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A Closer Look at the 1999 Demon Deacons

SETTERS

Wake Forest enters the 1999 season with the luxury of depth at the setter position. With a good mix of veterans and young talent, the Demon Deacon attack should be in good hands this fall.

Leading the way is redshirt junior Julie Cowley, the Deacs' starter in 1996 and 1998 after sitting out the 1997 season with a back injury. Cowley established new Wake Forest single season records for assists (1,364) and assists per game (13.36) in 1998 and Buczek expects more of the same this fall.

"Julie is a veteran who is in her third season," says Buczek. "What she brings to the court is a complete package in terms of her attitude, athletic ability court savvy and leadership. There is no question that she is one of the top setters in the ACC."

A newcomer to the Wake Forest volleyball program, 6'1" freshman Ashlee Phillips will challenge Cowley for court time. Phillips brings excellent physical tools to the court and has all the potential to be a star in the ACC.

"Ashlee was very highly recruited coming out of high school," says Buczek. "She comes from a great club team and an excellent high school program, but her task now is to gain experience at the collegiate level. Her height and athleticism will certainly be an asset to our program over the years."

Providing depth at the setter position is senior Amber Grahn, the Demon Deacons' ultimate utility player. Grahn, who began her career as an outside hitter, stepped into the starting setter role when Cowley missed nearly all of the 1997 season and recorded 991 assists.

"We'll definitely find a place for Amber to play," Buczek states. "She has sacrificed so much for this program. Amber has gladly accepted any assignment given to her in an effort to help our team. As a result she has never had the chance to concentrate and specialize on one particular position.

"Amber brings so much to the court with her versatility and her ability to contribute as a setter, outside hitter or defensive specialist, and we're prepared to use her wherever she is needed this fall."

Buczek points to the depth at setter as an added luxury for the upcoming season.

"We now have two true setters as well as a third player who can help up when needed," says Buczek. "That will certainly help us in terms of running practice drills and scrimmages in addition to providing the luxury of depth throughout the course of the season."

MIDDLE BLOCKERS

Buczek will look to a trio of veteran players to provide the force in the middle this season. With the experience and athletic ability on hand, Buczek is excited about the prospect for this group during the upcoming season.

"This is definitely an experienced group," says Buczek. "We have three players who have significant playing time, and I expect that to motivate each player to work hard and compete with each other for court time. However, we plan on using all three players on a regular rotation this fall to keep everybody fresh and healthy throughout the entire season."

Leading the way here is 6'1" junior Corie Miles. A Freshman All-ACC selection as a rookie in 1997, Miles tallied 234 kills and 99 total blocks a year ago while playing in 32 of 33 matches.

"Corie is the most experienced player of this group as she has seen quality court time since her freshman season," says Buczek. "She worked very hard during the spring season and over the summer and I expect nothing but solid play from her this fall."

Sophomore Margaret Davidson, who stands at 6'1", returns after an outstanding rookie season in which she earned Freshman All-ACC honors. Davidson played in all 33 matches and set a new single-season school record with 119 total blocks. She finished the season with 236 kills, the third highest total on the squad, while recording a .256 hitting percentage.

"Margaret had an outstanding freshman season," says Buczek. "Unfortunately she was injured during the spring and could not practice, so she will have to work hard in preseason camp to return to her top form. Margaret brings athleticism and natural ability to the court which is certainly an asset for our team."

Rounding out the top three at middle blocker is 6'1" junior Jessica Hood. Although her playing time was somewhat limited, she still managed to lead the team with a .330 hitting percentage while recording 129 kills and 50 blocks in 25 matches.

"Jessica made the biggest improvement of any player on our team last year," says Buczek. "She worked very hard on her game and is now in a position to challenge for a starting job. Her hard work has paid off and I expect her to be a key ingredient to our success this fall."

OUTSIDE HITTERS

Buczek welcomes back two key performers at the outside hitter position in 6'0" senior Katie Horne and 6'0" sophomore Trina Maso de Moya, in addition to several other veteran and rookie players who will round out the lineup. Horne and Maso de Moya are clearly the stars here, however, as each surpassed 400 kills last season and averaged better than 3.5 kills per game.

A starter in each of her previous three seasons in Winston-Salem, Horne has been the anchor of the Wake Forest attack since her freshman season. As a sophomore in 1997 she set a new school record with 451 kills, and she enters her senior season as Wake Forest's career leader in kills, attempts and digs.

"Katie has been the go-to player in our offense for the last three years," says Buczek. "She has worked very hard over the years to become the complete player that she is today. I expect Katie's senior year to be her best season yet."

Maso de Moya, who impressed Demon Deacon fans with her quickness and athleticism as a rookie in 1998, earned a spot on the ACC's All-Freshman team. In addition to leading the squad with 429 kills and 3.83 kills per game, she set a new school record and lead the ACC with 496 digs. Maso de Moya was a force both offensively and defensively last year, and Buczek expects to see more of the same outstanding play this fall.

"Trina was a force on the outside for us last year," says Buczek. "It was very hard to take her off the court because of her aggressive serving, passing, speed and quickness. I think that she can be one of the top players in the league if she can reduce the number of errors she commits."

Senior Sharon Harmsworth has seen significant court time during the past three years and will again be a key player this season. The 6'0" veteran enters her senior season with 770 kills and 725 digs in her career after playing in 87 matches in the previous three seasons.

"Sharon can play on both the left and right sides," says Buczek. "Last year she had the ability to come off the bench and turn around tight matches. Sharon has proved that she can be valuable as both a starter and off the bench, and that gives us a luxury entering the season."

Also competing for playing time here will be 6'0" freshman Amanda Tiller. An exceptional athlete who was a star at the high school level in Tennessee, Buczek hopes she can make an impact in her rookie season.

"Amanda is certainly a great athlete," says Buczek. "Now her challenge will be to make that adjustment to the game at the collegiate level. There is no question that she will be a key player for us down the road."

Senior Jessica Sammis could also contend for playing time here. Standing at 6"0", Sammis played in just 10 matches last fall but worked hard during the offseason to improve her game.

"Jessica had a great spring season," Buczek says. "She worked very hard on her conditioning and in the weight room, and that really paid off on the court. Jessica always had outstanding technical skills, and now that she has improved her physical ability she has the potential to be a key player for us this season."

Freshman Jessica Doss is a 5'11" outside hitter who will add depth at the position. An outstanding player at the high school level, Doss will be in the mix for playing time.

"Jessica's biggest asset is her outstanding hands," says Buczek. "Like Amanda, her biggest task this fall will be to adjust to the speed of play at the collegiate level. Once she makes that transition I feel that she will be a fine player."

Adding even more depth here is Grahn, who will see time on the court somewhere this season at outside hitter, setter or defensive specialist.

DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTS

Buczek will have the luxury of turning to several experienced players for help in the back row this season. Leading the way is senior Sara Kryder, who blossomed last year in a defensive role and recorded a career-best 273 digs and 27 service aces.

"Sara is in her fourth year with the program and we're expecting her to be a leader in the backcourt," says Buczek. "Everything finally clicked for her last season and she used her speed and passing ability to develop into one of our best defensive players."

Like Kryder, junior Heather Wilkie saw plenty of court time last fall on the back row. Wilkie, who played in all 33 matches, was regular in the substitution pattern and finished the year with 142 digs.

"Heather is one of our top players in terms of defensive ability and has a knack for reading opponents' offenses," says Buczek. "As she becomes more involved in our passing patterns, she can become an even better player for us."

Adding depth on the back row is sophomore Amber Rieg. Although she played in just six matches last fall, Buczek points to several of her abilities that could be an asset to the Demon Deacons this fall.

"Amber is an outstanding server, probably tops on the team," says Buczek. "She can certainly be called upon for here talents there. And she will gain more court time as she continues to learn the middle back position."

THE SCHEDULE

As Buczek assembles the most veteran team in the four-year history of the resurrected program, the Demon Deacons will face another challenging slate of competition. In addition to the always challenging competition from within the ACC, the Deacs will also face opponents from the SEC, Conference USA and the Atlantic 10.

"We're using our non-conference schedule to prepare for the conference race this season," says Buczek. "We feel like the ACC will be very tight this fall and it's definitely anybody's ball game. Our challenge will be to battle through a 16-match conference schedule and to continue to improve along the way."