Volleyball Cougars Back on Court, Ready for 2011 Season

A restocked and rejuvenated UC Clermont volleyball team is back in the gym and preparing for a promising 2011 season.

Coming off a 2010 campaign in which the Cougars captured their seventh consecutive conference championship - including a second consecutive Ohio Collegiate Athletic Conference (OCAC) crown, won the OCAC post-season tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national championship tournament (their fifth consecutive trip), the 2011 squad is looking to further enhance the great tradition of the Clermont volleyball program.

The 2011 Cougars feature a good mix of talent and experience. Eight returning players from last year’s team are joined by six newcomers who comprise one of the best recruiting classes in the history of the program. The squad will also have outstanding depth in all positions.

“I’m very excited about this team,” said UC Clermont Head Coach Joe Harpring. “We have so many experienced players returning from a 2010 squad which had to really struggle for everything they achieved. They are battle-tested. The incoming freshmen and transfers add some outstanding speed and power. We have height, depth, good floor defense and many offensive weapons – all key ingredients.”

The UC Clermont roster features two seniors – 5’4”defensive specialist Cindy Votel (Bellevue H.S.), Second Team All-Conference in 2010 and 5’8”setter/outside hitter Lauren Bradford (Norwood), a USCAA First Team All-American and reigning OCAC Player of the Year.

Three juniors further enhance the experience the 2011 Cougars feature. Rachel Hays (Amelia) earned First Team All-Conference honors as a 5’11”middle hitter and  5’8” setter Courtney Davis (Western Brown) was named Second Team All-Conference in 2010. The 5’7” defensive specialist Rachel Ferguson (Norwood) adds veteran leadership to the group.

Three sophomores who saw significant playing time in 2010 also return. Becca Walton 5’3” (Mother of Mercy) will switch to a setter role for the coming campaign. Emily Rogers-Fightmaster, at 6’1”, will return to the middle hitter position and 5’10” Haley Weber (Mariemont) will fill both outside and right side hitter slots.

The incoming class is deep and talented. This class includes 6’1” middle/right side hitter and redshirt freshman Rachel Mullins (Eastern Brown), 5’7” outside hitter Katie Sipe (St. Bernard), 5’7” outside hitter Harley Morris (Simon Kenton), 5’3” defensive specialist Courtney Maier (Newport Central Catholic), 5’9” outside hitter Kaitlyn Miller (Sycamore) and 5’8” outside/middle hitter Aja Pettit (Goshen and transfer from Notre Dame College). 

Joe Harpring will be at the helm for his eighth year as head coach and 11 year with the Clermont program. He is joined on his staff by one returnee and one newcomer. Former player and UC Clermont Hall of Fame inductee Meagan Ooten starts her sixth season as a Cougar coach. Tom Regensberger begins his first season as an assistant coach. Regensberger is a veteran high school and club volleyball coach – working formerly in the Anderson and Mount Notre Dame high school programs and currently on staff with the Cincy Peppers volleyball club.

The Cougars will face another interesting and challenging season in conference play. The 2010 OCAC title race went to the wire with four teams in contention up to the last week. Ohio Christian and Southern State both featured young teams in 2010 and should benefit from the experience gained by these players. Both Ohio State-Marion and Clark State lost some outstanding players to graduation, but should still be quite strong with talented incoming freshmen added to their respective rosters.

UC Clermont kicks off the 2011 campaign with a conference road match at Southern State on August 23. The Cougars open the home portion of their schedule with an old-fashioned baseball-style doubleheader against West Virginia University-Parkersburg on Saturday, September 3 at 12 p.m. The home slate of contests for 2011 also includes the annual

Cougar Classic

tri-match on Sunday, September 18, as well as the

Tailgate Party

and

Senior Night

. Among many challenging road contests, the team will travel to Pittsburgh for the

Penn State-Beaver Invitational

in late August.

“I’d like to encourage people to come see this team,” said Harpring. “They will be fun to watch. I’ve enjoyed the level of play and energy they have already shown in training sessions. These kids will definitely turn some heads.”

For more information about the team and the 2011 schedule visit:

http://www.ucclermont.edu/athletics/WomensVolleyball.html