Senior Ashley Plassard (pictured) and classmate Marija Cyvas both ranked in the top 10 in the NCAC in blocks last year, and Wooster was one of three teams to have a top-10 duo.

With nine seniors, The College of Wooster volleyball team certainly has plenty of returning experience on the court this fall, and the Fighting Scots should be extra ramped up to start the season thanks to having first dibs on calling a completely renovated Timken Gymnasium home. The final touches of the $5 million state-of-the-art project inside Armington Physical Education Center (P.E.C.) are underway.

"We're really excited with the maturity and experience of this year's team," said veteran head coach Sarah Davis, who noted "Wooster's senior class is the largest in recent school history. Our seniors have paid their dues and worked hard, and we're excited to see what our veteran squad can accomplish come conference play."

Wooster projects to have a big presence at the net, where seniors Marija Cyvas and Ashley Plassard anchor down the middle. In fact, both seniors ranked in the top 10 in the North Coast Athletic Conference last year in blocks, and the Scots were one of three teams with a top-10 duo.

"It's always great to have middle blockers with experience," summed up Davis. "It's a hard position to transition from high school to college, but both Marija and Ashley stepped up as juniors last year and didn't miss a beat. We're excited to have two veterans there."

Both Cyvas and Plassard are coming off of career years in terms of kills, and the offense serves as an area to keep an eye on, as the Scots lost two of their top four attackers, including all-conference standout Ksenia Klue and starting setter Taylor Mathews.

Davis does have plenty of letterwinners back in the fold to complement Cyvas and Plassard up front. Sticking with the senior class, Eleri Miller earned an expanded role last year and responded well. She'll "provide a solid option on either pin," per Davis, who also noted, "she hits very high over blocks." Classmate Mayia Karagianni, a veteran in the program, is one of the Scots' "most experienced" players, per Davis, and is "coming off of a strong showing in the spring." Seniors McKenzie Reese and Eva Stebel worked their way into the mix in the back row last year, and could see their roles expanded into front court attackers.

Three other letterwinners return up front in juniors Anna Medema and Cami Miller and sophomore McKenna Gassman. Medema was one of the ones who took a big jump from 2016 to 2017 and averaged over a kill per set, while Gassman and Miller provide plenty of options for Davis to mix-and-match come the season.

Shifting back to the senior-driven theme, Gabrielle Basinski and Jordan Murray lead the way on a talented back row, and the duo combined for nearly seven digs per set a season ago.         

"Gabrielle and Jordan have worked really hard to be on the court the last three years," said Davis. "We're excited to have two three-year starters anchoring the defense. They work really well together, and often almost play as one. We know we can count of them for steady performances leading the defense."

Classmate Erin Rajewski will be in a dual role of setter and defender and could contribute even more in 2018 thanks to her "excellent serve and recognition on defensive assignments," according to Davis.

Sophomore Bradlee Hartman rounds out the returnees in the back row, and "she provides a strong work ethic and positive influence on the defense," per Davis.

Rising sophomore Meghan Botsch will run the offense as the setter, and she showed a lot of promise last year when thrown into the mix, especially against Alfred University. In that match, Bostch logged her first collegiate double-double, and dished out the fifth-most assists (46) in program history in a four-set match during the current scoring era.

"Meghan had an outstanding spring," said Davis. "She's absolutely ready to run our offense. She came to us with a lot of high-level setting experience, and we're excited to see that on the floor this year."

Four very athletic first-years – Katie Billetdeaux, Brooke Swain, Seven Townsel, and Maya Vasta – round out the roster.

Wooster opens its season at the University of Mount Union Tournament on Aug. 31, but all eyes will be on the Scots for the first match at renovated Timken Gymnasium on Sept. 14 that kicks off the program's annual Ginny Hunt Kilt Classic. Other highlights on the schedule include three home Saturday NCAC contests, most notably against 2017 Div. III runner-up Wittenberg University on Oct. 20 at 1 p.m.

"The conference should be really balanced," wrapped up Davis. "I think there's a lot of room for us to make some waves in the league standings this season. It's a matter of performing in the right moments, and this group is committed to working hard to make that happen."