USD Volleyball 1992

USO TORERO WOMEN'$ VOLLEYBALL: PROMISES TO KEEP

As the University of San Diego women ' s volleyball team enters the third year of the Sue Snyder regime, the Toreros are a team filled with promise. With eight returning letterwinners and a talented crop of newcomers filling out its thirteen player roster, the USD Toreros are a team with the potential to be a factor in the volleyball community. They are a team with "Promises To Keep". The promise of the USD Toreros is personified in the guise of two players, juniormiddle blocker Nikki Wallace and sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Lofftus. Each has been named the West Coast Conference "Freshman Of The Year", Wallace winning the award in 1990 with Lofftus claiming the honor following the 1991 season. Wallace, named to the All-WCC First Team in 1991, is the Toreros' top blocker. She is the USD career leader in block assists (170) and is third in career solo blocks (120) and career kills (698). Lofftus was second in 1991 with 345 kills (in a school record 1,046 attempts) and served up 26 aces to go along with 288 digs and 45 block assists. Sharing blocking chores withWallace will be 6 '2" sophomore Amy McMahon. McMahon, named to the WCC "All-Freshman Team" in 1991 was second on the team in 1991 with 48 solo blocks and 102 block assists. She also contributed 208 kills and 199 digs to the Toreros' cause. A capable corps of experienced hitters will join with Lofftus to spearhead the USD attack. Seniors Maria Rickard and Heather Dalley, both in their fourth years with the Toreros, will combine withjuniorTorril Purvis to give the Toreros a veteran group of attackers. Setting the offense will be in the capable hands of senior Shannon Mutch. Mutch, the USD record holder for game (89), season (1,208) and career assists (2,327), was the team' s leader in 1991 with 702 assists, an average of 8.6 per game. She will be backed up by a pair of experienced setters, senior Kristi Harris (577 career assists) and Purvis (522 assists in 1991). Two transfers and three freshman comprise the remainder of the deepest roster the Toreros have fielded during Snyder's reign. Junior Charlene Bippes, a transfer from Big Bend CC in Spokane WA, averaged 9 kills and 4 blocks per match and will buttress both the Toreros' attack and blocking. Sophomore Jennifer Wrightson, a transfer from San Diego State University, is, according to Snyder, the type of player who can take the Toreros "to a higher level". Slated to see much action as a hitter on the right side of the Toeros' attack, Wrightson recorded 120 kills and 175 digs as a freshman at SDSU. They will be joined by a trio of freshman outside hitters, Michele Brovelli, Liz Gunsaulus and Courtney Le Vasseur, to give the Toreros the biggest, most-talented group of attackers the team has fielded during Snyder's tenure. The Toreros face a challenging schedule in 1992 with matches slated against several of collegiate volleyball's elite clubs. With a experienced group of returning players and a talented list of newcomers, the present is exciting and the immediate future very promising. The Toreros are ready to face the challenges. They have "Promises To Keep".

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