Volleyball | September 2, 2015

Hopes are high that the Chadron State College volleyball team will be more competitive in the rugged Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference this fall than they've been in a long while.
 
Second-year coach Chris Wells knows it's a steep hill to climb, but he is dedicated to making the Eagles contenders. He's added 13 freshmen to help build around and doubled the size of the roster.
 
Although he'd like more, a reasonable goal for the Eagles might be reaching double digits in victories. It's happened just once in the last 10 years—2007, when they went 11-19. They've had only one winning season—2003 at 17-10—in the last 20 years.
 
The Eagles will open the season this weekend at the Angelo State Tourney in Texas. Their Friday opponents will be two of the Lone Star Conference's top teams, Tarleton State and the host Angelo State Belles. Both reached the South Central Regional Tourney last year, when Tarleton finished at 24-8 and Angelo State at 21-9.
 
Saturday's foes will be Newman University of Kansas and Texas-Permian Basin. They had records of 15-14 and 12-16, respectively, last season.
 
The Eagles have seven letterwinners to provide a solid nucleus. They are seniors Lelalelei Nomura and Nikki Schmidt in the front row, setter Justine Ackie and defensive specialist Jamie McLain; junior Alia Brennan, a two-year starter at middle hitter; and sophomores Alexis Ferris, an outside hitter, and Chloe Guillen, who may be the starting libero.
 
Four talented players who redshirted with the Eagles last fall and participated in spring drills are expected to provide a major boost. They are Rudy Leasau, Sina Mauga, Gaby Varela, and Stephanie Wilson, all front row players. At 5-9, Leasau is the shortest of the group, and she can jump and touch the basketball rim.
 
Wells said while most of the freshmen will redshirt, four of them are challenging for playing time. They are front row players Kenzie Chrisman of Sterling, Colo., and Rachel Gulberson of Fort Collins, setter Madison Webb of Loveland, Colo., and defensive specialist Sierra Winkle of Tucson, Ariz.
 
At the end of spring workouts, Wells was encouraged that the Eagles are improving. He called his players "a cohesive, low-maintenance group that's self-driven." He said that trend has continued this fall.
 
Besides adding lots of recruits, Wells and coaching assistant Whitney Roth have spent the maximum time allowed working with the returning players on the nuances of the sport. They know they're on the right track and expect to see some gains—maybe big ones—this season.