USD Volleyball 2007

TOREROS SET TO DEFEND THE wee CROWN

The University of San Diego's women's volleyball pro– gram has established itself as one of the premier pro– grams in the country over the past decade. Under the di rection of ninth year head coach Jennifer Petrie, the 2007 squad is ready to continue the tradition of excel– lence, defend their West Coast Conference title and push past the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Tournament. USD will look to have a more dynamic offense after losing All-American and the 2006 West Coast Confer– ence Player of the Year, Kristen Carlson, and AII-WCC first-teamer Christie Dawson to graduation. While Carl– son and Dawson provided a bulk of the Torero offense last season, Petrie anticipates her squad this year will keep opponent defenses guessing. "Last year we had an exceptional outside hitter in Kris– ten Carlson," stated Petrie. "We are going to be a very different team this year, which is exciting because we are going to have a lot of different weapons in the mid– dle, right and left sides. This will make it very difficult for opposing defenses." Petrie's confidence in her 2007 team is shown in her expectations on continuing to improve each season . The Toreros are not only looking to make their eighth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and 12th ap– pearance in the past 13 years, but they want to contin– ue to be a national seed and host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament as well was advance past the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. "We would like to break past the Sweet 16 and reach the Elite 8," stated Petrie. "I know we have some tough goals to attain, but I am confident that with this group of players and a great coaching staff, these goals are very attainable." Headlining the 2007 squad will be the return of AII– WCC first-team honoree Laurel Abrahamson. Enter– ing her final season in a Torero uniform, Abrahamson enjoyed a break-out type season in 2006 as she posted career-best numbers with 363 kills (3 .13 kpg), a team– leading .326 attack percentage and team best 89 blocks. With her senior leadership and experience, Abrahamson will play a key role in both the Torero's offense and de– fense. "I think Laurel is going to be a dominant middle not only in our conference, but on the national scene," com– mented Petrie. "She has tons of experience and we are excited that she will be able to take on a lot of the of– fense for us." Sophomore Torey Ellick is a strong contender for the other middle hitter spot. The sophomore from Capist– rano Beach, CA, saw limited action in 2006, appearing in 12 games and recording eight kills and two blocks. With a year of experience under her belt, and an impressive spring season, the coaching staff is excited to see Ellick continue to develop and compete for a starting posi-

tion . Lauren McClure also makes her return to the To– reros in her final season as a senior. She will provide both leadership and competition for the middle hit– ter position. McClure played in 15 games, recorded seven kills and five blocks this past season . Rounding out the middles, is Volleyball Magazine top-50 freshman recruit, Ashton Basch. Basch joins the Toreros after having a standout career at El Toro High School. While at El Toro, she helped the Char– gers win the Orange County Championship, a CIF Southern Section final appearance and a trip to the CIF State tournament. The coaching staff is excited to add Basch to their roster and expect good things from her. On the right side, the Toreros will turn to some se– nior experience in Jessica Andersen to help get the job done. Andersen posted 141 kills and 42 blocks in 2006, her first full season as a starter. The coaching staff is looking forward to her competitive attitude and desire to win to help propel the Torero team to another successful season . Joining the Toreros on the right side is anothe rVol– leyball Magazine top-50 freshman recruit, Ali Troost. Troost is expected to come in and raise the level of competition on the team. "I believe she is the best right side coming out of her class," said Petrie. "She is a true right side and left handed. With both Ali and Jessica Andersen on the right side, we can channel a lot of the offense through them."