Aug. 25, 2010
VILLANOVA, Pa. - The 2010 Villanova volleyball season gets underway this weekend as the Wildcats travel to North Carolina to compete in the Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill.
Villanova will open against Campbell at 4:30 p.m. on Friday before facing three-time national champion and current No. 1 Penn State on Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. and host school North Carolina at 7:30 p.m.
"We had a great preseason and are looking forward to this weekend and being able to play someone other than ourselves," said head coach Josh Steinbach. "This weekend will be a nice test for us. Our focus is on our first match with Campbell, but playing someone like Penn State who has won 100 matches in a row will be a good test for us to see where we are. It will be nice for us to get on the court in a game setting."
The Wildcats have lost just three players from last year's squad that was 16-13 overall and 5-9 in the BIG EAST. They will be led this year by its six juniors and welcome five freshmen onto the squad.
Returning all-conference selections Kim Maroon and Maggie Mergen will look to lead the squad in defensive and offensive rolls, respectively. Last season Maroon broke Villanova's single season digs record and earned a spot on the AVCA All-Northeast Region squad. Maroon led the conference in digs with 6.02 per set, while Mergen averaged 3.17 kills per contest and recorded a .322 hitting percentage.
Morgan Petkovich will make her return to the court after tearing her ACL early last season. She is expected to pick up in top form and lead at the outside hitter position. In six matches before her injury, Petkovich was averaging 4.31 kills per set and had a .343 hitting percentage.
After a good spring season, Courtney Oertli is back as a co-captain for the `Cats and on-court leader as setter. She averaged 9.49 assists per game in 2009.
Sophomore Krista Andersen will look to pick up from a stellar freshman campaign that saw her average 3.01 kills per contest and tally 2.33 digs per set. She will be a staple in the lineup and provide strong offense for Villanova.
Villanova will play in three tournaments on the road before opening its home season with the annual Villanova Classic featuring William & Mary, Maryland and Long Island.
Follow the Wildcats' matches this weekend at the Carolina Classic Tournament Central.
