The University of Alaska Fairbanks    

UAF has great expectations

By ERIC GOOLD, Staff Writer, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Students have yet to return from summer break at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, but the women's volleyball team took to the court on Monday for its first practice of the 2004 season and the Nanooks found out immediately that class is in session.

"We have a whole bunch of work to do," said fifth-year head coach Phil Shoemaker. "But we expect to get better every day. That's the goal, and by now I think we've earned the right to think well of ourselves and to have high expectations of this team."

The squad went through two practice sessions Monday, first doing some hitting and passing drills and then having some live action in a game situation.

"It was a good practice," said Shoemaker. "There is a good level of volleyball talent out on the court. We're not in midseason form by any means, but we have things to build upon and to look forward to each day."

UAF compiled a 13-10 record last year, including a 10-8 showing in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

The 2004 Nanooks will look a lot different, however, after the graduation of senior Candice Smith and the departure of two leading freshmen, middle blocker Katie Tobiasz and setter Jessica Clemons.

"It hurts us," Shoemaker said of the lineup changes. "With Candice you're talking about a senior leader who was a three-year player, so we're going to miss her veteran presence on the court.

"Katie and Jess were good players who were early in their careers," he added. "So immediately we'll see that in our depth. It's a blow, but we've done our best to fill the slots and go on."

A difference this year will be in experience, and the Nanooks have two outstanding seniors to lean on. Mallory Bergstrom returns after earning All-GNAC first-team honors. She also made the All-Pacific Region first team.

Carlin Smith will be the other senior leader, bringing her strong game and solid net play to a fairly young UAF squad.

"We'll be young, but not as young as we were last year," said Shoemaker. "Last year we had three freshmen on the court at all times. This year we'll only have two, and the good news is that our freshmen got plenty of playing time last year, so we've made a gain in overall maturity."

GNAC Freshman of the Year Danielle Hitzeman will look to build on her fabulous start at UAF, and other returning Nanooks include juniors April Blandford and Crystal Wheelock and sophomore Dasa Capova.

A noticeable evolution of the UAF roster is toward a strong homegrown contingent of Nanooks. Seven of the listed players are from Alaska. Shoemaker said that while not all seven have cleared summer school and other administrative hoops, UAF's emphasis on local players is not a new one.

"We're always interested in local players," said Shoemaker. "It just happened that recruiting up here worked out a little better this year than in years past."

Jenna Jones and Erica Starr, a freshman and sophomore respectively, are two of the local products on the team this year after completing their high school careers at West Valley.

Looming first for the Nanooks is a formidable schedule that includes two tournaments in Fairbanks. The UAF Midnight Sun Invitational is Aug. 27-28 and features matches against Cal Poly Pomona, Findlay and Western State College.

Then at the Auto Service Co. Nanook Classic on Sept. 3-4, UAF will face stiff competition from the likes of Colgate University, Sacramento State and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

"Both tournaments have very good fields," said Shoemaker. "They will help prepare us for GNAC play. We'll be severely tested every time we step on the court, but that's what we want. They'll get us ready for the most important part of the season."

The Nanooks open the GNAC season at home when they face Western Oregon on Sept. 10.

Staff writer Eric Goold can be reached at egoold@newsminer.com or at 459-7591.