They lost 40 percent of their team to graduation. Almost half of this year’s team are freshmen. They don’t have a single senior on the roster. Yet the Fairfield women’s volleyball team is still this year’s preseason favorite to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
The team’s five new freshmen have come a long way to help make that happen. Three of the players came from Hawaii and have been playing together since they were ten years old.
The other two made the switch to the East Coast from San Diego. Altogether, the freshman class is giving their coach confidence that although it is a young team, it will be a strong team.
“Youth is no excuse,” said Coach Jeff Werneke. “They have the talent and the fight. We already set the goal of winning the MAAC for ourselves. We can’t afford to take a game off and I know they have the ability.”
Though it sounds like the freshmen could find plenty of reasons for nerves or pressure, their performance on the courts tells a story of calm, collected, talented athletes.
This past weekend at a tournament held at Villanova, Lindsey Lee ’08 was named to her second all-tournament team in the past two weeks. Lauren Campbell’08 and Jazmin Pa’akaula ’08 laid down kills and dug up balls defensively, while Kelly Oliver ’08 continued to establish herself as a powerful offensive weapon. Ashley Hanohano ’08 proved she will be a key addition as the freshman setter, a position necessary to almost every play in the game.
“Being the preseason favorite is a great opportunity for us rather than a pressure,” Hanohano said.
“When you have the predictions it’s hard, but it gives you an extra push,” Pa’akaula agreed.
The team will open at home against Fordham on Wednesday, September 22.
At that game, the first 100 students at Alumni Hall will receive free Archie Moore’s chicken wings.
Werneke hopes the effort will bring fans to the somewhat forgotten, yet promising fall sport.
“It’s hard because volleyball isn’t really a big sport in New England compared to sports like soccer or lacrosse,
But hopefully we can get more people over to Alumni Hall this year,” Werneke said
If the Stags live up to their high expectations, it shouldn’t be a problem.
They have a season loaded with home games throughout October and seem ready to push themselves to the conference championship.
“Sometimes I like being the underdog rather than the one everyone is out to beat,” Lee said.
“But you can’t complain about being favored to win it all. Every game is a big game now.”
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