Brittany Nicholson, Wooster's lone four-year player, will provide veteran leadership to the 2015 volleyball team.

A more experienced team takes the volleyball court for The College of Wooster this fall, with ninth-year head coach Sarah Davis looking to help her squad carry over the momentum it displayed at the end of last season's campaign.

"I'm really excited about 2015," said Davis. "I feel that the passion, energy, and the willingness to put in hard work is back. I'm looking forward to a successful year, and all the great things on the court and in the classroom that these players accomplish."

Wooster capped its 2014 season with a win over Allegheny College, a match in which the Fighting Scots set a four-set team record with 64 kills. Many of the key players from that match return, led by senior outside hitter Savannah Moore and junior outside hitter Lydia Webster, who combined for exactly half (32) of those kills in that finale.

Webster led the team with 258 kills overall en route to earning honorable mention on the All-North Coast Athletic Conference Team, while Moore ranked a close second on the team (256 kills) and will be counted on to fill numerous roles in 2015.

Senior Brittany Nicholson, the lone four-year member of the squad, returns at the setter position. She distributed a team-best 408 assists a year ago.

"Brittany has a lot of experience," said Davis. "We'll really be looking to her for positive leadership on and off the court. She's a smart setter."

Sophomore Sydney Virgin will look to keep pushing Nicholson, as the duo shared sets in the 6-2 system in 2014.

Davis will count on rising junior Anna Emmick to lead the way in the middle. The Indianapolis, Ind. native led the team in blocking (78 total) and was fourth in kills in 2014.

"Anna is a very strong blocker," said Davis. "Her offense really came on the second half of the season and in the spring. She has two years of starting experience, seeing time on the court since she was a freshman."

Other returners to keep an eye on up front include junior Megan Mey and sophomores Rebecca Grunder and Ksenia Klue.

Mey was a key performer on the right side as a sophomore, when healthy, as she averaged 1.20 kills per set. Grunder, looking to rebound from a 2014 injury, is coming off of a solid spring season, according to Davis. Klue saw extensive action as a first-year, appearing in every set and finishing third on the team with 185 kills.

Rising junior Laura Sherer returns as the team's top back row player, having recorded 113 digs in 2014, and may have a larger role this season if she continues to show progress.

"Laura really peaked at the end of the year," said Davis. "She has had two years of experience as a defensive specialist for our team. She's really athletic and coming into her own as a defender."

Ten newcomers round out this year's roster. The class includes sophomore international student Jessica Verghese and first-years Gabrielle Basinski, Marija Cyvas, Eleri Miller, Jordan Murray, Ashley Plassard, Erin Rajewski, McKenzie Reese, Eva Stebel, and Rachel Topper.

The Scots will play nine home matches this season, including the opener against Thiel College on Sept. 1 and the two-day Ginny Hunt Kilt Classic Sept. 18-19, when the College will celebrate "50 Years of Women's Volleyball" with a variety of activities for alumnae of the program.