Oregon State head volleyball coach Taras Liskevych sat back in his chair after practice Monday afternoon. The Beaver volleyball team opened fall camp the day before and Liskevych had a chance to reflect on his first impressions.
“This is the first year that our two captains have been with me from the start; our [first] class that we recruited are juniors,” Liskevych said. “That’s big.”
The two captains, seniors Ashley Evans and Natalie Hooper were named co-captains last week.
It’s a lot easier, Liskevych said, to coach players that you have recruited. The players know what is expected of them, and there are no surprises – for either party. He seemed excited about the opportunities that are ahead.
“This is the best physical shape any team has been in since I’ve been here,” said Liskevych, who is now in his fourth season leading Oregon State. “And the attitude and effort has been outstanding.”
Legendary Gill Coliseum was uncomfortably warm and muggy Monday afternoon, but that didn’t keep the players from staying focused. They have been lifting and training all summer in hopes of making a move in the Pac-10 this season after wins at No. 10 Hawaii and No. 24 UCLA last season. The players spent the summer together and hope to translate that cohesiveness to the court.
“Everybody is really excited to get on the court and start playing,” Evans said. “We have a majority of the girls coming back, except two players, and we’ve added two. Betsy (Devich) is with us now and Brecht (Gijsbertsen) has been here all summer.”
Junior outside hitter Bree Knitter added: “It feels like we have the whole team back, like we aren’t slowing down at all.”
The team returns with 11 players from last season. That includes all but one starter, K.C. Walsh. Adding to the squad this season are freshman defensive specialist Devich, junior middle blocker Gijsbertsen and junior defensive specialist Brittney Belshe, who redshirted her true junior season.
The Beavers come into the year ranked ninth in the Pac-10 coaches poll – just ahead of Washington State.
“I’ve never been a big poll guy.” Liskevych said. “The poll that’s most important is the one that is done [at the end] of the year.”
While Liskevych didn’t put much weight on the preseason poll, the women on the team carry it like a chip on their shoulder.
“We’re not necessarily happy about it,” Knitter said, “Our coaches brought that up in the first meeting, saying, ‘look at this. This is what they think of you.'”
“We’re a lot more focused,” Evans said.
A more focused team this season allows Liskevych and his staff to refine the team and continue to mold the women to play up to their capabilities – capabilities that include a trip to the NCAA tournament. The Beavers are looking to make a berth in tournament this year for the first time since 1983. Liskevych thinks it will take a solid preseason and at least six wins in the Pac-10 will be enough.
“I think it’s a realistic goal,” he said. “I really feel we will be able to compete with every team in the Pac-10 this year.”
Stanford, Washington, USC and UCLA are the perennial powers in the Pac-10. Add Oregon to that list, since it has made big steps in recent years, and it makes a tough schedule for the Beavers. But Liskevych says he feels comfortable competing against Oregon, Arizona, Arizona State and Washington State, and thinks the team can wrestle with Washington, USC and UCLA.
“We control our destiny,” Liskevych said. “We know what we need to do.”
The Beavers start their 2008 campaign at home on Saturday, Aug. 23, at 1 p.m. with the Orange and Black Scrimmage before hosting the Corvallis Invitational the following weekend in Gill Coliseum.
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