Jordan Murray is part of a talented quintet of junior defensive specialists that helped Wooster hold the opposition to a .116 attack percentage last year.

The College of Wooster volleyball team's depth provides veteran head coach Sarah Davis a lot of flexibility and the opportunity to present the Fighting Scots' opponents with numerous looks in 2017.

"This group is a creative, hard-working group that's also very athletic," said Davis. "Flexibility will be our strength with having players who can play a lot of positions and a variety of roles with ease. We can expect to see many players contribute in a variety of ways and hope to be hard for opponents to predict. Having 15 returners and 11 of those juniors and seniors gives us quite an advantage."

One thing that won't need any predicting is impact senior outside hitter Ksenia Klue can make, evidenced by her standout career thus far. The Medina, Ohio native paced Wooster with 272 kills last year – the fifth-highest single-season total in the current scoring format that's been in play since 2008. Klue's well-rounded contributions carried over to other facets of the game as she ranked fourth on the team in digs (179), blocks (42), and aces (20), all while sporting the highest serving percentage (.976) on the team among individuals with at least 100 attempts.

"We're going to rely on Ksenia to be a six-rotation player," summed up Davis. "She'll shoulder a lot of the offensive load."

Complementing Klue in the senior class is setter Taylor Mathews, who made a big impact last year as a junior transfer. In addition to setting up a very balanced attack that saw three student-athletes record at least 2.3 kills per set, and four have 500 attack attempts on the year, Mathews' contributions carried over to the defensive end of the floor where she logged 15 double-doubles behind averaging just shy of 3.0 digs per set.

"Taylor knows the game extremely well, and has a high volleyball IQ," stated Davis. "She'll continue to be great at being creative with our offense."

Switching gears to the defense, Wooster has a deep defensive-minded junior quintet of back-row specialists, spearheaded by two-year standouts Gabrielle Basinski and Jordan Murray, two of the catalysts behind Wooster holding its opposition to a North Coast Athletic Conference-best .116 opponents' attack percentage, a mark that ranked in the top 50 in Div. III. Combined, Basinski and Murray accounted for over 6.5 digs per set.

Classmates McKenzie Reese, Erin Rajewski, and Eva Stebel transitioned into more defensive roles last year and provide plenty of capable options to the Scots' speedy back line.

"We have a really strong and deep group of junior defenders," said Davis. "We expect both Gabrielle and Jordan to be the keys to our defense. They're both very experienced.

Up front, juniors Marija Cyvas and Mayia Karagianni give Davis a veteran presence as the duo combined for 122 kills and 71 blocks in 2016. Fellow classmates Eleri Miller and Ashley Plassard give the junior class plenty of height as all four are listed at 5-11 or taller, which should bode well for Wooster's blocking prospects, an area where Wooster ranked 25th nationally last season at 2.1 per set.

Sticking with the hitters, sophomores Cami Miller, Anna Medema, and Erica Roberts are now at the forefront of the mix for time in a multitude of roles as Wooster graduated a deeply talented class of student-athletes including a trio of hitters.

"Our sophomore class was extremely patient last year, and used that time to learn the game and get up to speed on the collegiate game," said Davis. "We're excited to see the contributions they'll make to the program this fall."

Kyana Harris rounds out the sophomore class, and she emerged as a go-to dynamic player right away and could factor into an expanded role as an attacker and setter per Davis.

Three first-years round out the roster in setter Meghan Botsch, outside hitter McKenna Gassman, and defensive specialist Bradlee Hartman.

"We have a really solid first-year class," commented Davis. "Bradlee will fit in with the defensive crew really well. Meghan is a setter with a high-level of club experience. McKenna adds size to the outside at 6-0."

Wooster opens its season at the University of Mount Union Invitational on Sept. 1, where the Scots are slated to square off against a pair of teams that made it to their respective conference tournament semifinals in the State University of New York at Geneso and Mount Union. The Scots' 10-match home slate is headlined by the annual Ginny Hunt Kilt Classic, held during the College's Black & Gold Weekend, Sept. 15-16.