Setter
Canisius has two main options at the setter position in
junior Janelle Davis and freshman Sydney Palka. A two-year starter, Davis
is the first player in program history to have 900-plus assists in each of her
first two seasons. During those freshman and sophomore seasons, Davis hasn't
missed a set, making her the second-most experienced player on the roster, and
has 40 matches of 30-plus assists in her career.
The addition of Palka, a freshman from Tonawanda, N.Y.,
gives the Griffs another option at the setter position while sophomore Emily Carpenter also has been working
with the setters in preseason as well. The competition in camp between Davis
and Palka has been good, with Hummel saying Davis has had her best camp in her
three years at Canisius. Davis and Palka will play, whether it's one setter on
the court at all times or having two setters go through the rotation. Hummel
isn't married to a system and will see which system provides the most success.
"We have two very talented setters. Janelle has had her best
preseason and is showing on the court the maturity she's gained during her
first two years," Hummel said. "Sydney Palka has equal talent to Janelle. Her
challenge is trying to catch up to the speed and intensity of the college game.
Sydney also brings an extra fire that our team may have been lacking."
Libero
Sophomore Allyson
Severyn jumped right into the libero position and only let go of it for two
matches in 2009 - two matches where injuries forced Severyn to dress as an
outside hitter. The Lancaster, N.Y. native had double-digit digs in 27 of 29
matches - all 27 matches where she played libero. Severyn finished 22nd
in the country at 5.18 digs per set and ranked second nationally among all
freshmen.
She also led Canisius with a .949 service reception percentage
- the highest percentage of any libero in program history. The 5.18 digs per
set average also was the highest by any Canisius freshman.
Backing up Severyn and playing in the back row will be
freshman Lindsay Hanggi, who played
on the 2009 New York Class AA state champions at Canandaigua High School.
"Ally had a great freshman campaign. The expectation of her
is to continue to get better. The points she will generate for us on passing
will be critical to our success," Hummel said. "Lindsay's work ethic and energy
on the court is awesome. It's made our flow on the court better. She will be on
the court in some capacity and will be in a constant competition with Ally to
wear the other color jersey."
