RIVERWOMEN HAVE HIGH HOPES FOR VOLLEYBALL SEASON

Team looking to best last year's 22-8 record

by Mike Kissel

The Riverwomen volleyball team is expecting another good year after a 22-8 campaign last year.

The team is coached by Denise Silvester who is entering her eleventh year at the helm of the Riverwomen.

Her team has been practicing up to three times a day in preparation for the upcoming season that starts off with two tournaments, beginning with Wisconsin - Parkside.

The Following weekend the team will head for Ft. Wayne, IN, to play in the IUPU - Ft. Wayne tournament.

The road trips do not end there.

The team then hits the road for a third weekend in a row. They will play a match at Lewis University.

"Three weekends in a row will be tough, but team chemistry is key. The girls are getting along, so far everyone is hanging tough," Silvester said about the teams pre - season workouts.

The Riverwomen will be relatively young, with no returning seniors. This does not mean their coach is looking towards the future.

"The goal is to win our division, so we can host conference championships," Silvester said. "We have a chance to get to the conference finals. It will be tougher than last year because we are younger."

To obtain these goals, returning sophomore Susan Clagget will need to have another good year. She had 311 kills last year.

Coach Silvester mentioned Freshman Susan Kleinschnitz and Michelle Hochstatter as key players even as freshman.

The team is relatively healthy entering the season. The only injury is to Junior transfer Kristen Brugnara. She will be out at least another month following foot surgery.

"The team is a jigsaw puzzle. We will put the pieces together and find out what pieces work. Then we need to polish things out," Silvester explained.

The Riverwomen are young, but a very talented bunch. The puzzle pieces just coming together can be expected to push their way to the conference finals.