Outside Hitters
Canisius has to replace one of its outside hitters as
four-year starter Renee Lettow graduated in 2010. The Griffs will use two
players - senior Danielle Brawn and
sophomore Emily Elek - in their main
rotation.
Brawn became the team's most productive outside hitter at the end of her junior
season. The Brockport, N.Y. native had four kills in the five-set thriller against
Niagara in the regular-season finale and carried that momentum over to the MAAC
Championship. Brawn set a season high in kills in each of the final three
matches, capped by 14 against Fairfield in the third-place match of the
tournament.
Coupled with Brawn will be Elek, who played for the first
time in 2010 after missing the 2009 season with a knee injury. Elek made 27
starts last season, ranking second on the team in kills per set (2.60). Her 302
kills were the second-most by a freshman in program history and the
Wescosville, Pa. native ranked sixth in the MAAC with a 2.91 kills per set
average in conference play.
"Danielle Brawn has all but met her potential as a player.
She's playing with confidence and is stronger and faster than she's ever been,"
Canisius coach Cathy Hummel said. "Emily
has maintained her speed and power from last year. Because of their mindset and
physicality, we will have the fastest offense that I've ever played."
After Brawn and Elek is the trio of senior Joanna Burt, sophomore Jessica Warner and freshman Olivia Chrzanowski. Burt, a co-captain
for the Griffs, brought a spark off the bench in a number of occasions in 2010,
especially late in the season. Burt set a career-high in digs in two of the
final four matches, including nine digs against Niagara.
"Joanna has always been the poster child for the type of
player we want in our program," Hummel said. "She hasn't experienced a ton of
on-court success, but you would never know that. Her role is to work hard and
raise our competitive level. When given the chance to play, she will help our
team compete."
Warner will serve in a utility role for the Griffs, being
able to play at any position except for setter. The Lancaster, N.Y. native has
been getting practice repetitions at four positions - outside hitter, middle
hitter, right side and back row. Last year, Warner came off the bench to give
the starters a break and provide energy for the team when it needed a lift. Chrzanowski looks to serve in that same type of role this year, a
talented freshman who won't be relied upon to be a consistent contributor right
from the start.
"Olivia and Jess Warner will be ready to go off the bench in a hitting role or for defensive purposes," Hummel said. "They've been good in
competitive situations throughout camp. We want them to be able to go in, score
points and give our starters relief."
Middle Hitters/Right
Side
The strength of Canisius under Hummel has been the middle
hitter position, a trend that continues for the 2011 Golden Griffins. That
strength becomes even stronger when it's led by the 2010 MAAC Offensive Player of
the Year - junior Samantha Good.
Good became the first player in program history to earn that
award after finishing sixth in the conference in kills per set (2.95) and second
in attack percentage (.326) as well as first in blocks per set (1.03). Good
even picked up her play later in the season, recording double-digit kills in
six of the last seven matches. The Rochester, N.Y. native was the first
Golden Griffin since 2006 to earn First-Team All-MAAC honors.
Along with Good are senior Layne Adams and sophomore Roxanne
Hernandez. Adams, a second-year team captain, set career highs in kills,
attack percentage and blocks during her junior season. The Newtown, Pa. native
had double-digit kills in five matches and ranked sixth in program history with
88 block assists. Hernandez was another Golden Griffin who came on strong at
the end of the season. The 6-foot-3, Medford, N.Y. native hit .412 in the last
six matches, setting a career high in kills three times in those six matches. Adams and Hernandez will rotate on the right side to take the spot left by Jasmine Brennan.
"We plan to have three middles in the rotation at all times,
Hummel said. "Sam should play strictly in the middle with Roxy and Layne
playing in the middle and on the right side.
"Our trio of middles, along with our depth on the outside
has made us encouraged for the offense this season."
Setters and Libero
An overlooked fact in volleyball when an offense is
struggling is that good passing leads to those quality opportunities for the
front row. The Golden Griffins can look at their libero and setter positions as
strengths heading into the season.
Junior Allyson
Severyn was named the MAAC Libero of the Year after the 2010 season when
she finished with a program-record 628 digs. Severyn, named to the preseason
All-MAAC team at the beginning of August, had 17 matches of 20 digs or more
last season, including each of the last five matches. The Lancaster, N.Y.
native also led the team with a 94.4 service reception percentage as a sophomore.
"A coach always feels satisfied when she has players who are
recognized as the best in the conference at what they do," Hummel said. "In
just two years, Ally has shown to be at the top of the conference as a libero,
and what's just as encouraging is she continues to get better."
At the setter position, the Griffs have senior Janelle Davis, a rare fourth-year
starter at such an important position for the offense. Davis ranks second in program history in
career assists and has 800 assists, 25 service aces, 200 digs and 50 blocks in
each of her first three seasons. That versatility can get overlooked, but Davis
especially flashed it at the end of the season with a double-double in five of
the last nine matches.
Backing up Davis at the setter position is sophomore Sydney Palka. The Tonawanda, N.Y.
native appeared in 31 matches as a freshman and was third on the team in
service aces. Along with Palka at the setter position is junior Emily Carpenter, who Hummel values as
someone pushing the team and a player who came back in the best shape of her
career this year.
"This is the most confident Janelle has been in setting the ball in her career
at Canisius," Hummel said. "Sydney has been tremendous during preseason camp.
She will push Janelle and there will be great competition every week in
practice to see who gets that position.
"Sydney definitely will get some looks early on in
non-conference matches to show what she can provide our team at the setter
position."
