CARSON -- Following a season of high expectations coming into the start of the 2013 campaign, the Toros fell short with 11-19 overall and 4-18 California Collegiate Athletic Association records. Despite a successful 7-1 run in preseason tournaments at the Seaside and Tritons Invitationals, league play proved to be more challenging to a squad that boasted a pair of returning All-CCAA selections in middle Whitney Lee and outside hitter / libero Elizabeth Krieger.
With that duo and five other seniors having exhausted eligiblity after 2013, head coach Jennifer Adeva immediately looks to the program's future, starting this year. An incoming recruiting class of seven freshmen will look to continue the momentum generated towards the end of last year when the Toros took three-straight matches, and gave perennial powers and nationally-ranked Cal State San Bernardino (No. 14, Loss 2-3) and UC San Diego (No. 12, Loss 1-3) all they could handle in the final matches of the regular season, both away from the Torodome.
Adeva welcomes eight players back to the squad, including four starters in setter Dana Brown, outside hitter Alijah Gunsaulus, middle blocker Taryn McCullouch and libero Korryne Kelley, who will look to help CSUDH rebound and cause some waves in arguably the strongest Division II conference in the nation.
"We have a lot of freshmen this year, and they bring a lot of enthusiasm," Adeva begins of her recruiting class. "We are young, but we will be physical as well, and all of them, as well as the returners, will compete for playing time and have the opportunity to make an immediate impact."
Here's a closer look at this year's volleyball team:Â
SETTING UP FOR SUCCESS
In just two years as a Toro, starting setter Dana Brown already sits 4th in the CSUDH record books for career set assists, needing just 324 to become the Toros' all-time assist leader, a mark she conceviably could attain the weekend of September 19, when Cal Poly Pomona and UC San Diego visit Carson.
The six-foot Bellflower native set a career-high record for assists against APU to open the 2013 season (Sept 6), talling more than 50 sets three times with 11 double-doubles, also boasting a season-high 14 digs against CS Stanislaus (Nov 16).
Newcomer Rylee Kiger will challenge Brown as the team quarterback after twice earning Offensive Player of the Year as well as three all-league and an all-area nod under her belt as part of starting all four years at Norco HS and earning the Team MVP award.
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HITTING THE MARK
A void at the outside position will be evident after Krieger finished her final year of eligibility in 2013 who, with Lee, combined for more than a third of the team's kills. Despite this, Adeva returns heavy hitter Alijah Gunsaulus this year, who looks to continue making a name for herself in the CSUDH record books.
Gunsualus led the team with 338 kills despite missing four matches, finished 5th in kills and 9th in points per set in the CCAA and had 12 double-doubles in 2013. In one season, Gunsaulus already sits 2nd in most kills in a season, and 9th highest career hitting percentage in CSUDH record books.
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Adding to the hitting power will be lone senior on the squad in Azieanna Smith, whose 2014 season will be her fourth and final year in Cardinal and Gold. Smith collected 41 kills on the season with three service aces and a .881 serving percentage.
Others expected to compete for time on the court include returners Jilianne Pineda and newcomers Bridget Heins, Hailey Smith and Claire Autry, with each bringing talent and a pension for bringing the hammer.
Pineda saw action in 14 matches last season and came on strong defensively towards the end by digging at least five balls in the final five matches of the year, with a career high coming at now 8-time CCAA Champion CS San Bernardino (Nov 22).
A four-year scholar-athlete, Heins led her squad to a league title as a junior, as well as the North Coast Section Division 1 Championship and the semifinals of the Division 1 Nor Cal State Tournament, while Smith earned Fresno Bee Player of the Year honors as one of her many accolades at Clovis West HS.
Autry, meanwhile, picked up MVP honors and two 1st-team all-league honors at Elk Grove HS, and at 6-1, looks to provide a spark on the outside.
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BUILDING BLOCKERS
Returner Taryn McCullouch saw action in 22 matches as a true freshman last year, making 18 starts. The 6-1 Buena Park native put down at least four balls in six matches, with a season-high 7 kills coming at CS San Bernardino (Nov 22). She also finished 2nd on the team in block assists and total blocks, and 3rd in solo blocks.
Natalie Lopez will look to break onto the floor as a 6-2 sophomore who prepped at Whittier's St. Paul HS, while Hannah Warner, a long 5-10 freshman, earned league MVP and 1st-team all-league honors at Sunny Hills HS, and will provide solid work shutting down opposing hitters and slamming down quicks.
Also at 6-2, freshman Morelia Castro looks to figure in the mix of middles after earning a 1st-team selection at Hacienda Heights HS, and being recruited by West Texas A&M, a Division II program that finished No. 5 in the AVCA.
Returner Antoni Perry will also see time in the middle after seeing action in two matches last year, with most of her minutes in the opposite role.
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THE SPECIALISTS
With two years under her belt, junior Korryne Kelley sits 10th in the CSUDH record books for career digs, finishing 2nd on the team in digs despite playing in just half of last year's matches. She also boasted 13 matches with at least 10 digs, including 5 with at least 20 saves, and enjoyed a season-best 27 digs against CS Stanislaus (Nov 16), going for at least 20 digs in four of her final five matches of the year.
Newcomer Leilani Martinez looks to give Kelley some stiff competition after leading Redondo Union HS to a pair of league titles en route to a CIF-SS 1AA runner-up finish and a 33-match win streak that still stands as a RUHS record across all sports.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
Needing an infusion of talent, coach Adeva intentionally recruited freshmen, and returned with seven of the most talented freshmen in the program's history.
"I am very excited about our 2014 recruiting class, who all are very talented and physical and will excel on the court and in the classroom," she begins. "They all have played at a high level coming from some of the top clubs and/or high school programs and they will give us depth in various positions on the court, which will help build our program and take us to the next level."
Only looking forward, Adeva and her staff know they now have the building blocks for the program's future, and with a solid core of experienced players returning, expects the squad to improve individually and as a team.
"I am looking forward to coaching, developing and watching this team improve this season," she concludes. "We all can't wait to get started."
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