May 1, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. - "The fall is about winning. The spring is about learning how to win."
With that statement, Northwestern head volleyball coach Keylor Chan succinctly summed up his impressions of the team's off-season tournaments.
The focus was not on winnning, Chan said, it was about continuing to educate the players in the sport of volleyball. It was about increased playing time for injured returners and trying players out at the new "libero" position.
The 'Cats faced about half a dozen teams that are top-25 contenders during three informal spring tournaments, including traditional powerhouse Hawai'i and Utah. NU also hosted the Chinese Olympic Development Team during one of the two tournaments the Wildcats hosted.
"We competed well with those teams," Chan said. "I was happy with our overall competitiveness. This spring was more difficult than last spring. Even though the results were not wins, this is a good barometer of what we need to work on in the summer and take into the fall."
Redshirt freshman Leah Delcourt (Rock Island, Ill./Rock Island) played in every match after seeing limited court time last season. Junior Brandy Stohl (Colona, Ill./Darnall) and sophomore Lindsay Pavlik (Laguna Beach, Calif./Mater Dei), who have been injury-riddled in their time at NU, each saw a lot of action.
The 2002 season of NCAA volleyball will see the addition of the "libero" position, a defensive player who can be in the game during every rotation. Several players, including freshman setter Drew Robertson (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly), tried their hand at the new spot.
"The position is a huge benefit to us," Chan said, adding the role could be filled by one of the team's newcomers.
As spring practice comes to a close, four NU players are looking ahead to summer volleyball. Robertson, Erika Lange (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg), Kelli Meyer (Madison, Wis/Edgewood) and Sarah Ballog (Coto de Caza, Calif./Santa Margarita) will be traveling overseas to compete with training teams over the summer. Assistant coach Josh Grau will also participate in the training program as a coach.