NEWTON, Mass. – This year's roster for the Mount Ida College women's volleyball team will have seven returning players, and Head Coach Craig Martin is relying on them to step up and seize their opportunities to start on this team.
The Mustangs need to fill the shoes left by the graduation of All-Conference player Jenn Ferreira, who registered just under 400 kills a year ago, and Martin thinks they have the ability to make a postseason run if they execute and have the right mentality.
The Mustangs went 6-6 in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) and reached the quarterfinals of the postseason tournament. They have been picked to finish seventh in this year's GNAC women's volleyball preseason poll, released Thursday morning by the conference office.
"The plus thing for us right now is that because we have five returning starters who all have a little bit of experience," said Martin. "To only have to have one new player on the court at any given time, that should help them seamlessly transition a little bit quicker."
Martin has already seen his team of upperclassmen instantly bond with the freshman and transfer players, making them feel welcome, eating together, and forming a family unit.
Martin likes the leadership that he gets from his two seniors and captains, opposite hitter Emily Hutvagner (Beacon Falls, Conn.) and middle hitter Abbey Fedigan (New Fairfield, Conn.).
"They're both very talkative and outgoing and always trying to improve. The best thing for underclassmen is to see seniors who still want to learn. For me to be able show a freshman that a senior still wants me to teach them things is really great."
On the court, Hutvagner registered 81 kills in 2012 before being hampered by an injury, while Fedigan played the entire season and led the team with 41 blocks, while also contributing 88 digs and 68 kills and acing her opponents on 25 serves.
"Abbey does a great job of running the middle and trying to disrupt the other team and wreak havoc. She pulls blockers and catches people off guard and really focuses on doing her job correctly," said Martin.
After playing in a two-setter offense last year, junior Nicole Peixoto (New Bedford, Mass.) will be called upon this year to fill the setting duties on her own. Peixoto had 433 assists last year, averaging nearly 5 assists per set, and with more chances and an increased confidence and consistency, those numbers should be doubled by the end of this year.
Outside hitter Hillary Kostner (Corona, Calif.) is a transfer from a junior college who joins the Mustangs in her senior year and will be a key offensive weapon, allowing other younger players to develop and better understand the college game.
Running the middle with Fedigan will be junior Nicole Batakis (East Longmeadow, Mass.), who has increased her vertical, transitioned from the outside, and this year looks much more fluid, according to her coach.
Martin will also be looking for sparks from returning sophomore Haley Paradis (Hampton, N.H.) and freshman Katelyn Wickert (Chesapeake, Va.). Wickert will play opposite and allow the Mustangs to shift Hutvagner to outside at times, while Paradis is going to have a chance to step up and contribute in a big way on the outside after she came off the bench to register 31 kills in 44 sets.
Sophomore Kelcey Koolman (Bedford, N.H.) will return to the libero position, where she led the team with 310 digs.
The Mustangs will open their season on Friday night when they travel to Regis College for the Pride Invitational Tournament. Their first match is at 4:00 pm against the host school, with games against WPI, MIT and Eastern Nazarene to follow over the weekend.
While Martin noted that the game at cross-town rivals Lasell on October 26th will be an exciting match, he cautions his girls to take the same approach to every game.
"We're not circling games on the calendar and saying 'these are the games we need to play at,'" said Martin. "Conference, non-conference, they should be going in to every game with the same mentality and playing with the same consistency."
The Mustang's home opener is on September 10th when the Mustangs welcome in Wheaton College. Their conference schedule begins at home on September 28th with a tri-match against Simmons and Norwich.