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Aug. 23, 2005

Following a 2004 campaign that saw the Lady Vols practically rewrite the record books by going 32-3, advancing to the NCAA Regional Semifinals and winning Southeastern Conference co-regular season and tournament titles, the 2005 squad is eager to get out onto the hardwood. The goal is to build on the commitment from 2004 and carry it forward from the summer and into the 2005 season and show where their "Arrival Point 2005" will be.

Last year's squad won a 3-2 decision on Florida's home court in the final match of the regular season to earn its first regular-season conference title in school history, sharing the trophy with the Gators as each team went 15-1 in conference play. Seven days following the historic win, the Big Orange went back to Gainesville for the SEC Tournament and once again topped the Gators by an identical 3-2 score to earn the tournament title for the initial time in the past 20 seasons.

A pair of victories in the NCAA Tournament marked another first and the Orange and White headed to the NCAA Regional Semifinals, which had not been done by a Rocky Top squad since 1984. The .914 winning percentage set a school standard, breaking the old mark of .864, forged by the 1973 squad (38-6). This all came from a squad that, entering the season, did not have a single player with NCAA Tournament experience.

In 2005, the Lady Vols will be driven to success with the return of nine letterwinners and five of six starters, plus the libero, combined with a quintet of newcomers who bring impressive credentials with them as well.

"There is a tremendous amount of excitement for the new season," Head Coach Rob Patrick said. "The team and the coaching staff are looking forward to building on the experiences from last year. The successes we had against the top programs, and the confidence that comes with that, will be an invaluable help this year. Our team is going to be very confident and comfortable playing against the top teams.

"I believe we have pursued our building process in the correct way with our recruiting and training, which has led to the experiences of winning the conference championship and being able to compete with the top teams in the country. One great asset to our team is the depth we have at each position. It has elevated each individual's play and raised our team practices to a new level, which will be a great advantage as we play in an extremely competitive SEC."

The 2005 squad will have the same goals that every Tennessee team has: win the SEC title and go far into the NCAA Tournament.

"The No. 1 goal is always to win our conference championship," Patrick said. "Our team, through their weightlifting workouts and conditioning and the recruiting that's been done, has as good a shot as any team in the conference. They did not rest on their laurels from last year, believing that winning last year was going to carry us through this coming year, but they really got back to work in the weight room and in practices and have been working hard to make it happen again because they know how special it was the first time.

"After tasting the Sweet 16, they were really upset that they lost in the regional semis. They could see the Final Four from where they were standing and felt they had an opportunity to get there, and I agree with them, but once you make it to that point, it's going to be close and you have to try and make it happen. Once you get that far, anything can happen and this year, they want to take it that last step and get into the Final Four."

Tennessee has several strengths in 2005, primarily its expansive amount of experience returning from last season. Two four-year starters and two three-year starters comprising three All-Americans and a fourth who leads the Lady Vol history books in season and career blocks/game will bring a tremendous amount of match experience into this season. The experience of winning SEC championships and competing in the NCAA Tournament will serve invaluably as well.

"You cannot teach those types of experiences," Patrick said. "Nothing's really going to surprise them on the court."

The credentials of the newcomers will only help the program attain high levels once again.

"What is really neat is that the new players are going to be coming in as the most experienced and physical players that we're ever brought in," Patrick said. "At first, I didn't know if they would be able to challenge for starting spots for this year's team, but after watching them throughout the recruiting process and in preseason practices, they have really done a good job of pushing and being right there with the starters to provide us with a tremendous amount of depth at every position. That's a situation that is going to help us in the long run, as our practices are going to be at that much of a higher level."

The setter position will consist of a 2004 Third-Team AVCA All-American in senior Julie Knytych and a talented freshman in Chelsea Noble, marking the first time in years Tennessee will have the services of a pair of premier setters. Knytych recorded the third-highest assist total in SEC history last year with 1,709 assists and enters the 2005 campaign with 4,357 in her career with aspirations to snap the school standard of 5,069.

"Julie knows our system, has been a great leader for our program and is one of the reasons our program as a whole has reached the heights it has, not only because of her tremendous volleyball ability and athleticism, but also because of her leadership abilities," Patrick said. "On the court, she runs a great offense and distributes the ball very well. She has been playing with her hitters for three years now and knows where they like hitting the ball and what their favorite sets are. Julie is the one who is going to make the team go offensively with her decision making and setting."

Noble was named to the all-state team in Ohio and earned mention as her conference's player of the year in her junior and senior campaigns. She also brings in experience from playing with the Olympic A-2 team.

"Chelsea is probably one of the most athletic setters in the entire country coming in and is going to compete for the starting setting position," Patrick said. "She is a tremendous defensive specialist, so if she doesn't end up setting for us, she's going to have a chance to play libero or defensive specialist. She is easily one of the quickest players on our team."

The middle blocker position is deep as well. Kristen Andre was named an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American and hit .371, the third-highest average in school history. She enters her senior season with a .325 career percentage, which currently ranks her third in UT annals.

"Kristen may be the best physical athlete, not only on our team, but in the women's athletics department," Patrick said. "She is a hard worker who leads by example, and we're really fortunate to have her on this team for another year to lead our middles. It is hard for opposing teams to defend Kristen's speed and, because of her athleticism and quickness, not only is she an effective hitter, but she opens up the offense for other hitters as well."

Junior Sarah Blum is a force in the middle, evidenced by her topping the Lady Vol record books in career and single-season blocks/game. Additionally, her accurate hitting percentage of .297 in 2004 ranked her second on the team and eighth in the SEC.

"Sarah has worked extremely hard in the offseason, and I am really excited to see her play this year," Patrick said. "She is stronger and leaner than she has ever been and she is maybe half a step quicker now and jumping a little bit higher. What she has done this offseason is really going to translate into her having a big year. We're looking forward to Sarah really exploding offensively, as she has always been a great blocker."

Another senior, Heather Harrington, will see time in the middle after primarily coming off the bench in 2004 and, when needed, starting and putting in solid performances, including an excellent outing in UT's 3-1 win over No. 15 Louisville, the highest-ranked team that Tennessee had defeated since topping ninth-ranked Arizona State, 3-1, on Sept. 17, 1983.

"Heather has really gotten stronger from last season and is going to provide us with a tremendous amount of depth in our middle hitter position," Patrick said. "We feel comfortable with her experience that she can go in if we have to rest a middle, and we won't lose one thing. She's jumping higher, hitting the ball harder and, with the experience of playing in our system for three years, is really going to have an opportunity to get out on the court to help us this season."

Jackie Ramsdale brings impressive credentials from Kingsport, Tenn., having been named to the Class AAA All-First Team and compiling more than 1,100 kills in high school to set a Dobyns-Bennett High School record.

"Jackie came in this summer to work out with the team, so she's going to have a nice strength base," Patrick said. "She worked hard and we feel that even though she's going to have a little less experience than our other middles, we think she's going to catch up to them very quickly. She's a tall player who already is a pretty good blocker and can physically match up with most hitters. We're excited to see her development in her first year here."

The outside hitter position is going to have a significant amount of depth, athleticism and technical skill. Senior Amy Morris snared a number of trophies in 2004, being named not only an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, but also winning SEC Defensive Player of the Year and Tournament MVP honors as well.

"Amy is a powerful player and somebody who has a tremendous amount of playing experience," Patrick said. "We're looking forward to her continuing her solid play defensively as she just puts herself in the position to be around the ball all the time and has a never-say-die attitude, which really carries over to the other players. We are excited about her offensive improvements and look for her to be an even larger contributor in our offensive scheme."

Also adding to the outside mix will be sophomore Joselyn Johnson, who is in the process of making the transition from middle blocker, where she played in 2004, to outside hitter. She saw action in 19 games last season, highlighted by a .400 hitting percentage to go along with nine kills in a 3-0 sweep over Tennessee-Martin.

"Joselyn was always a good blocker, and now she's getting the experience of making the timing adjustment to being an outside hitter," Patrick said. "We feel her tremendous athletic ability will be served by moving her outside. She brings a surprising amount of backcourt skills with her to the new position."

A pair of freshmen, Milan Clarke and Mindy Flynn, will compete for starting positions and add depth to the position. Clarke brings her volleyball experience from the hotbed of California to Knoxville after having earned league MVP honors as a senior, leading her high school team to a league championship and qualification for the state playoffs.

"Milan is an athlete who came in during the summer and is going to be ready for the season," Patrick said. "She is going to feel comfortable playing with her teammates, because she's been around them, working out and getting stronger. She has a high level of skill in controlling the ball, playing defense and passing. She is also a physical hitter who can terminate almost any set that comes her way."

Flynn also has an impressive resume, having been named All-American and All-State at duPont Manual High School in Louisville, Ky. She also contributed to the Kentucky/Indiana Volleyball Academy from 1998-04 and was named an AAU All-American as well.

"Mindy is going to come in and definitely be one of our most versatile hitters, because not only has she played middle hitter for many years at a high level, but also right side and outside hitter," Patrick said. "She's going to challenge for playing time in a lot of different areas. Mindy has very good volleyball skills and is equally adept at playing front row and back row. She will cause match-up problems for opponents, because she can hit a variety of tempo sets."

A pair of lefties will round out the excellent group of outside hitters in junior transfer Kelsey Fautsch and sophomore Yuliya Stoyanova. Fautsch spent her last two seasons at perennial national power Nebraska and will bring not only her high skill level, but also the experience of playing for a program with a lot of history, support and tradition.

"Kelsey is a physical player who plays the game at a high level and has the ability to take over a match with her powerful hits," Patrick said. "She is technically a very good blocker. We will be able to match her up against our opponents' best outside hitters. She has the ability to hit a quicker tempo set, which will allow us to speed up our offense."

Stoyanova is a powerful hitter who was named the AVCA All-South Region Freshman of the Year and looks to only get better in 2005.

"Yuliya has taken her game to another level," Patrick said. "She has increased her strength to the point that she will be as effective at the end of the season as she will be at the beginning. She also has greatly improved her back-court play, which will allow us to keep her in the game more often and use her as a back-row attacker."

The back row will see four players provide their impressive services to get the ball up in Noble, juniors Jasmine Fullove and Annie Sadowski and redshirt freshman Lauren LaFlamme. Noble, along with likely seeing playing time as setter, looks to contribute as well from the defensive specialist position. Fullove is a solid, smart player who averaged 1.27 digs/game in 2004.

"Jasmine probably has the highest volleyball IQ on the team in terms of knowing what's going on in the game, reading the hitters, making the right moves and being in the right position," Patrick said. "Our defensive specialist position is probably the deepest position we have, and Jasmine brings a tremendous amount of experience and will be vying for one of the DS or libero spots."

Sadowski is an excellent back-row player who played both defensive specialist and libero positions last year. She also led the Lady Vols at the service line with 0.28 service aces/game.

"Annie was our starting libero for most of last season and is probably our best pure passer," Patrick said. "She has worked extremely hard in the last year and a half to get stronger, and now she's doing things defensively that she couldn't do before. She has made huge strides toward becoming a relentless defensive player, and we're really looking forward to her being one of our main passers again this year and taking another step up in her overall defensive ability."

LaFlamme used her redshirt last season and worked diligently on the practice floor and in the weight room, improving her game and she is ready to contribute to the 2005 squad.

"Lauren was named the most improved player by the program last year and has been a diligent worker in the weight room and has gotten better every day skill-wise," Patrick said. "She will add depth at our defensive specialist position and, with her positive and blue-collar work ethic, will put herself in position to vie for playing time."

The 2005 schedule sees Tennessee play 12 times against teams who qualified for last season's NCAA Tournament and 14 contests against squads who finished 2004 ranked in the top 50 of the RKPI (Rich Kern Percentage Index), a simulation of the RPI (Rating Percentage Index) used by the NCAA to help select and seed teams for the NCAA Tournament. The slate starts on Aug. 27 with a trip across the state to Nashville and a meeting with Lipscomb.

"Every year we try and play a team from in state and we're really fortunate to go and play Lipscomb in the middle of the state," Patrick said. "That way a lot of our fan base that does not live in the Knoxville area can watch us play and support Tennessee volleyball."

A challenging pair of matches against experienced, physical teams await the Lady Vols in Columbia, Mo., the following weekend. UT takes on Utah, a team also receiving votes for top-25 consideration, and the host and 21st-ranked Missouri. Both qualified for last year's NCAA Tournament, and the Tigers advanced to the second round.

Tennessee's home opener will come on Sept. 10 against Baylor at the Comcast Lady Vol Classic. Meetings with Central Michigan and College of Charleston await the Big Orange the next day.

"Baylor plays in a great conference in the Big 12 where they play some of the best volleyball in the country," Patrick said. "Central Michigan won the MAC West Division championship just two years ago and College of Charleston was in the NCAA Tournament last year, so our tournament is going to be very strong."

The Cougars will also bring with them Sherry Dunbar, who acted as UT assistant volleyball coach from 1997-02 before taking the head coaching position for the Cougars.

The following weekend, the Lady Vols will take on a pair of NCAA Tournament squads from last year in Ohio and host Purdue, while also playing Xavier, which went 20-11 last year and 12-2 in Atlantic 10 play for the best conference record in school history. Ohio went 29-3 last year and advanced to the second round, while Purdue topped No. 9 Colorado State on the road in the NCAA's first round to advance to the second round as well. Xavier just missed selection to the tourney.

"Ohio University has been taking control of the MAC for the last three years, Purdue is an up-and-coming younger team and Xavier is perennially strong," Patrick said.

SEC play begins the following weekend, with the opener coming on Sept. 23 at Arkansas, an NCAA Tournament participant last year. The home conference opener versus Ole Miss will occur a week later. Tennessee takes on each Eastern Division foe two times and the Western Division opponents once each, with the exception of Alabama and Auburn (twice each). The highlights of the schedule appear to be the two matches versus Florida, Oct. 7 in Gainesville and Oct. 30 at Stokely Athletics Center. The Gators enter 2005 as the eighth-ranked team in the country. Other matches against 2004 NCAA Tournament teams occur against Georgia (Oct. 9 in Athens and Oct. 28 in Knoxville).

"Our conference is really going to be incredible," Patrick said. "Florida is going to be even stronger than they were last year when they almost beat Stanford, who ended up winning the whole thing, in the NCAA Tournament. Most of the teams in the conference don't lose a lot and with the rivalries that the SEC has built up, you can't take for granted any match that you play in the league. It was one of the top RPI conferences last year (third) and these teams are even better this year."

After SEC play begins, the Lady Vols will play a pair of non-conference matches, taking on Louisville, ranked 14th heading into the campaign and an NCAA Regional Semifinalist last season, along with Notre Dame to end the regular season. The Fighting Irish advanced to the tournament's second round last season before being eliminated.

"The schedule, both non-conference and conference, will really prepare us for the postseason," Patrick said. "I think overall this is the toughest schedule we have put together."

The 2005 season will see the Lady Vols take a journey through many cities and states, in a variety of environments, against challenging opponents and with many scenic sights on the way, as the Big Orange makes its way to "Arrival Point 2005."