Photo: Lyndsay Schmiedel, Interim Head Volleyball Coach.GREENSBORO, August 20, 2007 -- There is a slight chip on the shoulders of the North Carolina A&T volleyball team heading into the 2007 season.
During the off-season the team has heard these familiar statements: The program no longer has all-time kills leader Arlene Mitchell to rely on. Her twin sister, a reliable attacker and blocker, also used her last year of eligibility. Lauren Walker, one of the best liberos and defensive players in the MEAC over the past three seasons, was also a senior in 2006.
Add to those comments the fact that the Aggies will come into this season with a rookie head coach and a rookie assistant and skeptics may believe the prowess that led the Aggies to compile a .824 winning percentage in the MEAC over the last 15 seasons might finally be gone.
Not so fast says head coach Lyndsay Schmiedel.
“You’re going to see a team that is bonded behind a common goal and that’s winning the MEAC,’’ said Schmiedel, who took over the head coaching reigns in April. “People will ride us off, but the ladies are not going to ride us off so easily. We still believe we have a great program.”
There are other factors that give Schmiedel and the Aggies confidence. The elimination of the MEAC Roundup, a week in which MEAC teams played five or six matches over a short period of time, should benefit the Aggies. Two matches apiece against MEAC Southern teams S.C. State, Norfolk State, Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman will comprise the 2007 conference schedule.
Other than Florida A&M, a team no MEAC team has defeated in the last six years, the Aggies have faired well against those teams. Secondly, the cupboard isn’t exactly empty. The Aggies don’t have the depth they’ve had in past years, but they do return an all-conference, four-year starter Brenden Chatman at setter.
Middle hitters Avignon Williams and Aundia Gray are two of the best blockers in the conference and with the Mitchell twins not in the lineup, there will be more offensive opportunities for them as well. Schmiedel also has an outstanding up and coming attacker Janae Mitchell and veteran outside hitter Kaycee Anderson.
They also have four-year veteran Krystal Cooper back this season. Cooper has mostly been an outside hitter during her career at N.C. A&T, averaging close to 2.0 kills per game over her career. But she can play a variety of positions. Although her numbers fell off slightly last season, Schmiedel believes Cooper can blossom now that she can step outside the huge shadow of Arlene Mitchell.
“Krystal will come on strong this year,’’ said Schmiedel. “When you’re constantly being compared to someone like Arlene for three years it can sometimes weigh on you. Krystal is a leader on and off the court. I think that is going to be so valuable to us this year.”
The third reason Schmiedel doesn’t believe people should count out the Aggies is because of the program’s stability. The hiring of Schmiedel spared the program the possibility of suffering through attrition. The players know Schmiedel because she was an assistant coach for two years under former coach Millicent Sylvan.
“I was happy when I got the position,’’ said Schmiedel. “But I was even happier for the young ladies. I think it was important for the continuity of the team to keep the ladies here at A&T. It would be hard on their academics and every aspect of their lives if they were to transfer. I want to keep the strong program A&T has always had. Not having to start over is key to that.”
“I’m looking forward to the fall and having a little more control over how our game is run.”
Assisting Schmiedel this season will be Ariel Germain. Germain was a four-year starter at setter for N.C. Central from 2002-2005. “I think Ariel will be great for our program because she has a lot of energy and she is really into community involvement, which is good for our players to see.”
Combined the two coaches are barely 50 years old, but the Aggies have had young coaches before and it hasn’t slowed down the program. In addition, there is enough experience on the court to keep the Aggies in the hunt for the MEAC Championship.
“We know we lost three great players, but we believe we can win,’’ said Schmiedel. “This group is so close knit. “Most of them have played together for two or three years. It is so vital that you’re a close team in volleyball because it is the ultimate team sport. I think we have that here and it’s going to help us win this season.”
During the off-season the team has heard these familiar statements: The program no longer has all-time kills leader Arlene Mitchell to rely on. Her twin sister, a reliable attacker and blocker, also used her last year of eligibility. Lauren Walker, one of the best liberos and defensive players in the MEAC over the past three seasons, was also a senior in 2006.
Add to those comments the fact that the Aggies will come into this season with a rookie head coach and a rookie assistant and skeptics may believe the prowess that led the Aggies to compile a .824 winning percentage in the MEAC over the last 15 seasons might finally be gone.
Not so fast says head coach Lyndsay Schmiedel.
“You’re going to see a team that is bonded behind a common goal and that’s winning the MEAC,’’ said Schmiedel, who took over the head coaching reigns in April. “People will ride us off, but the ladies are not going to ride us off so easily. We still believe we have a great program.”
There are other factors that give Schmiedel and the Aggies confidence. The elimination of the MEAC Roundup, a week in which MEAC teams played five or six matches over a short period of time, should benefit the Aggies. Two matches apiece against MEAC Southern teams S.C. State, Norfolk State, Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman will comprise the 2007 conference schedule.
Other than Florida A&M, a team no MEAC team has defeated in the last six years, the Aggies have faired well against those teams. Secondly, the cupboard isn’t exactly empty. The Aggies don’t have the depth they’ve had in past years, but they do return an all-conference, four-year starter Brenden Chatman at setter.
Middle hitters Avignon Williams and Aundia Gray are two of the best blockers in the conference and with the Mitchell twins not in the lineup, there will be more offensive opportunities for them as well. Schmiedel also has an outstanding up and coming attacker Janae Mitchell and veteran outside hitter Kaycee Anderson.They also have four-year veteran Krystal Cooper back this season. Cooper has mostly been an outside hitter during her career at N.C. A&T, averaging close to 2.0 kills per game over her career. But she can play a variety of positions. Although her numbers fell off slightly last season, Schmiedel believes Cooper can blossom now that she can step outside the huge shadow of Arlene Mitchell.
“Krystal will come on strong this year,’’ said Schmiedel. “When you’re constantly being compared to someone like Arlene for three years it can sometimes weigh on you. Krystal is a leader on and off the court. I think that is going to be so valuable to us this year.”
The third reason Schmiedel doesn’t believe people should count out the Aggies is because of the program’s stability. The hiring of Schmiedel spared the program the possibility of suffering through attrition. The players know Schmiedel because she was an assistant coach for two years under former coach Millicent Sylvan.
“I was happy when I got the position,’’ said Schmiedel. “But I was even happier for the young ladies. I think it was important for the continuity of the team to keep the ladies here at A&T. It would be hard on their academics and every aspect of their lives if they were to transfer. I want to keep the strong program A&T has always had. Not having to start over is key to that.”
“I’m looking forward to the fall and having a little more control over how our game is run.”
Assisting Schmiedel this season will be Ariel Germain. Germain was a four-year starter at setter for N.C. Central from 2002-2005. “I think Ariel will be great for our program because she has a lot of energy and she is really into community involvement, which is good for our players to see.”
Combined the two coaches are barely 50 years old, but the Aggies have had young coaches before and it hasn’t slowed down the program. In addition, there is enough experience on the court to keep the Aggies in the hunt for the MEAC Championship.
“We know we lost three great players, but we believe we can win,’’ said Schmiedel. “This group is so close knit. “Most of them have played together for two or three years. It is so vital that you’re a close team in volleyball because it is the ultimate team sport. I think we have that here and it’s going to help us win this season.”
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