2007 NJCAA Region iX Champions!

Strong contingent returns from last year’s 27-23 team

SHARMAN HOPES SEVENTH SEASON WILL BRING ANOTHER BANNER

Casper College volleyball coach Angel Sharman has been around long enough to know that you take nothing for granted.

Maybe that’s why there was some urgency when the T-Birds began their three-a-day workouts in August. Even though Sharman welcomed back what many consider to be a Top Twenty national caliber team, she knows that these T-Birds haven’t dug or spiked anything yet.

Much work lies ahead if these T-Birds hope to return to the championship match – a spot they have occupied three years running.

This 2007 contingent, Sharman’s seventh team at Casper College, is loaded with sophomores who experienced an up and down season (27-23) and the loss in that championship match. The Polish trio of Agata Dawidowicz, Maja Jechorek and Julia Gruszecka is formidable all by itself. Bridget Neal (Gillette) is back on the outside and Victoria Armstrong (Brule, Neb.) is back in the middle.

Add to that stable of hitters a returning setter in Kari Tofte, and well, it’s easy to understand why Sharman’s team is earning some votes in the national polls.

All three of Sharman’s international stars – Dawidowicz, Gruszecka and Jechorek – earned post season honors a year ago, either all region or all tournament. Dawidowicz was the team’s leading hitter with 535 kills. Jechorek and Armstrong combined for more than 200 blocks.

Fans remember a 2006 campaign which was marred by injury. Neal struggled all season long with back pain. Meanwhile, Tofte broke her foot barely 10 matches into the season. She returned the week of the Region IX tournament and nearly led the T-Birds to a national tournament appearance.

Good as she was a year ago, Tofte has a battle on her hands this fall. Savanna Searle, a 5-8 freshman from Shelley, Idaho, looked good enough in preseason to give Sharman some options. If Searle can anchor the setter position some of the time, Tofte could shore up a defense that lost Kylie Peck from a year ago. Peck was arguably one of the top two or three defenders ever to play for the T-Birds. Tofte and Searle may actually share time at the quarterback position. Not far behind those two is Breanne Tobin of Kaycee, who is an outstanding setter in her own right. Sophomore Jodi Williams will be counted upon in the back row.

Other newcomers include Cherise Bona, a 5-10 hitter from Taylorsville, Utah; Katie Young, a 5-9 hitter from Casper (Natrona); and Vanessa Muir, a 6-0 hitter/blocker from Star Valley. As if opposing defenses didn’t already have their problems, Bona and Muir have the potential to provide immediate help on the outside.

Sharman says the return of so many strong sophomores gives her some luxury. “They’re coachable and know what it takes,” she says. “The number two thing about this team is that everyone has potential to be a great player.

“The ’03 team was strong, but this might be the best hitting team we have had,” she adds. “They need to come together as a group, and not fall into petty conflicts. Mental toughness will be a key.”

Even though strong defense has been a hallmark of Sharman’s teams, she admits that she would like her T-Birds to be stronger at the net this fall. “Believe it or not, I thought our blocking held us back last year. There were times that we just seemed to relax and not take care of our responsibilities.”

As usual, the T-Birds will find the going tough early in the season. The schedule includes Top Twenty caliber teams like Salt Lake, North Idaho, the College of Southern Idaho and Snow College, along with Western Wyoming, the team that nipped the T-Birds in last year’s championship match.

The T-Birds open their season Aug. 24 (Friday) at the College of Southern Idaho tournament. Their first home match is scheduled for Sept. 11 against Western Nebraska, another Top Twenty team.

If the T-Birds can get through a tough schedule and find the chemistry their coach is looking for, count on them to be one of the favorites at tournament time.

2007 Casper College T-Bird Volleyball Team

T-Bird Volleyball

Staff

Roster

Schedule

Statistics

Volleyball Questionnaire

Region IX Volleyball

Athletics

For more information contact:
Bill Landen, Athletic Director
307-268-2667
or
Angel Sharman, Coach
307-268-2335
307-268-2887 - fax