This Week's Schedule
Friday, Sept. 6 – Ashland vs. IUP, 10:30 a.m.
Ashland vs. Washburn, 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 7 – Ashland vs. Missouri-St. Louis, 9:30 a.m.
Ashland vs. California (Pa.), 2:30 p.m.
All matches at the Ferris State Bulldog Invitational
Setting The Scene
The Eagles enter the season on a positive note. A year ago, AU advanced to the NCAA postseason for the first time since 2007. The Eagles were picked to win the GLIAC South Division in the GLIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Eagles must replace two All-GLIAC performers in outside hitter Brittany Snider and setter Crystal Elliott, but the returning nucleus is strong and has been bolstered by what appears to be a deep and versatile recruiting class. Third-year head coach Cass Dixon's main objectives at this point are figuring out what combinations work best. This opening tournament is a perfect place for that process to begin. The Eagles were 24-9 in 2012.
Notes and Quotes
In Friday's opener, the Eagles take on an IUP team that's picked to finish fifth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division. IUP was 20-15 last year, 8-11 in league play. IUP's first-year head coach is Aline Scott, a friend of Dixon's who spent the last five years as an assistant at Akron. Dixon and Scott coached together for two years at Akron. IUP returns six starters.
"It's exciting," said Dixon of matching wits with her close friend. "Because she's a good friend, it will be a little sad because she's on the opposite side. But I'm looking forward to it. They (IUP) will be good because they have a fantastic coach. She's a great trainer and in-game coach."
Friday afternoon, the Eagles will be matched against Washburn. The Ichabods went 31-4 last season and begin this year ranked seventh in the country. Washburn has been ranked in the national AVCA poll for 122 consecutive weeks and has been in the Top 10 for 52 straight weeks. In 2012, the Ichabods were ranked as high as third in the country. This team brings back three All-Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association performers – right side hitter Marissa Cox, outside hitter/libero Kelsey Lewis and setter Abby Wittman.
Missouri-St. Louis went 13-18 last season. The Tritons play in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and return four starters.
California advanced to the finals of the Atlantic Region a year ago and is picked to win the PSAC Western Division this year. Cal was 30-8 last season, but must replace three all-conference players.
"It's all about us going out and competing," said Dixon. "Even though we have five seniors we have a lot of youth on our team. We could start two freshmen and a redshirt freshman."
Last weekend, AU scrimmaged at Wayne State in a field that included the host Warriors, Saginaw Valley State, Hillsdale and Wheeling Jesuit."
"I think we're in a pretty good place," Dixon said. "We went to a quality scrimmage with quality teams. It gave us a pretty good idea of where we stand."
Up Next
AU hosts its own tournament next Friday and Saturday (Sept. 13-14), the Quality Inn Invitational.
AU
VB/ALK
