2014 Starting Lineup Projections

[WuDrWu]

Given what you know at this moment, project your starting lineup when the ladies take the floor in late August.


For me, I'll go with:


OH - Mary-Ashton Floyd. I think she'll start here...
MB - Katie Reilly. Look great in the spring and according to Lambo, her more natural position.
OH - Mikaela Raudsepp I think she'll be on the floor from minute one. Just a hunch.
S - Emily Hiebert. No brainer here.
L - Dani Mostrom until someone proves themselves better.
DS - Jordan Hinkle Love the fight in this girl.

MB - Abbie Lehman
OH - Ashlyn Driskill
OH - Shimen Fayad - I actually believe she'll need a redshirt, but we need someone that can score, so why not?
DS - Gaby Urban. Might be her last year when Tekele goes to the League.
DS - Hannah Shelton

[1972Shocker]

This is really hard to say Doc. With the outstanding incoming freshman class it's hard to know who might earn immediate PT and who will redshirt.

This may be as close to a rebuilding year as Lambo has had in the last 10 years. We have never had to replace Valley Co-Players of the year. At the very least it will be a very interesting transition year. Probably a year Lambo may enjoy very much because I think he likes the process of training players and building a team as much or more than he likes the actual matches.

I feel pretty good about Emily Heibert continuing our long string of stellar play at the setter position. Very happy she was able to redshirt. I'm assuming she will bring a little bit different skill set to the floor than Chelsey Feekin (although not many have Chelsey's skill set). Perhaps more in the mode of Mary Elizabeth Hooper or perhaps former Missouri State setter Katelyn Panzau.

Interesting that you have MaryAshton Floyd starting ahead of Ashlyn Driskill. Ashlyn has more match experience than MaryAshton. Based on Lambo's comments MaryAshton tears it up in practice but has not been able to consistently bring that level of performance at match time. Maybe this is the year she takes that step. I know Ashlyn had a knee issue and did not play this spring but I don't know if she had any kind of medical procedure on the knee or was just letting time off do the healing. Was that knee bothering her last year? Is that going to be something ongoing she has to deal with? We had difficulty scoring on the outside last year so it absolutely would not surprise me to see a freshman such as Michaela Raudsepp step in on the outside.

Obviously we lost a lot of firepower in the middle. I don't know anything about Abbie Lehman's game although physically she looks like a slightly taller version of Elizabeth Field. Katie may blossom in the middle. I had not realized until recently that was her natural position. However, at 6-0 you wonder if she will be at a little bit of a disadvantage in the middle. OTOH, with her athleticism Lambo may be able to do some things with her that aren't possible with a more traditional middle.

Hopefully, all the returning middles step up their games a notch. Dani, Jordon and Gaby would certainly seem to be a solid core. I agree that Gabi Mostrom will probably redshirt although Lambo said she is more athletic than Dani. Time will tell whether Hannah Shelton and/or McKenzie Fyfe work their way into the rotation. I assume McKenzie Fyfe will be the primary backup to Emily at setter. Let's hope we don't really need her in that role, but Lambo also said that she might also spend time in the back row and participate in setting the offense so hard to say what Lambo is thinking about or whether McKenzie will be ready for that role this year.

[xazshox]

Ashlyn Driscoll

I talked to her briefly at the sat scrimmage a month ago or so. She had some small scars on her knee. I think she said she had a scope job, but I'm not 100% sure of it. I just know her knee was cut on in some way.

[1972Shocker]

I talked to her briefly at the sat scrimmage a month ago or so. She had some small scars on her knee. I think she said she had a scope job, but I'm not 100% sure of it. I just know her knee was cut on in some way.

If she did have an arthroscopic procedure then my guess is it probably was bothering her some last year. Did she indicate that was the case?

[xazshox]

More on Ashylyn Driskell

No, she didn't say that she had a knee problem during the past season. She was sitting with Taylor Brownlee who was also recovering from an operation. We talked about the fact that the sport of VB can be pretty hard on a person's body. They both agreed.

[1972Shocker]

WSU’s volleyball team will play in a tournament at Kentucky on Aug. 29-30. The field includes Butler and Virginia Tech. It will also play in Creighton’s Bluejay Invitational on Sept. 12-13 with Bowling Green, Pepperdine and Creighton

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2014/05/24/347...#storylink=cpy

[1972Shocker]

I noticed Hannah Eakin is not listed on the 2014 roster now posted on goShockers.com

I believe Hannah, who did redshirt her first year, graduated in May. Hannah did not play a lot, but I'm sure she was valuable in practices and scrimmages, and no one supported her teammates more than Hannah. Good luck Hannah!

· May 17 From the famous words of Elle Woods... "We did it!!" @chelseyfeekin pic.twitter.com/uaxPeQlods

[1972Shocker]

So even with Hannah Eakin graduating and Alyssa Carney transferring the current roster lists 23 players. That means we have almost as many walk-ons (11) as we have scholarship players (12). I have no doubt thought that some, if not most, of the walk-ons have some kind of academic scholarship awards. I think pretty much all of these young ladies are excellent students.

One new player on the roster that I wasn't previously aware of is Emma Tynan, a 5-7 Libero/DS from Healdsburg, California. Welcome aboard the Shocker Express Emma.

I don't think I have ever seen so much height on a Shocker team. 3 players listed at 6-2, 3 at 6-3, 1 at 6-4 and 1 at 6-5 although height in and of itself is not determinative of anything but it sure doesn't hurt to start with that kind of raw material.

OTOH, we also have 6 players on the roster at the Libero/DS position. You won't see that on many rosters.

And young. Only 1 senior (Jordan Hinkle) on this team. 4 Redshirt Freshman and 9 true Freshman. Not sure how that will play out in 2014 but I'm thinking watch out in 2015 and beyond.

[PointShockers]

I just noticed Jordan Hinkle isn't on the roster. Anyone have any news on that? Or just crowded out by the incoming freshman?

[1972Shocker]

I just noticed Jordan Hinkle isn't on the roster. Anyone have any news on that? Or just crowded out by the incoming freshman?

Good catch. No info. No doubt there is a lot of competition at her position. She would be the 2nd DS to depart this year.

Not surprising to see additional losses considering the size of the Shocker roster. Did not really think it would be Jordan though. Could be for any of a lot of reasons.

[1972Shocker]

I just noticed Jordan Hinkle isn't on the roster. Anyone have any news on that? Or just crowded out by the incoming freshman?

Another possibility with Jordan is that she would have been a 5th year senior. It is entirely possible, and perhaps probable, that she has earned her degree and like Hannah Eakin has decided to move on to the next phase of her young life.

[AndShock]

Another possibility with Jordan is that she would have been a 5th year senior. It is entirely possible, and perhaps probable, that she has earned her degree and like Hannah Eakin has decided to move on to the next phase of her young life.

She was in my capstone course in the Spring semester. I would say you have it right.

[IAmWu]

From what I've heard, Jordan wasn't going to receive a scholarship this year. She graduated in the spring and was probably ready to move on as well.

[1972Shocker]

I would be a little surprised if Jordan ever was on a Volleyball scholarship at WSU. But it is possible she was receiving some kind of academic scholarship towards her undergraduate studies which terminated once she earned her degree.

[boyshocker]

Not sure if or how it will work but Hiebert has been doing some hitting in practice. Not sure who would be second setter, don't believe the freshman are ready.