Fairfield volleyball locked and reloaded

Trojan fans who like to throw around the term ?rebuilding year? should keep it to themselves ? at least when talking to Nancy Diers.

Diers, who has led the Fairfield volleyball program for 26 seasons and counting, isn?t a big believer in the idea. Her disdain for the term might be why the Trojans seemingly never need to rebuild, and also why they find themselves ranked 11th in Class 4A after losing five major players from the 2011 squad.

?We are never rebuilding. We?re just reloading,? said Diers. ?We lost a lot of good players, but I love the players we have this year.?

Last season, the Trojans fell one game shy of the state tournament, losing to Solon in the round of 16. Gone from that squad is two-time SEC player of the year Tori Ogden, McKenzie Lyman, Taylor Neil and defensive specialists Taylor Silvers and Haley Williams. Still, not much has changed for the program, which has claimed five Southeast Conference titles in the past six seasons and keeps on pumping out athletes like a volleyball factory.

?We have some spots that we need to fill, but that?s okay,? Diers said. ?That?s part of resurging and starting a new season. Everybody needs to vie for their position again, and how bad do they want it??

Trojan track phenom and senior Sydney Howard is a prime candidate to replace some of the production the graduating players took with them. Although Howard was bit by the injury bug last year and missed a few weeks, she managed to put down the second most kills per set on the team, only trailing Ogden. Howard also was second in number of attack attempts and showed promised from behind the service line.

Diers said Howard could also step in as a setter but would like to utilize her speed elsewhere.

?Sydney Howard was one of our best serve receivers last year. Hopefully we can keep her in the rotation in the back row so she can get some digs and use her speed because everybody knows she?s got just a little bit of speed,? Diers said.

Another senior, the left-handed Erin Thompson, will play primarily from the right side of the net. Diers said she expects nice things from Thompson now that she has one full varsity season under her belt.

?She really emerged for us last year as a nice force. We?re hoping Erin just continues to hit the ball hard. She?s got a lot of different shots that she can use and we?re hoping to be able to use Erin a little bit more this year,? Diers said.

Then there?s the versatile Sidney Baumann, who has played on the varsity roster since her sophomore season. Baumann is both an asset from the outside as well as the right side.

?We?re looking for her to continue stepping up and doing those types of things, and we just need a strong player for us like she has been in the past,? said Diers. ?Her defense improved greatly last year and she?s a very smart player, so she knows how to keep the ball alive for us.?

Outside of the known quantities, plenty of opportunities exist for the team?s two other seniors. Haley Grunwald, a defensive specialist, logged a lot of hours on the JV courts last season and hopes the work pays off in her final season. Ashley Manning is also coming from the JV squad and has shown the ability to play in the front row and back row.

The junior class adds another 13 players to the mix, led by Marisa Repp and Sydney Burnett. Repp figures to be Fairfield?s staple in the middle, and Burnett is back as the team?s top setter. McKenna Ledger should also be in the varsity mix after having a ?great club season,? added Diers.

?I like the depth of our squad, I like our kids, I?ve liked what I?ve seen in the practices so far and I like our versatility,? said Diers, who will be balancing a JV/varsity roster of 28 players. ?If we need to give someone a break, we?ll have someone we can put in ? for two or three points or maybe the rest of the game.?

And because the team is reloading, not much as changed from last season?s goals and aspirations. Diers still wants her players to be good representatives of the community, responsible students and conference champions. If all three goals are met, then maybe they?ll make it to the state tournament in November, she said.

?We were close last year [to accomplishing all four]. We were on the doorstep and we just couldn?t get through, but that?s just the way athletics is, sometimes you do and sometimes you don?t,? she said.

The Trojans are the favorites to win the Southeast Conference, and Diers wouldn?t have it any other way.

?I would put us hopefully in that driver?s seat category, but we?ve been there a lot and always have the target on our back,? Diers said. ?That?s not a bad spot to be.?

With players like Elinor Krieger-Coble, Taryne Shull and Kelsey Phipps back, Mount Pleasant has the height and athleticism to contend and could prove to be Fairfield?s No. 1 challenger once again. Fort Madison is led by former Holy Trinity coaches and should only get stronger as the season moves along, while Keokuk and Washington have a few solid returnees as well.

?We can?t do anything about the other teams unless we?re playing them,? added Diers. ?The hope is you can survive that first outing, and that second time around ? you know what they?re good at, what they?re not good at and can exploit their weaknesses a bit.?

The Trojans open the season today with their annual Steve Hisel Quad at Fairfield High School. Fairfield will open SEC play Sept. 30 at Mount Pleasant.