July 9, 2008

ATHENS, Ohio - Some of the faces associated with the Ohio University volleyball program may have changed since the end of last season, but the goal remains the same for new head coach Ryan Theis and the Bobcats in 2008: win a conference championship and be playing their best volleyball at the end of the year.

While there may be a new coaching staff directing Ohio towards that goal this season, the Bobcats' roster is anything but that. The 2008 Ohio roster has played in a combined 569 matches heading into this season, and the team is returning four starters and 12 letterwinners from a squad that won 26 matches and the school's fifth-straight regular-season Mid-American Conference title a year ago. Among that group are two players who captured All-MAC accolades in 2007, a MAC All-Freshman Team selection and the Most Valuable Player of the 2007 USA Adult Open Volleyball Championship.

The 2008 Bobcats also return more than 90 percent of their assist production from last season, as well as more than 60 percent of their blocks and better than half of their kills, digs and aces. Just as important to Theis as the team's on-court credentials, however, is the off-court savvy of a team that has knowledge of both the opponents they will face and how to thoroughly prepare for each match.

Theis will be joined on the Ohio sidelines this fall by staff that also knows the game both on and off the court, having both played and coached at the collegiate level. Assistant coach Meghan Keck rewrote the Illinois-Chicago setting records as a player during a career that also saw her rise above her peers in the academic arena, while counterpart Kyle Weindel was an All-American at men's volleyball powerhouse Ball State and has experience coaching at the USA Volleyball level. Rounding out the staff, volunteer assistant Jenny Manz Theis was a two-time All-American and Southeastern Conference Player of the Year before playing professionally both on American soil and overseas and serving coaching stints at Northwestern and her alma mater.

Setter
Jill DeArmond 6-0 Sr. Ft. Wayne, Ind.
Michelle Jantsch 5-10 So. Mission Hills, Kan.

With a full season in a two-setter scheme under their belts, the 1-2 punch of DeArmond and Jantsch will return to spark the Ohio offense again in 2008.

A team leader known for her intelligence on the court, DeArmond has helped set Ohio to 87 victories over the course of the last three seasons. Her solid contributions over that time have placed her on the cusp of breaking into the top 10 of the school's career assists chart.

Jantsch broke on the scene last season with a team-best 9.64 assists-per-set average and a clip of 2.23 digs per frame, grabbing a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team. A fluid athlete noted for her strong serve, she also fired 15 aces in her first collegiate season.

Outside Hitter
Ellen Herman 6-1 Jr. Toledo, Ohio
Sue Jacobi 6-0 So. Louisville, Ky.
Whitney Maiden 6-0 Sr. Nelsonville, Ohio

Poised to be one of the most exciting position groups on the team this season, the Ohio outside hitters flourished in the new system during the spring.

A first-team All-MAC pick in each of her first two collegiate seasons, Herman returns for her junior year after leading the garnering MVP honors at the USA Adult Open Volleyball Championship for leading the U.S. Women's National A2 Red Team to its first title in four years. A prototypical outside hitter with the ability to hit from anywhere on the court, Herman worked closely with Theis during the spring to refine her arm swing and explore the concepts of "good miss" and "bad miss."

Jacobi and Maiden are two players whom Theis identified as making profound strides during the spring season. The former will be looked upon to increase her workload over her freshman campaign, and used the spring to cut down on mistakes and develop her court awareness. Maiden, another senior who will be counted on for leadership this year, boasts an all-around game that allows her to attack, block and pass, which will result in increased playing time in 2008.

Middle Blocker
Amanda Andersen 6-2 Sr. Lino Lakes, Minn.
McKenzie Mauck 6-2 Sr. Muncie, Ind.
Katie Post 6-2 Fr. Streamwood, Ill.
Meghan Simons 6-3 Jr. Lancaster, Ohio
Jane Sytsma 6-3 Jr. Madison, Wis.

The deepest position group on the team, the Bobcat middle blockers will be relied on heavily to score points on both the attack and the block this season.

Sytsma, a second-team All-MAC selection as a sophomore last season, and Simons are both returning starters from a year ago, when they combined for 397 kills and 189 total blocks. Sytsma possesses what Theis calls a "true middle mentality," meaning that she has a desire to kill every ball that she's set and block every ball that comes across the net. Her classmate Simons plays as high as any player in the MAC, which enables her to score points from different zones of the net.

An integral part of the team leadership, Mauck will provide experience and a calming influence on the court, while Andersen's one-foot attacking ability will be an oft-used weapon for the Bobcats this season. Post enters the college game with skills that make her a combination of some of the team's older middles, and will also be utilized for her one-foot attacking prowess.

Opposite Hitter
Amanda Andersen 6-2 Sr. Lino Lakes, Minn.
Katie Post 6-2 Fr. Streamwood, Ill.

A position that appears to be a question mark heading into the season, the opposite hitter spot will likely be filled by multiple Ohio players in 2008.

Though out of system on the right side, Theis feels that the Bobcats' side-out offense won't miss a beat with Andersen in that slot due to her ability to attack off of one foot. She put in a lot of work during the spring to develop skills not often used in the middle, and the coaching staff is looking to see improvement in those areas throughout the course of the year.

Post picked up out-of-system experience during her high school days, and is comfortable going off of one foot or two. She will also be in the mix for playing time on the right side, as her strong arm speed and the ability generate velocity on her attacks allows her to play multiple places on the floor.

Libero/Defensive Specialist
Meryl Bender 5-5 So. Yorktown, Ind.
Molly Mangan 5-8 Sr. Claire, Ill.
Sarah Petrulis 5-6 Jr. Westlake, Ohio
Nicole Staverman 5-7 Fr. Edgewood, Ky.

Ohio's most diverse position group this season, each of the four players have different strengths and complement each other in different ways, which will lead to playing time for each member of the group.

All three returners at this position gained significant experience a year ago, as the Bobcats used four defensive specialists throughout the year and were known to play as many as three liberos in a single match. Theis and his staff plan to use the group's varying strengths in different situations again this season.

Bender is a former setter with extensive experience in the right back position, while Mangan played outside hitter in high school and was utilized in the middle back slot and Petrulis, who possesses strength in serve receive, has seen significant time at left back. A newcomer who adds to the overall athleticism of the team, Staverman is a wild card who will look to find her place in the well-rounded group of defensive specialists on the roster.

Schedule
A 16-match schedule plus a conference tournament in a league with as much parity as the MAC is enough to test even the highest caliber of teams. Add in what is arguably the most challenging non-conference slate in the nation, and the result is a 2008 schedule that will propel the Bobcats towards achieving their goal of peaking at the right time of the season.

With a schedule that will pit Ohio against seven NCAA Championship teams from a year ago, including four that reached the regional semifinal round, the Bobcats will be challenged week after week. That prospect sits well with an enthusiastic Theis, who follows the mantra that the best way to improve is to compete against top competition.

Ohio kicks off the season with a trip to the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Classic, where the Bobcats will square off with defending national champion Penn State, UCLA and host Hawaii - a group that has combined for eight NCAA championships and nine runner-up finishes. Following the trip to Hawaii, the `Cats will play in tournaments at Pittsburgh and Syracuse, respectively, before heading home to host Middle Tennessee State and Tulane in a tourney of their own.

The Bobcats begin MAC play with home matches against Akron (Sept. 26) and Buffalo (Sept. 27) before hitting the road for the second weekend of league action. Home dates against Miami (Nov. 7) and Bowling Green (Nov. 8) also highlight the MAC slate at The Convo.