|
Red Hawks Look Towards The Future
The 2008 off-season has seen the Ripon Red Hawks go through many changes, none bigger than the hiring of first-year head coach Erin Plumley, who comes to Ripon from an assistant position at DePauw University (IN), and will make her head coaching debut on August 29th, when the Red Hawks host their annual Early Bird Invitational Tournament. Plumley is the fourth coach in the program's history, and just the second in the last 12 years. Even though this is her first season, she has already settled in and is ready to compete in the Midwest Conference, where Ripon finished tied for third last year.
"I'm excited for the season to begin," said Plumley. "The transition process has been easy because everyone has welcomed me and I already feel like part of the Ripon family."
Another transition the Red Hawks must make will be replacing three key contributors from last season, Jessica Chatmon, Mary Friend, and Ashley Schertz. Chatmon and Schertz combined for 629 blocks in their four-year careers, while Friend recorded 1,143 assists in her four years. Despite the graduation of those three, Ripon remains a team on the rise, with three seniors, two juniors, and three sophomores, all of whom have seen playing time at one point or another. With a new coach and new direction, they are focusing on becoming the best players they can be.
"The team is working as a cohesive unit in practice and they're really pushing one another to improve themselves every single day," Plumley said.
The trio of seniors that will lead this year's team are Jeni Yaeger (Clintonville, Wis./Clintonville), Amy Patton (Galesburg, Mich./Galesburg-Augusta), and Emily Nichols (Janesville, Wis./Craig). In addition to their vocal leadership, they have also proved that they can get it done on the court. Yaeger was second on the team in kills last season, with 197, while Patton is already in Ripon's top ten for service aces and digs in a career.
"Jeni has become a vocal leader early on and the team has really responded to her," said Plumley. "Amy is also doing a great job of staying mentally tough for her teammates. She's done a really good job of encouraging them, which helps the team chemistry, and Emily is sacrificing a lot for the team to make them better."
Mona Delsman (Waukesha, Wis./South) and Dresden Goodwin (Galesburg, Mich./Galesburg-Augusta) are two seniors, who weren't on the team last season, but will provide some depth for this year's team. Goodwin is familiar with the team, having played for the Red Hawks for two seasons, prior to last year.
Two other keys to this year's squad will be juniors Christy Looker (Rochester, Minn./Mayo) and Sara Heim (Wabasha, Minn./Wabasha), who each have two years of starting experience already. Looker ranked in the top five on last year's team in three different categories, while Heim earned First Team All-Conference honors and is already fourth on Ripon's career digs list with 1,224 in just two seasons.
"Sara has approached this season with determination and a positive attitude, while Christy is being a leader at her position and is learning some things that she's never tried before. They're both working hard to perfect their technique, which will pay off in the long run," Plumley said.
The sophomore class of Anna Alvin (Beaver Dam, Wis./Beaver Dam), Alison Ernst (Lemont, Ill./Montini Catholic), and Ashley Kirst (West Bend, Wis./East) all played important roles in their first year with the team, and will be expected to contribute even more this season. Alvin was named Second Team All-Conference, which marked the first time in six years that a Red Hawk freshman earned conference honors. She led last year's team in kills, while finishing second in blocks. Ernst also had an outstanding season, with 48 service aces, which is the sixth most by a Red Hawk in a single season.
"There are high expectations for the sophomores, as well as all the other players, because I'm still learning everyone's tendencies," said Plumley. "We're still trying to see what players work well together on the floor."
Joining the returning players will be four freshmen, which include outside hitters Alexis Becker (North Fond du Lac, Wis./Horace Mann) and Sarah Jacobs (Stockbridge, Wis./Stockbridge), defensive specialist Renee DeBruin (Appleton, Wis./Choate Rosemary Hall), and setter Andrea Zak (Oshkosh, Wis./North). Those players will have the advantage of playing with several players who have a lot of game experience, which will only help everyone improve.
"Experience is always good because all the returning players know their teammates well and know their tendencies, which means that there will be less adjustments that need to be made because they've already been a part of the team for a couple years," said Plumley. "That will also help the first year players adapt easier, because they can learn quickly from the veterans on the team."
|
