Sept. 1, 2005

Scott Pennewill, head coach of the Johns Hopkins volleyball team, is looking to build the most competitive setting possible in not only the game situations, but also in the practice setting to give his team a winner's edge in the 2005 season.

"With creating competition in the practice gym, we'll make that championship atmosphere part of our daily regimen," Pennewill says.

This program is certainly no stranger to playing in championships, as they made a conference title game appearance last season, falling to ten-time league champion Gettysburg. This season, the Blue Jays look to build on their strengths from a year ago and address their major weaknesses to take the next step in order to win their first Centennial Conference title.

Starters

The starting lineup is packed with game experience, bringing back five players from 2004. Providing the bulk of the leadership will be seniors Katie O'Callaghan and Jen Hajj. O'Callaghan, an outside hitter, was the team's leader in kills from a year ago. She is in position to reach her 1,000th kill in 2005, and with the team focusing on more kills per game, O'Callaghan should have plenty of chances. Hajj, a middle back, will use her size to the most, as she cashed in on a team-high 52 blocks last season. Hajj is also expected to play a role in increasing the number of kills, finishing second on the team in 2004 and is also nearing the 1,000-kill milestone.

Pennewill expects the two seniors to fill critical leadership roles, especially later in the season.

"Their leadership to not only the other starters and returners, but especially to the youth of the team is going to be critical when we get into conference play," says Pennewill

The jobs of the two seniors will be important, but so will the roles of junior Amy Green and sophomore Natalia Filjakowski. Green, a middle blocker, provided the second-most blocks on the team last season, and will help to improve the blocking presence, one of Pennewill's keys to the season. Filjakowski, an outside hitter, is the only returning sophomore and an important player off the bench last season, appearing in 20 games and registering 111 kills.

Described by Pennewill as the "defensive master," junior Lizzie Kay returns at the libero position. Last season, she led the team with 640 digs, tops in a season at Hopkins, and sits less than 500 digs short of the all-time record.

A solid group of players helps teams win in the present, but they also help to build for the future.

"We should have a strong core to bring the two new additions to the starting lineup some comfort, but hopefully be able to create that competitive spirit that they're going to have to learn," Pennewill says. Freshman setter Amanda Lewis is projected to step in and fill an immediate and important need for the 2005 Blue Jays.

"Our team's success is going to be measured very closely to the setter's position and Amanda's success," Pennewill says. "Being a freshman, there will be a lot of adjustment that she will have to get used to, especially with the speed of the game and being able to maintain her composure in running the offense."

Another immediate opening will be filled by freshman opposite Kim Jackanich, who will improve the team's game around the net, according to Pennewill.

"As a left handed opposite, she has a lot of versatility at that position that we haven't had in the past, with excellent ball control and great presence at the net. We're going to see some big things out of her as well."

Key Reserves

Starters will provide extensive experience and skill at their position, but a good team has reserves that can step in and play any position. Hopkins has a pair of players who can do that.

Junior Adri Eisen can play a number of positions, but she'll focus on two this year, defensive specialist and setter. But that doesn't mean she won't be used for almost anything, and Pennewill knows what she can do. "When Adri came into the program, she was designated as a utility player," says Pennewill. "As the years have gone on, she has been seen this role come to fruition. At any point in time in the match, we're preparing her to enter the floor to do many things."

Another junior, Laura Carrihill, will see significant time at the outside hitter position. Pennewill acknowledges that she "really broke out last year as far as showing what she's able to do. She can give us some depth at the outside hitter position and having some games under her belt will help with stabilizing the lineup that's on the floor."

Schedule

While the Blue Jays' opponents in 2005 may not show up in the preseason rankings, Pennewill constructed a schedule of winning programs to get a leg up on the rest of the Centennial Conference and position themselves to play at a high level of intensity later in the season.

"We knew that we were going to have a more experienced team with the starting lineup, and we wanted to put together a schedule that was going to be a good test for us in preparation for making the Centennial Conference championships again," Pennewill says.

In 2005, Hopkins will participate in four tournaments, including two at Goldfarb Gym. The Asics/JHU Invitational will begin the home portion of the schedule September 2-3, as Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham, Marymount, Mt. Aloysius, New Jersey City and Salisbury will play for an early-season tournament title. Later in the month, Goldfarb will play host to the Division III Maryland State Tournament, with eight in-state rivals participating, including Centennial foes McDaniel and Washington College. Conference play gets underway Sept. 27 with a trip to Gettysburg to face the defending champions.

Outlook

After losing in the conference championship game, Pennewill's 2005 Blue Jays have a firm grasp on how to make a return trip to the title match and come out on top.

"The first area that we're addressing, and the reason we didn't win the championship, is better net play," says Pennewill. "Our hitting efficiency will need to improve, our kills per game needs to go up, and our blocking has to be a bigger presence."

Putting the right players in the lineup and solid recruiting will continue fill the team's needs. Building on strengths will be just as important, according to Pennewill. "Our team is well-known for being good defensively on the floor. We'll dig a lot of balls."

Most important though, is maintaining a championship atmosphere and winning focus in going to the next level, something the Blue Jays look to do in 2005.