran team and noted that he was especially impressed with how they handled a few scheme alterations during this offseason. The Rangers will look to implement more of a swing-blocking technique that will allow them to get more touches on the ball and also stay active throughout each point.
A trio of battle tested seniors, Natalie Fahey, Nora To’omalatai and Asia Pipkin, will return after leading the Rangers in kills last season. All three California natives will be looked upon as leaders as the Rangers look to improve on their sixth-place finish in the conference.
Fahey was especially impressive from the middle blocker position as she had a .311 attack percentage for the season, good enough for fourth in the conference, which earned her Great American Conference Honorable Mention honors. Her defensive presence was also felt by opposing teams as she led the team with 59 total blocks as well as leading the conference with 49 service aces.
Wagner pointed out the San Jose, California native (Fahey) has really focused on her defensive game over the course of the offseason. He also mentioned that moving To’omalatai to more of an outside hitting role will free her up to use her offensive explosiveness more efficiently.
To’omalatai earned her fair share of post-season accolades as well after leading the Rangers with 290 total kills. She led the Rangers in kills per set ratio at 3.24. Her efforts also earned her Great American Conference Honorable Mention honors.
The three-headed offensive monster of Fahey, To’omalatai and Pipkin will not be the only source of points for the Rangers, sophomore Hannah Williams and senior Hayley Brattain will also provide a spark off of the bench.
Although the Rangers are loaded with experience on the offensive side of the ball, defensively the Rangers will have to replace a record-setting performer in Kaydee Yukawa who finished her career as the school’s all-time leader in assists. First in line to replace Yukawa will be Highland, California native, Vanessa Maile, who finished second on the team with 357 assists last year.
When asked about replacing a vital piece of the team from last year, Wagner remained enthusiastic that because Maile and sophomore Cassidy Hackett have already spent a year within the program, the replacement of Yukawa will not be near as difficult as it would have been in the event that they had to bring in someone new to the program.
After a breakout sophomore campaign that saw her take over the libero position and then ultimately lead the team in total digs at 288, junior Carley Geer will be back to solidify the back row for the Rangers.
With a conference schedule that will end with four straight home games to close out the season before the conference tournament begins, the Rangers will look to keep building and improving as a team throughout the season. However, the thought of a showdown with rival Southwestern, who handed the Rangers two straight losses at the end of the season last year, will never leave the minds of the team throughout this season.
“Last year we had a thriller with SWOSU at the end of the regular season and we faced them in the spring,” Wagner said, “I actually had to calm the girls down a little bit and say, ‘hey this is just a spring game, save this for the fall.”