Aug. 30, 2007

Staten Island, NY - Repeat! That's the goal for the Wagner Seahawks in 2007. Last year, the Green & White advanced to their first Northeast Conference (NEC) tournament since the 2001 season and nearly turned the tourney upside down before falling in five sets to No. 3 seed and eventual runner-up Robert Morris. This season, fifth-year head coach Kevin Michael Papa has his sights on not just returning to NEC Volleyball's signature event but also winning the program's first playoff match since the 1997 team took home the NEC Title.

The Green & White return seven letterwinners and four starters from last year's team that went 9-23 and 4-4 during conference play. The nine wins were the most by a Seahawk team since 1999 and the Green & White narrowly missed achieving double-digits in wins for only the fourth time in school-history.

Junior co-captains Sarah Garrette (Barrington, IL / Barrington) and Kelly Kasper (West Windsor, NJ / Windsor Plainsboro South) lead the Wagner attack. Garrette is penciled in as the team's starting middle blocker after playing a team-high 111 games last year averaging 1.0 kills per game on a stellar .215 hitting percentage. She also finished in a tie for first on the squad with 0.59 blocks per game and appears to be on the cusp of breaking through as one of the top middle-blockers in the NEC. Kasper returns from an injury-plagued sophomore campaign. Despite the setbacks, she managed to showcase her powerful left arm to the tune of 1.81 kills per game. She is the Seahawks' hardest hitter and diversifies the offense with her power.

Returning to lead the setting unit is sophomore Gabi Hilk (Wilmington, DE / Alexis I. DuPont). Hilk split the setting duties a year ago and ranked eighth in the NEC with 5.11 assists per game. She took home NEC Rookie of the Week accolades for the week of Oct. 23-29 after handing out 8.9 assists per game over three matches, including a then career-high 46 assists in a thrilling five-set win over the Sacred Heart.

Last year's MVP, sophomore Sam O'Brien (San Francisco, CA / Sacred Heart Cathedral), will see some time on the right side after playing primarily in the middle in 2006, a move designed to utilize her excellent service and blocking ability. O'Brien, who came to camp in excellent shape, paced Wagner with 47 aces (0.43 pg), ranking seventh in the NEC, and tied for the team-lead with 65 blocks (0.59 bpg).

Alex Klein (Cresent Springs, KY / Notre Dame Academy) returns for her sophomore campaign after being sidelined for the final 22 matches of the season. She possesses a strong all-around game and is being counted on to replace 2006 All-NEC Second Team selection Brandy Barnett as the team's primary outside hitter. When healthy, she hit at a .153 clip and averaged 1.22 kills per game.

The fourth of the team's talented five sophomores is Jess Troiano (Chester, NY / Monroe-Woodbury). Troiano will join Garrette in the middle and arguably Wagner's most athletic player. She is a solid offensive threat with exceptional blocking skills, assets that bolster one of the top middle blocking units in the NEC.

Sophomore Ami Grilly (Lake Village, CA / Westlake) rounds out the sophomores and will push both Garrette and Troiano for playing time. The 6-1 California native provides the Seahawks with the resources to stop bigger teams with her exceptional blocking skills.

Battling it out for Wagner's final two starting spots will be a quartet of freshmen. Erin Henneberger (Livonia, MI / Ladywood) and Ashley Pepper (Washington Court House, OH / Washington Senior) are competing for the chance to line up alongside Klein as an outside hitter. At the libero position will be Wagner's other two freshmen, Jennifer Lechman (Effingham, IL / Effingham) and Kelsey Rose (Springfield Township, OH / Roger Bacon). All four of the newcomers will see action and be expected to help shore up the Seahawks' defensive game.

The Green & White kick off their season at home with a Labor Day tilt against Navy on Monday, Sept. 3 at 2 pm.