Fans were able to get their first look at the 18th ranked Bluejays on Friday night, as the volleyball team kicked off their season with the intra-squad Blue/White Scrimmage. The event served as both an introduction to the new team and a chance for Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth to experiment with lineups heading into the season opener next Saturday against Wichita State.
The graduations of setter Maggie Baumert, as well as defensive specialists Kate Elman and Ashley Jansen, leave big gaps on the court that the Bluejays need to fill as they work to bring home a third straight Big East regular season and tournament championship. Overall, it appears as if the Bluejays have a handful of players ready to step up and shoulder the increased responsibilities.
Although the two sides often traded players between sets, the focal point of both offenses were the two leading contenders for the setting job, Lydia Dimke and Jaclyn Taylor. Dimke, a 6’3” transfer from Purdue, led the White team while Taylor, a true freshman who joined the team in July, headed the Blue side. With most of the offensive power returning from last year, a high paced attack was visible on both sides of the net. As many other offensive players rotated teams, both setters showcased their skills. In the four sets played, Dimke racked up 41 assists and Taylor was close behind with 35.
Following her first appearance in front of the Bluejay fans, Dimke is optimistic about the team’s offense.
“I’m really excited,” Dimke commented afterward. “I think our offense has a long ways to go still but I think we made great strides in these first two weeks of practice and we’re just going to make even further strides.”
She also stressed the importance of time playing together as a team.
“With new setters and new hitters, all the connection just takes time. Right now all we need is time; good thing we have another week.”
Coach Booth still appears to be working through the final details of the lineup, a task made more difficult by the play of her two primary options for setter.
“I thought both setters did a great job. Lydia has more experience but I think Jacyln has improved exponentially over the last week. I thought both of them made good decisions.”
“I think both Jaclyn and Lydia have done a nice job adapting to our offense,” Booth continued. “Jaclyn and Lydia both came from slower offenses. Lydia had the opportunity last spring to get into our offense when she transferred early, so she is probably a little more comfortable, but Jaclyn I really think has adapted. I talked to her when she arrived in July and said ‘you need to set a different ball’ and she’s done a great job of doing that.”
Defensively, junior Kenzie Crawford led all players with 18 digs. Brittany Witt and Samantha Bohnet also provided 12 and 11 digs respectively. These three rotated sides and swapped the libero roles throughout the scrimmage; giving them practice with all of their teammates while also facing a variety of different offensive attacks.
When asked about her thoughts on the defense, Coach Booth seems confident in her team’s talent and depth.
“I think right now we have two strong candidates for that position and some good depth behind that. Those decisions are going to be made over the next week. I think we have some good options. Kate [Elman] is a big hole but I think we will fill it well.”
Senior Jess Bird, a versatile player and returning starter, echoed her coach’s thoughts.
“We lost some great defenders but as you can see we had some people out there making some amazing plays. A lot of people stepped up in their roles tonight.”
Following an injury-driven redshirt season, freshman Megan Ballenger led both teams with 5 kills in the first set. She was joined on the Blue squad by 2015 starters Jaali Winters and Marysa Wilkinson. Together, Blue won the first set 25-17. The White side initially paired Dimke with seniors Jess Bird and Lauren Smith and sophomore Taryn Kloth.
Following the first set, Jaali Winters swapped sides. With the offense concentrated on one side, White won the second set easily 25-13. Ultimately the White team won the final two sets 25-21 and 26-24. Key players including Bird, Crawford, Ballenger, Bohnet, and Wilkinson rotated between sides in the final sets.
The 2016 Bluejay team appeared excited to be returning to the court and eager to build on what they achieved last season. Continued success will depend on a cohesive team as lineups are finalized. Coach Booth appreciates what she has seen so far.
“I think mentally we are in a really good place. I think they believe and are hard workers. We have talent. They are a pretty selfless group and really want the team to succeed rather than players that are focused on themselves. I think we have the ingredients to be successful but we are still a work in progress. I think the mindset is good.”
With only eight more days of practice before the season opener, the Bluejays need to make the most of their time together. A tough non-conference schedule awaits them, but Coach Booth has confidence in her team as the season commences.
“That’s part of the deal with the schedule we set up, we need to be firing on all cylinders. That’s the goal; that’s the challenge. Just as every team is trying to do that. We have a lot of veterans, we are filling some holes with new players but I think we are doing a great job.”
The Bluejays will next take the court Saturday, August 27th at 4:00pm to face Wichita State at the Iowa State Challenge in Ames, IA.
