2003 Louisville Volleyball Preview

Sonja Percan

A Manhattan advertising executive would have a field day dreaming up the pitch for the 2003 University of Louisville volleyball team. What a product! You don't have to sell the sizzle because Louisville has a prime cut filet of a team. No purple smoke and soft focus because the Cardinals' roster stands up to the closest scrutiny. No fine print disclaimers because the Cardinals can flat out deliver the goods.

Tabbed as pre-season favorites, the Cardinals are ready to launch their campaign to take the national stage.

SUPERSIZE IT!!!!
For starters, the Cardinals will tower over their opponents.

This supersized squad of players averages 6-1. Candace Cogan at 5-6 is at one end of the spectrum and freshman Anastasia Yartseva is at the other at 6-5. At 6-2 Zoya Filippova will be the tallest setter in school history. While it can look impressive to see the Cardinals all ducking under the doorway to enter the arena, height is only one selling point of this team.

"I never had this goal of getting such a tall team just to be tall," laughs Leonid Yelin. "If you find a 5-7 kid who is coordinated, quick and jumps out of the gym, we'll take her. And hey, if she happens to be 6-4 and can do all that all the better."

A startling starting lineup could possibly have no one under 6-1 on the floor. Libero and setter are two positions that most teams don't have a height stipulation. With Filippova at setter and a libero like Anastasia Zaitseva, who although she is 6-1, is one of the best passers and ball controllers on the team, U of L will play a lot of its matches well above the net.

"We are not going by size alone, but putting the best team out on the floor chemistry-wise with balance, size, quickness and experience. Whatever the best combination on the floor turns out to be."

NEW AND IMPROVED!!!
Injuries riddled the Cardinal squad last year, but a plucky team persona and can-do attitude saved the season. Despite stitching together some unlikely lineups, the Cardinals were still able to win a share of the regular season conference crown and advance to the championship game of the tournament. But hard work in rehab has the walking wounded Cardinals soaring again. Filippova has a new knee. Sonja Percan has a new ankle and Jennifer Craven's broken thumb has healed. Lena Ustymenko has promised to look both ways when she crosses the street to avoid last season's broken wrist after being struck by a car.

"We were freaking out when Sonja (Percan) went down after almost singlehandedly beating No .6 Arizona," said Yelin. "But it turned out to be an awkward but lucky miracle. It gave a lot of playing time for young players to step up and build their confidence and learn the game of college volleyball American style"

Back at full strength and after a summer of playing with the Croatian National Team in Russia, Percan will be a leader with an extraordinary amount of experience. Already a natural leader and born competitor known for her heavy hand on the ball, Percan will be a formidable presence across the net from the Cardinal opponents.

Getting her back for a fifth year means getting her back bigger,
stronger, hungrier and on a mission. Yelin will look to Bing Sun, who was named Conference USA's Pre-season Player of the Year to continue to be a consistent offensive force for the Cardinals.

"She is our quiet leader although we would like her to be a little more vocal. She is very consistent night in and night out on the floor, whether we are playing No. 6 Arizona or a team in a rebuilding year. Whatever the defense throws at her, she finds a way to get around it," said Yelin.

SECRET RECIPE OF 11 (ok, 12) HERBS AND SPICES!!!
One thing this team has is a recipe for success. Team chemistry is paramount to this group. Four seniors with 10 years of starting experience between them makes for a heady mixture. Joining Percan on the senior squad will be Louisvillian Benny Flynn, who adds a local flavor to the mix. She led the team in blocking last year while hitting a tangy .379. Anastasia Zaitseva adds an exotic twist to the mix. The tall and powerful Russian is also one of U of L's most agile defenders and pinpoint passer. She can block, pass, hit and play defense. She is the returning dig leader. Transplanted Californian Adriana Morris, who played her junior college career in Oklahoma has benefitted from Yelin's tutelage and become and adroit blocker.

From the old to the new, Ustymenko, Louisville's 16-year-old prodigy from Ukraine will continue to add some starch to an already fiesty team. She played the second half of the season with a broken wrist on her hitting hand.

And if Jennifer Craven was a spice, she would be a red hot chili pepper. She came to U of L last year with the idea of redshirting and learning the offense. Things changed quickly when she was called upon to not only start at setter and learn the offense but to run the offense. And run it she did. Named Freshman of the Year, she had 1537 assists for 13.14 per game and led the team in aces.

Jennifer Hoffman brings the zip of her sweet home Chicago upbringing to the Cardinals. Last year, she came off the bench situationally and sparked many a momentum change. Junior Candace Cogan's unflappability and work ethic are a staple for Cardinal team.

ENTER TO WIN!!!!!
Yelin and company will need all these ingredients to gel as they embark on one of their most ambitious schedules ever. They open in Hawaii with UCLA, Minnesota and the host Rainbow Wahines is not for the faint of heart.. The very next weekend they travel to Michigan's tournament that also features Texas A&M. The Cardinals also travel to Wake Forest for a tournament to tune up for Conference USA Play.

"You will not see us change the big things like our offense or defense but adjusting some little things. " said Yelin. Hopefully, with an extra year of experience will just make us better than last year."

THRILLS AND CHILLS GALORE!!
Conference USA's brand of volleyball has always featured some vicious infighting and the teams make protecting their home turf a priority. Picked in the preseason to finish on top, there will be no sneaking up on anybody for the Cardinals. They will have to quell an upset minded uprising virtually every match.

"I hope we will stay healthy and not lose so many players as we did last year. We got them all back so I don't think you will see a huge change in what we do. The starting lineups will not have to constantly change as they did last year which will make game preparation so much easier," said Yelin.

Stay tuned for MORE!!

The Cardinals will be vying for their 14th NCAA appearance and at least a portion of their 10th conference championship.