Williams Volleyball Season Outlook
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — This year the Williams College Volleyball team will take on an exciting look.Because four players graduated - three of whom earned All-America honors, - the 2011 campaign portends to be one of youth and opportunity. This year's Eph squad features only one senior alongside six incoming freshmen.
But don't let the class years on the Eph roster fool you; there is a lot of promise in this Eph squad.
Third year head coach Christi Kelsey is extremely excited about this year's team and the upcoming challenges that lie ahead.
"Youth is a wonderful thing in many ways," Kelsey said. "It provides a fresh perspective to our team and adds new people into the mix to help build our program for the future. One of our main strengths will be the leadership from our captains and upperclassmen. Combine great leadership with an extremely dedicated, hard-working, and enthusiastic group of players and you have the makings of a competitive team."
This year's schedule will test the Ephs both regionally and within the conference. The NESCAC continues to be one of the most challenging conferences from top to bottom and the Ephs will take on several of the region's best at the invitationals hosted by Endicott, MIT, and the Hall of Fame.
 Emily Barratta |
"We open up with a new tournament this year hosted by Endicott College, which is traditionally a strong team in the New England region," Kelsey said. "The tournament also provides us with an opportunity to play teams from outside our region, which is always a valuable competitive experience. After opening weekend, we have a mix of NESCAC weekends along with several strong regional tournaments, where we will have the chance to go up against some of the most competitive teams within our region. As far as the NESCAC goes, it's going to be a battle from start to finish again this year. Middlebury had a tremendous run to win the title last year and for 2011 it's going to be a fun race right from the start with so many top-notch programs in the mix."
Even though the schedule will be challenging, Kelsey prefers to keep the focus on the team and
 Aly McKinnon |
"We're going to push this group right from the start in a positive way mentally and physically," Kelsey said. "We're going to challenge them to be consistent in how hard we prepare and how hard we compete. Additionally, it's important that we focus on our team chemistry from the start. With a lot of new people in the mix, this will be an important component of our team's foundation for this season. Seeing how we can put together individual pieces to form one, collective squad will be an exciting task."
 Lauren Agoubi |
"I am extremely proud of the leadership work that Haley and Aly have done so far and am excited to see their growth as we head into the season," Kelsey said. "They're truly team-first leaders and have complimentary leadership styles both on and off the court, which will be a great benefit for us."
Also returning this season will be junior Lauren Agoubi, sophomore Emily Doll and sophomore Emily Baratta.
"These three players along with Haley and Aly will all play important roles on and off the court this season," Kelsey said. "They have the experience and knowledge of what it is like to play at this level and what it means to be a part of our Williams volleyball family. I have been extremely impressed with their off-season work ethic and am looking forward to seeing how that translates on the court this fall."
The first new addition to this year's squad will be junior Jennifer Borderud.
 Haley Eagon |
"Having someone that can play multiple sports well is an awesome thing and we're excited to have the opportunity to have Jen be a part of both the volleyball and basketball teams this upcoming year. She will add great perspective for our group in terms of athletic experience, leadership, and competition. Her tremendous work ethic and team-first mentality fit right in with our core team values," Kelsey said.
Making up half of this year's Eph roster are the six new faces that will embark on college life and collegiate volleyball for the first time.
"We are excited to welcome this talented group into our volleyball family and the Williams community," Kelsey said. "They're a wonderful mix of young women from all over the country and internationally. I've been impressed with them so far as students, athletes, and as people, and am very much looking forward to having them at Williams for the next four years."
The class of 2015 includes: defensive specialist/libero Holly Harper; middle blocker Callie Kiernan, outside hitter Claire Miller, outside hitter/opposite Emily O'Day), outside/middle hitter Raea Rasmussen, and setter Amanda Schott.
The Ephs kick off the year at the Endicott Invitational on Sept. 9 and 10. Williams is scheduled to play Salve Regina, Plymouth State, Schreiner, Texas, and Endicott.
Schedule/Results: http://williams.prestosports.com/sports/wvball/2011-12/schedule
