Aug. 17, 2012
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLVRebels.com asked volleyball head coach Cindy Fredrick to give us her assessment of how the preseason practices have been going in preparation for the 2012 season.
Coach Fredrick's Thoughts
We've just completed our ninth day of preseason practices, and things have gone very well. Our freshmen have come in ready to compete, and our upper classmen are showing the way. We are still a very young team, with no seniors, but this is a competitive group, who really gets after it during drills and scrimmages.
Stephanie Thelen and Kinsey Caldwell are both setting extremely well, and getting great sets to the hitters. They run the offense well, and are both able to distribute the ball from pin to pin.
Our outside hitters are all hitting the ball with a lot of heat. We've been working on running different plays and getting the freshmen accustomed to new sets. Daryn Glenn, Sekola Falemaka and Siga Appelgate are all hitting well. They are being pushed by freshmen Ceannia Kincade and Bree Hammel. When the season begins, we should have good depth at the outside hitting position.
Madeline Westman and Candice Thomas continue to excel in the middle, with Katlin Winters stepping up her game as well. Their transition game continues to improve, and they are packing some heat in the middle as well as controlling the net. Freshman Tanja Ranilovic is fitting in well, and is adjusting to our offense and practices.
Our defense has been led by sophomore Allison Davies and redshirt sophomore Layne Wilson. I like their pursuit and ball control in the back row, and I've been impressed with the progress Taylor Blackmun. These three will help bring solid defense and passing to the team.
Scarlet & Gray Scrimmage / Season Opening Tournament
The Rebels will host its Scarlet & Gray Scrimmage on Saturday night at 6:00 pm in the Cox Pavilion. The scrimmage is open to the public and free of charge. It will be a good chance for the public to get a glimpse of the team a week before the season kicks off on Aug. 24-25 with the UNLV Invitational. The Rebels will welcome CSU Bakersfield, The Citadel and Northern Arizona to the two-day affair.
