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DAILY DEBATE
Will Kansas volleyball top 22 wins in 2015?
Griffin Hughes
@griffinjughes
Yes
Kansas volleyball enters the 2015 season on the brink of doing something that they've never done before; compete in four straight NCAA tournaments. Sustained excellence for that long takes a strong foundation, a strong coach and, most importantly, a team that's constantly improving.
The layhawks will have to make major improvements to top a 22-9 season, which saw them go 10-6 in an exceptionally tough Big 12 conference in order to go over their win mark from last year. But the youth on the team only got stronger while the experience on the squad will lead the youngsters. Not only is Kansas poised to top their 22-win mark from last season, the team is on pace to make its fourth straight
NCAA tournament and,
possibly, get that coveted
Sweet Sixteen spot.
This summer, four Jayhawks attended the United States National Team tryouts at the Olympic Center in Colorado, and all four will suit up in the Crimson and Blue this year. Cassie Wait and Ainise Havili highlight the star power on coach Ray Bechard's squad. Havili, who is entering her second year with the program, is considered one of the top talents in the country.
Of the players who played in over 100 sets last season, just two of them are departing. Havili, who made the Big 12 All-Freshmen team last year, adds another year of experience and training on to her superior athleticism and talent. She'll be setting up the big Kansas hitters who helped the Jayhawks to average 13.8 kills per set, 2.3 more than their opponents averaged.
Tiana Dockery and Tayler Soucie will step into the voids
left by big hitters Chelsea Albers and Sara McClinton. The latter duo combined for over 400 kills last season and averaged 4.4 kills per set combined. Havili will help smooth that gap. The now-sophomore was ranked 19th in the country in assists per set in 2014 with 11.3; she was the only freshman in the top 20 in "hat category."
"The death, grit and athleticism returning really makes me believe this team definitely has the potential to advance into the NCAA Tournament," Derek Johnson, the voice of KU Volleyball, said.
Bechard has said this team is going to play quicker and faster after losing two of his top net players, and the team has rallied around that new identity. Despite the changes they went through, the Jayhawks have not only given themselves a new identity, they're improved and are on track to set records in 2015.
Edited by Dani Malakoff
Nick Geidner
@nickgeidner
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
Maybe
The Kansas team celebrates after scoring against Texas Tech on Oct. 25, 2014.
After finishing the 2014 season with a record of 22-9 (10-6 in the Big 12), and being picked fourth on the Big 12 preseason poll for the 2015 season, Kansas volleyball has some fairly high expectations to live up to. Trailing only Texas, Iowa State and Oklahoma in the poll, Kansas finds itself in a good position to mark its fourth consecutive 20-win season.
But does this year's squad have what it's going to take to achieve that goal? That's a major question mark.
While there is some returning talent in players, such as Tiana Dockery, Ainise Havili, and Madison Rigdon, Kansas also finds itself without last year's offensive leaders: Sara McClinton and Chelsea
Albers, both of which were two-time Big-Big 12 First Team players. Those two players from last year's squad who averaged over three points per set (Albers at 3.44 and McClinton at 3.08). Kansas is going to miss their strong offensive punch.
Along with the departure of Albers and McClinton, Kansas volleyball will also start their season with a tough schedule.
Kansas opens up its season on Aug. 28 in the Arkansas Invitational, where it will face a rising team in Army, followed by Arkansas, who Bechard described as a "Top 25队". Also, before conference play starts, Kansas will host Duke — ranked 25 in American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason poll, followed by both Gonzaga and Missouri State, both of which are front runners in their respective conferences.
Reminder, this is all before conference play begins, where Kansas will need to compete with teams like Texas, Iowa State and Oklahoma, all of which are expected to finish above Kansas in the Big 12 standings.
Kansas volleyball has really made a name for themselves over the past three years. Finishing 22-9 last year while completing their third consecutive 20-win season since the early 1980s at the same time, Kansas has proven that they are a team able to compete.
But without the return of their two strongest offensive weapons against a schedule like the one they have, the 2015 Kansas volleyball team has to be on its absolute A-game from the very beginning of the season, or they won't be able to repeat their 22-win season just a year ago.
— Edited by Dani Malakoff
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
Tayler Soucie and Chelsie Albers go up for a block against a defender.
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