USC Women's Volleyball 1998 Outlook
June 21, 1999 | Women's Volleyball
August 14, 1998
LOS ANGELES - If the 1998 volleyball season were a game of draw poker, USC would be staying on its first five cards. Or make that six in this case.
The Women of Troy, under 10th-year coach Lisa Love, return five starters, plus have a bevy of candidates for the sixth spot, depth at every position and athleticism to spare.
And while the rest of the Pacific-10 Conference undergoes one of the biggest personnel upheavals in recent memory, USC loses only one player off of last season's roster and is ready to play with the hand it has been dealt.
Said Love: "There are no mysteries on this team, no secrets. We are as athletic at every position as we have ever been and we are as deep as we have ever been. Some of our younger players will be competing hard with our more experienced people for court time.
"This is an extremely competitive team. It is united, has depth and is a very focused unit. It equates into a nice formula going into the 1998 campaign."
Leading the Women of Troy will be a talented senior class featuring four of the squad's five returning starters.
That group is led by All-American middle blocker Jasmina Marinkovic and All-District 8 first team outside hitter Jennifer Kessy. The other senior starters back are All-Pac-10 honorable mention setter Janice Mounts and Academic All-American second team middle blocker Alaina Kipps. The fifth starter back is sophomore outside hitter Antoinette Polk, the Pac-10 1997 Freshman of the Year.
USC loses only outside hitter Jeanne Vetter from the 1997 team that went 23-6 overall and 13-5 in the Pac-10, good enough for a second-place tie behind eventual national champion Stanford. The Women of Troy, whose 23 wins were their most since 1991, finished ranked ninth nationally and defeated Morgan State and San Diego in the first and second rounds of the NCAAs before falling to Nebraska in the Pacific Region semifinals.
Marinkovic, 6-0, was named a 1997 AVCA first team All-American, becoming the 19th Trojan to receive the honor. She finished the season as the Pac-10's top hitter percentage-wise with an average of .394 (442-93-885). Her 25 block solos were first on the team and her 442 kills were second best for the Women of Troy, as were her 127 block assists, 152 total blocks and 25 aces. An exciting player, she is one of the most athletic middle blockers in the country and looks to become USC's first player to earn back-to-back All-American first team honors since Tracy Clark and Kim Ruddins did it in 1984-85.
Said Love: "Jasmina is playing better than ever before. She's not just an outstanding attacker anymore. She's prepared to complement that aspect of her game with improved blocking and is ready to define her game in more of a balanced manner."
Kessy, a 6-0 All-American candidate, was a 1997 KAEPA/AVCA All-District 8 and All-Pac-10 first teamer, leading USC in kills (477 - the second most ever in a season at USC), kill average (4.50 - third in the Pac-10), attacks (1,061) and dig average (3.34 - second in the Pac-10). A powerful and reliable player, Kessy has grown into one of the top hitters in the nation.
Said Love: "Jennifer completed the most impressive preseason she's ever had. She has developed great discipline in her game and appears to be ready to have a strong senior year. She's a very balanced player and has learned to make better decisions in her shot selection to keep defenses off balance."
Mounts, 5-10, is an All-American candidate who finished 1997 with 1,327 assists, the second-highest season total ever at USC. Her assist average of 13.01 per game was the fourth-best ever for a season at USC and third best in the Pac-10 last year. Mounts also proved very effective defensively, finishing second on the team in digs (260) and third in blocks (99).
Said Love: "We intend to extend Janice's athletic talent this year and allow her to go full throttle with the offense and see what she's capable of doing. She's a veteran and provides a lot of leadership for the team."
Kipps, 6-3, is coming off one of the top seasons by any middle blocker ever at the school. She was USC's leading blocker, recording 151 block assists and 21 solos, the former a Women of Troy season record. Her blocking average of 1.61 was second all-time on the season chart - and second in the Pac-10 last year - and her 172 total blocks was fourth all-time.
Said Love: "Alaina turned a lot of heads last year and she won't be able to catch opponents by surprise this season. Breaking the block assist record is a testament to her work ethic because we've had a lot of quality players here at middle blocker. She has worked very hard to complement her blocking game with a stronger attack presence. She's also probably the most competitive woman on our roster."
Polk, 5-10, looks to build on a breakout season in which she finished third on the team in kills (244) and digs (241). She had a career-high 17 kills in USC's NCAA Tournament win over San Diego and posted a career-high 23 digs in the NCAA Regionals against Nebraska. Polk also had five double-doubles on the season.
Said Love: "Antoinette is getting stronger and stronger. She's added two to three inches to her vertical leap, which was already outstanding. I look forward to a very strong season from her, especially now that she's coming off of so much valuable experience as an everyday player last season. She's one of the fastest players I've ever coached and the best natural jumper."
Battling for the third starting hitting position will be senior Sara Stephen and sophomores Kashi Cormier and Janae Henry.
Stephen, 5-8, is possibly the hardest hitter on the team. Used chiefly as a defensive specialist the last two years, Stephen is also skilled as an outside hitter and should challenge for time at the position. In 1997, she finished tied for third on the team with 19 aces - including four in one match - and fourth in digs with 163.
Said Love: "Sara is our do-all utility player. She can set, play in the backcourt and fill in at outside hitter. She has such value to the team. She's very versatile and provides depth in many areas."
Cormier, 6-0, was a part-time starter in 1997, replacing an injured Vetter midway through the season at outside hitter. Cormier, an athletic player who saw time in 82 games, was named a 1997 Pac-10 All-Freshman honorable mention selection and finished with 127 kills, 114 digs and 50 blocks.
Said Love: "Kashi was a different player this spring. She really came on strong in her role as an outside attacker. The biggest improvement in her game has been her defense. She is a very instinctive player and she got solid experience last year, which should benefit our team greatly.
Henry, 5-11, played in 19 matches and 36 games as a reserve outside hitter in 1997. On the year, the fundamentally sound Henry finished with 25 kills, 54 digs, four aces and seven blocks.
Said Love: "Janae will also play a major role in the competition at outside attacker. She's a lot stronger and her game is more refined. I think she is ready to take the next step and contribute."
Serving as Mounts' primary backup will be sophomore setter Heidi Munneke. Munneke saw limited action as a freshman in 1997, playing in 14 matches and 22 games, coming in as a reserve setter as well as to serve in key situations. She finished with 83 assists on the year while displaying the skills that make her a talented backup to Mounts.
Said Love: "Heidi got valuable experience in the spring filling in when Janice hurt her ankle and she did some excellent work. One of her primary attributes is her natural sixth sense with match-play dynamics. She will be a great decision maker. I will be surprised if she doesn't carve out a much larger role for herself this season."
The main contestants challenging the starters at middle blocker will be sophomore Amber Oliver and freshman Jennifer Pahl. Walk-on sophomore Sara Peterson, 6-1, also adds depth to the position.
Oliver received a medical redshirt year for 1997 after spending the season recovering from shoulder surgery. At 6-6, she is the tallest player on the roster. She proved to be an impact player as a freshman in 1996 as an intimidating presence at the net as well as an offensive force on quick attacks and looks to regain that form.
Said Love: "I look forward to having Amber back on the court. There's no doubt that she'll have a very important role on the team and will compete for a lot of action in the middle. She had an outstanding spring. Her primary asset is blocking but she is a very good quick hitter and we missed her in that role last year. She's going to be a positive factor for us this season on many a night."
Pahl, from Lin-field High in Temecula, Calif., is a talented addition. Named to Volleyball Magazine's Fab 50 list as a 1997 senior, the 6-1 Pahl was the 1997 CIF Division V Co-Player of the Year and earned All-CIF Division V-AA and All-Christian League first team honors from 1995-97.
Said Love: "When you watch Jennifer, Jasmina Marinkovic comes to mind in relation to her speed, how high she jumps and how fast her armswing is. Her future in volleyball is exciting and it's hard not to see her succeeding. She explodes to the highest part of her jump very fast. Probably the best testimonial to her speed is that, at 6-1, she holds the CIF softball stolen base record.
"Sara is one of our most improved players. She is stronger and provides a solid blocking presence in the gym."
Love also has a wealth of utility talent on the USC roster to help in just about any situation.
Leading the cast of versatile depth is 6-0 sophomore walk-on Shannon Redfern, who plays the outside hitter position. Redfern made major contributions as a freshman in 1997, seeing time in 22 matches and 62 games. She finished with 78 digs and 19 aces (seven in one match), tied for third on the team.
Said Love: "Shannon got a lot of court experience last fall and competed at a very high level. She has a very competitive court presence and I look forward to more of the same out of Shannon, whether that be at outside hitter or as a defensive specialist. She is an excellent role player."
Sophomore outside hitter Christine Bohle, 5-10, who played in 12 games last year, will continue to provide a tough serve and defensive help off the bench. Also valuable defensively is 5-4 sophomore defensive specialist Cynthia Corpuz, a dynamo in the backcourt.
Said Love: "As a reserve outside hitter and defensive specialist, Christine has an extremely powerful armswing. She had a great spring and fine-tuned aspects of her ball control and could command a big role this fall. If Antoinette is the fastest, Cynthia is the quickest player on our team and she has the potential to make a significant impact as a defensive player in the backcourt. She's improved in all aspects of her game."
A pair of newcomers in sophomore defensive specialist Ashlyn Dyer from Mira Costa High in Manhattan Beach, Calif., and freshman outside hitter/defensive specialist Emily Dalbeck of La Canada (Calif.) High will both add a lot of hustle in the gym and depth on the roster.
Said Love: "Ashlyn came to us in the spring and became an immediate spark on the court and made an impression with her competitiveness. She's a reserve setter and a defensive specialist and I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't turn a lot of heads in practice. If someone opens the door, she'll be ready to step right in. Emily was the player of the year at her high school and comes with both outside attacker talent and a great willingness to contribute in a utility role."
