A new season represents a brand new start, and never has that held truer for the Kent State volleyball program.
Fifth-year head coach Glen Conley's 2011 squad features eight new faces and just four returners from last year's team that finished third in the Mid-American Conference East Division.
Though the names and faces are unfamiliar as preseason practice begins Tuesday (Aug. 9) in the M.A.C. Center, the goal of camp will be to develop a cohesive unit that makes up for its lack of experience by playing smart, fundamental volleyball.
Assistant coach Rob Cline returns for a second season on Conley's staff and is joined by new assistant Inga Kurgonaite , who spent the past three seasons as a graduate assistant at Bucknell following an outstanding playing career at Division II Lock Haven.
Outside hitter Maigan Larsen (Lancaster, Wis.) will be looked to as a guiding force for the Golden Flashes in the program's 37 th season. As the squad's lone returning senior, Larsen is faced with tackling the challenge of helping Conley overcome the team's youth. She finished third on the team in 2010 with 226 kills and 1.93 kills per set.
Junior middle blocker Kathy Krupa (Burbank, Ill.) is the squad's lone junior and came on strong toward the end of last season, starting Kent State's final eight matches and recording 28 of her 49 total blocks during that span.
Sophomore defensive specialist(Eden, N.Y.) and sophomore setter Aleksandra Nowak (Damnica, Poland) will be asked to mature quickly as leaders. Nowak led the Flashes with 597 set assists (8.41 assists per set) as the catalyst of the Kent State offense. Herc will take on the challenge of filling the void left by graduated captain Kristen Barr, who finished her four-year Kent State career in second place on the school's all-time digs per set list with a 3.38 clip. Herc totaled 1.49 digs per set during her rookie campaign last season.
The foursome of returners look to build upon the momentum the Golden Flashes established at the end of the 2010 regular season. Kent State rode a three-match winning streak into the MAC Tournament. The Flashes also achieved a feat they had never before accomplished in program history in 2010 -- sweeping the home-and-home series against both Bowling Green and Miami in the same season. The Golden Flashes posted three MAC East sweeps in all, winning the season series over Buffalo for the first time since 2007
Although she is new to the Kent State program, senior defensive specialist/libero Brooke Zeigler (Parkman, Ohio) brings collegiate experience to the team, having competed at Division II Lock Haven prior to transferring to Kent State.
The remainder of the squad is made up of seven freshmen, several of which will be asked to step in and contribute right away.
Buczek twice earned All-Southwest Suburban Conference selection at Carl Sandburg High School, helping the Eagles win four regional titles and three conference crowns as a four-year starter. A two-time Chicago Sun Times Top 50 pick, Buczek received national recognition from PrepVolleyball.com as a Sophomore 79 High Honorable Mention and Freshman 59 High Honorable Mention. Buczek also competed for 1 st Alliance in club volleyball, helping the 16 Silver team place third at the AAU championships and fifth at the JVDA championships. Her 17 Silver team also took fifth at the USAV Nationals.
Engleman competed at Oak Hills High School, garnering First Team All-Greater Miami Conference honors after leading the GMC in blocks as a junior and senior. She also earned Third Team All-City recognition for the Highlanders. Englemen played for Cincy Classics in club volleyball, helping the squad earn a trip to the AAU championships in 2010.
Reikow received all-conference and all-area honors as a junior and senior at Holland High School.
The Golden Flashes open the season at the SIU Edwardsville Invitational (Aug. 26-27) before welcoming Youngstown State to the MA.C. Center for the squad's home opener on Aug. 30. As always, the non-conference slate is highlighted by the annual Kent State/Mizuno Open, which the Flashes will host Sept. 9-10. This year's field includes IUPUI, Robert Morris and William & Mary.
Kent State's quest for its first ever MAC title begins Sept. 23 against East Division rival Miami. The Flashes host Bowling Green and Ohio to close out the month. October features seven road conference matches, but Kent State closes the regular season with three straight MAC matches from the friendly confines of the M.A.C. Center.
Kent State will be aiming to be one of eight teams to qualify for the MAC Tournament, which will be held Nov. 18-20 at the SPIRE Sports Complex in Geneva, Ohio.
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