Volleyball Hosts Tournament for Season Opener
September 02, 2004 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 2, 2004
U of L volleyball opens this weekend by hosting the U of L Courtyard by Marriott Tournament featuring Jacksonville State, Virginia and Loyola at Cardinal Arena beginning Friday, Sept. 3 when U of L faces Virgina at 7:30. The Cardinals play Loyola Saturday Sept. 4 at 1 p.m. and then face off against Jacksonville later that evening at 7:30. This year's Cardinal Volleyball team will have different weapons but still be equally lethal as the 2003 team that breezed through the season's campaign on to its fourteenth NCAA appearance and into top 20. Coach Leonid Yelin, who notched his 300th win in 2003, has no quick answers, but is very confident about the arsenal he has assembled for this year. "We lost five players, natural leaders at key positions," said Yelin. "We will need to figure out as soon as possible what our strengths are and concentrate on developing them quickly." Luckily for Leonid, there are some givens in the scenario as the Cardinals return Bing Sun for her fourth year as a starter. The explosive and experienced Sun has always garnered respect from U of L opponents. "Bing is a big time player, really big time. She is one of the best players in the league and we expect a lot from her," he explains. "She is a versatile player who we would never dream of taking off the floor. She has powerful hits, great shots, can hit the quick sets, the high sets and is our primary passer. We are so thankful for her leadership and capabilities." The job of distributing the ball to Louisville's many offensive weapons falls to Jennifer Craven, the scrappy, wily Cardinal setter. Her experience as a coach ironically is actually helping her now as a player. "I am very happy with Jennifer Craven who has learned so much along with gaining experience, " said Yelin. "She coached a club team last spring and it has helped her be a better setter with a better feel for the game. She said her team sometimes gave her a near heart attack. This experience has given her a better understanding on how to run a team." One of Craven's favorite targets last year was Lena Ustymenko, the Ukrainian wunderkinder who, now a 17 year- old junior, is physically intimidating at 6-2 and mentally poised to have a big year on the outside. "Lena is a big force for us and she has matured both physically and mentally as a player. She has already done a great job for us since she was a 15 year-old freshman," said Yelin. "She is a tough kid and pushed her way hard through some injuries last year, playing really well while not being 100 percent. She is 100 percent now and will be a dangerous weapon for us." Yelin will look for leadership from Louisville's competitively-natured middle blocker Jennifer Hoffman. The Chicago product set a school record for blocks in a match as a harbinger of things to come for this untapped talent. "Jennifer has come a long way in a very short while. She came here with 98 percent basketball experience and two percent volleyball," explains Yelin. "She has learned skills, strategy and has a great understanding of her position. Best of all, she has natural leadership skills both on and off the court." Yelin has another late bloomer in sophomore Ana Yartseva, who took a year off from volleyball to hone her English skills before arriving in Louisville. It took most of the preseason for the young Russian to get her playing chops back. But when they came back, they returned with a vengeance. Nearly unstoppable on the slide, the tallest player in Cardinal history became the offensive spark off the bench that, despite her leggy frame, could hold her own on defense and passing as well. "Ana is getting better and better. It took her some time to regain her skills and come back. She is such a good kid and knows her role," said Yelin. "She makes herself available for the team and is always prepared mentally. She is a solid player for us and despite her size is not only a great middle but can play all around." Another player who made herself available in times of trouble was freshman Stephanie Marsh, who had to master a crash course in the Cardinal system before being thrown on the court when injuries left U of L vulnerable. "We wanted to redshirt Stephanie Marsh as a freshman but with injuries we needed her and she did a hell of a job," said Yelin. "I was always very pleased when she stepped on to the floor. She played for our best hitters. She is a tall player with good timing on the block. She has the potential to play all around for us. The key will be working on her strength and quickness, everything else will come with experience." Louisville's other senior has no lack of experience as libero and defensive specialist Candace Cogan returns for her senior season. The quintessential team player, Cogan has acted as the glue for the diverse Cardinals. "We are very happy to have a very experienced player like Candace back. She is a solid performer. We will need her to have the best possible year that she can for us to go farther than we ever have before. We are looking for leadership from her on and off the floor." If it is possible to have an experienced newcomer, then Kara Hamilton fills that bill. Injured late in her senior year of high school, Kara spent the year rehabbing her knee while practicing and travelling with the squad. She learned the system if not by repetition but rather osmosis. "We feel very god about Kara's ability. She is dedicated to volleyball and a hard worker," said Yelin, "She is wonderfully tall and a good athlete. We are working to improve her quickness. She just lost a year with that bad knee injury. This will be a critical year for her to see how fast she can get to where she wants to be." Yelin is very enthusiastic about incoming freshman Hannah Sharp who arrives with strong fundamentals and solid technique, a rare trait in an underclassman. Yelin will look to use her defensive skills immediately. "Hannah is a very smart hard-working kid with a great attitude. She is everything a coach wants to see," said Yelin. "I love her skills and she will need no adjustment of technique and can spend her time learning our system rather than fine tuning her game. She make the adjustment to pressure games, the pressure of big crowds that we have at this level. I anticipate she will be a great help to our team." Yelin will take this heady mix of power, experience and potential against a daunting schedule that is tailored to prepare the Cardinals for a new level of accomplishment. Yelin wants to use the first tournament featuring Jacksonville, Loyola and Virginia to try and smoothly move from the practice floor to the competitive floor and see how his new lineup reacts. The Cardinals don't have much time because the next weekend they jet off to Arizona for one of the toughest tournaments in the nation, featuring Arizona and Pepperdine. "We will see exactly where we stand with the best after that weekend. It will show us either just how good we are or how far we are from being the team we know we can be. We will know after that whether we have a goal or a just a dream." Yelin has all the elements he needs to make his dream come true. "Our goal is always the same. The only thing that changes is the amount of work it takes to get there," said Yelin. "So we want not only win Conference USA regular season, and also the tournament but to get through the first and second rounds of the NCAA so we can make the most of having the home court advantage when we host the NCAA Regionals and aim to reach the Final Four. " Yelin is inordinately pleased with the selection of The Ville as a regional site. "The NCAA finally recognizes us as a solid, successful volleyball program and that Louisville is a volleyball town. They have rewarded us for our years of hard work by giving us the opportunity to host. This establishes us firmly in the volleyball community and it is an honor for them to pick us. "
