’Diggers, Tobin eyeing national berth

By Bruce Sayler - 08/21/2008

A long wait might be about to pay dividends for the Montana Tech volleyball team and the program’s 19th-year head coach, Marilyn Tobin.

Some injuries have to be overcome first, however.

The Orediggers were third in the Frontier Conference regular season in 2007, missing a chance to win the crown on the last weekend of the campaign. They then were fourth at the league postseason tournament, but still advanced to the regional tournament. However, Montana Tech, battling injuries that were suffered at exactly the wrong time of the year, bowed out early from the regional meet.

No regional postseason competition is on the slate this year. The Frontier Conference champion will zoom straight to nationals, and Tobin and the Orediggers are eyeing the spot.

A season against good non-conference opponents and fierce, talented Frontier rivals has to be negotiated first.

“I’m anxious to see us play somebody other than ourselves.” Tobin said Wednesday, the day before the was to board a bus for Dickinson, N.D., where it will launch its season in tournament play Friday and Saturday. “I’m happy with the condition everybody came back in. Last year, we finished on kind of a fizzle. We had some injuries. I think everybody came back (wanting to make up for the disappointing finish).” The Orediggers will play Minot State at 10 a.m. on Friday, then Valley City State at 2 p.m. Their Saturday matches are set for 9 a.m. against South Dakota Tech and 3 p.m. versus Jamestown. Both Techs, Montana and South Dakota, received votes, but not enough for rankings, in the NAIA Preseason Top 25.

Injuries to senior Maria “Mo” McNeil and juniors Katie Daly, Janet Friesz and Jodi Hogart have slowed practices some. McNeil will play hurt through an injured knee, the coach said. Daly’s is questionable with a shoulder injury and may miss time. Friesz, beneficiary of a medical redshirt for an ankle injury that sidelined her last year, re-injured it recently, Tobin said. However, she is expected to be available. And Hogart looks to be recovered from a neck injury suffered in a freak golf-cart accident, the coach said.

“Some of our players are now old enough to have nagging injuries,” Tobin lamented. “We should be strong enough as a team, though, to pick up the slack regardless of who might not be playing.” All-Conference returnees are Daly, McNeil, Hogart and Cassie Hodges. Daly, a 6-footer out of Butte High, earned All-America honorable mention as a sophomore middle blocker.

McNeil is a 6-0 outside hitter from Missoula Hellgate, Hogart a 5-7 setter from Butte Central and Hodges a 6-0 right-side hitter from Hardin. Other returnees include See ’DIGGERS, Page B4 Friesz, a 6-0 middle blocker from Carlin, Nev., Kristi Witt, a 5-5 senior libero from Butte High, Lacie Brenton, a 5-8 senior outside hitter and defensive specialist from Helena, and CoreyAnne Russell, a 6-0 senior outside hitter from Whitefish.

The group has started, or played with starters’ roles and responsibilities, for much of the last three and four seasons. The experience factor, that also includes 5-5 sophomore defensive specialist Savanna Lester from Sandpoint, Idaho, and 6-0 sophomore middle blocker Samantha Sheble of Cut Bank, is so deep that Tobin has decided to redshirt all of her 2008 recruits.

Shelby Zentner is a 5-5 freshman from Missoula, who redshirted last season and has all four years of her eligibility remaining.

“This is the team we’ve worked for (for the past few seasons),” said Tobin, who is being assisted again this season by Shaela Evenson. “One thing we’d worked for for was getting experience under out belts. We’ve been really young, then young and inexperienced, then young and experienced and now to this team. I’m confident in what we have out there (on the court) and confident in having other people stepping up.

“It’s fun to watch them play and fun to have that experience. We have a big team and it’s nice to have that height. In my 19 years as coach here I’ve seen our program change from 5-foot-7 outside hitters to now 6-foot middles across the front line — a big change.” What looks like should be a booming, high-powered offense has been tested daily in preseason drills by a group of freshmen digging up and returning even some of the more wicked shots, Tobin said, saying the redshirts’ defense has been a good challenge for the veterans’ velocity.

“We will be better because of that,” Tobin said.

They will need to be. The Frontier Conference will probably be the best is has ever been in terms of volleyball quality and competitiveness, Tobin said. She cited Lewis-Clark State being ranked 16th in the preseason poll, Westminster 24th, and both Great Falls and Montana Tech receiving poll votes.

The Orediggers will play 15 road matches, most of them in tournaments, before their home opener, a Frontier Conference contest against Carroll set for Sept. 18.

Montana Tech schedule: August 22-23 — at Dickinson State tournament (vs. Minot State, Valley City State, South Dakota Tech and Jamestown). 29-30 — at Concordia-California tournament (vs. Bellevue, Westmont, San Diego Christian and Vanguard).

September 3 — at Montana Western, 7 p.m. 5-6 — at Carroll tournament (vs. Azusa Pacific, Oklahoma Wesleyan, Minot State and Southern Alberta Tech). 11 — at Lewis-Clark State, 7 p.m. 13 — at Westminster, 2 p.m. 18 — vs. Carroll, 7 p.m. 19 — vs. Rocky Mountain, 7 p.m. 25 — at Montana Western, 7 p.m.

October 3 — at Montana State-Northern, 7 p.m. 4 — at Great Falls, 7 p.m. 16 — vs. Lewis-Clark State, 7 p.m. 17 — vs. Westminster, 7 p.m. 23 — at Carroll, 7 p.m. 25 — at Rocky Mountain, 2 p.m. 30 — vs. Montana Western, 7 p.m.

November 7 — vs. Montana State-Northern, 8 p.m. 8 — vs. Great Falls, 7 p.m. 14-15 — at Frontier Conference tournament, Lewiston, Idaho, TBA. 21-22 — at national playoffs.

December 2-6 — NAIA National Tournament, Sioux City, Iowa, TBA.