Going into the 2010 season, the Norwich University women’s volleyball team has added new players in its bid to compete in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.
In regards to her expectations for the season, Amanda Cuiffo, women’s volleyball head coach, said, “My expectations are to be more competitive in our conference, to progress in our conference, and to get at least to the semifinal round in our conference playoffs.”
“Obviously our goal is to win the conference and then the national tournament,” said Keira Holmes, 21, a senior business management major from Los Angeles, Calif., “but first we need to make it past the first round. It has been a big hump for us.”
Manager Josh Cabrera, 20, a junior math major from Providence, R.I., said, “The girls have gotten a lot better as compared to last year. The additions they made really change how they play.”
“I think that the incoming class has been great. We brought four players this year and between them I think they will all have an impact and with some other people stepping up, I do think we have a better team than we had last year,” Cuiffo said. She continued, “We brought in Ivana [Batur] as a transfer student to fill the role of Lisset Magdeleno and it made the transition to this year smooth.
“Ivana Batur will potentially be the new powerhouse in the middle of the court along with junior April Byllaardt,” said Holmes. “We also added Jennette Chartrand. She plays with me in the back row and on top of the fact that she has a lot of skill she still has room to grow since she is a freshman.”
Cuffio said, “Quinn Duffy has just recovered from an ankle injury and I expect her to see a lot of court time.”
Holmes added, “Like Jennette, Quinn is a freshman with a lot of upside, she is a good outside hitter and will be a staple in the program.”
Keira said, “Janidsa Fuster is recovering from injury but she will have an impact on the court.”
Cuffio said that with the new additions the team will play a more aggressive and intense game in order to compete on the conference level. Some of the spectators agree.
Brandon Kuhre, 19, a sophomore athletic training major from Cornish, N.H., said, “The game was really intense and there was a lot of passion. They left everything on the court and you could see it from the how the girls dove on the court and celebrated.”
Dennis Brooks, 19, a freshman business major from Bennington, Vt., said, “The games are a lot more intense than you think it would be. They really get into it and it is fun to watch.” He added, “From what I have seen, they will do very well in their conference.”
Holmes said, “We need support. We love having everyone cheer for us because it helps us to perform and it is a lot of fun.
As of press time, the team had a 12-6 record.