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2007 Season Preview
Centre will return two seniors, two juniors, and seven sophomores, and will add two freshmen to their 2007 roster while playing one of its toughest schedules ever.
 Returning seniors include Sarah Burger (Goshen, KY) and Shannon Rosado (Louisville, KY). Burger, a 2004 All-American selection and an All-Conference pick in each of her three previous seasons, will begin the 2007 season only 156 kills shy of the career kill record at Centre. Rosado, who led the team in assists her sophomore year, will return from studying abroad last year to set up the offense once again.
Coming back for their junior seasons are Lindsay Smith (Cincinnati ,  OH) and Layla Marefat (Lexington, KY). Smith, who moved from outside hitter to middle last year, was second on the team in hitting efficiency with a .215 average. Marefat saw action in 67 games as a sophomore, putting away 94 kills and picking up 52 digs for the Colonels.
Katie Baughman (Atlanta, GA), Jacqueline Beck (Lexington, KY), Mary Brieschke (Ann Arbor, MI), Laura Broughton (Lexington, KY), Megan Gatewood (Louisville, KY), Alex Headley (Owensboro, KY), and Kelly McCoy (Dallas, TX) comprise the sophomore class.
 Baughman returns after earning Most Improved Player as a freshman last year, while Beck, who saw action in 46 games in 2007, returns to challenge for time on the right side. Brieschke is expected to help fill the setting shoes vacated by graduated All-Conference selection Kate Bennett. Broughton, who saw action in 73 games last year as a defensive specialist, should challenge for the libero role now open due to the graduation of all-time dig leader Megan McElveen. Gatewood, who played in 87 games as a freshman, will be looked at to fill roles on the outside and defensively. Headley, who played in 118 games last year on both the outside and as a defensive specialist, also could compete for the role of libero and for one of the outside hitter positions. McCoy, who played in every game as a freshman, will likely move from middle to the right side, where she might be asked to take on some setting duties along with hitting and blocking.
Ashton Hupman and Sarah Jennings are the incoming freshmen for the 2007 season. Hupman, a 6'1" middle hitter from Lexington, KY played her prep ball for Lexington Catholic and spent three years playing for one of the best club programs in the country, KIVA (Kentucky Indiana Volleyball Academy). KIVA, based out of Louisville, Kentucky, has won multiple national championships at every age level and is consistently one of the best represented clubs at Junior Nationals every year. Jennings, a 5''7" setter from Bellbuckle, Tenn. competed for the Webb School during her prep years and will add depth to the setter's position.
The 2007 season for the Colonels looks to be as tough as any it has faced in the almost 30-year history of the program.
Centre will open at the Wittenberg Invitational in Springfield, OH, where it will face off in its first match of the season against the perennial top-10 Wittenberg Tigers. The Tigers have advanced to the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Final Four in each of the previous two seasons. The following week will see the Colonels traveling to Washington, PA to play at the Washington & Jefferson Tournament. Centre will battle four different teams while in Pennsylvania, including Ohio Wesleyan, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, and Greensburg.
After being on the road the first two weekends, Centre will return home for its annual Centre College Classic; and then the following weekend it will host the first round of conference play. At the Centre College Classic, the Colonels will play host to Wilmington College (Ohio), Transylvania, Ohio Wesleyan, and Hanover. In the opening round of the SCAC (Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference), arguably the toughest Division III volleyball conference in the country, Centre will take on Trinity, Austin, Colorado College, and Oglethorpe. Trinity, Austin, and Colorado College all qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament last year.
The next two weekends will see the Colonels back on the road as they continue conference play at Hendrix in Conway, AR, and then at Trinity in San Antonio, TX. While at Hendrix, Centre will face off against Hendrix, Millsaps, Rhodes, and Sewanee. Rhodes ended their 2006 campaign in the regional finals of the NCAA Division III National Championship and ranked in the top 25 nationally. The following weekend Centre will fly to San Antonio to take on Southwestern, Colorado College, DePauw, and Austin. Again, three of these four teams, Southwestern, Colorado College, and Austin, were all ranked in the top 25 nationally during the 2006 season and qualified for the NCAA Division III Championship Tourney.
Centre will then be at home briefly for a dual match against Maryville College on October 17, and then travel again the following weekend to continue conference play, this time at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN. While at DePauw, Centre will compete against Millsaps, Birmingham Southern, Hendrix, and Oglethorpe. Birmingham Southern was a Division I program last year.
On October 25 Centre will honor its two seniors, Sarah Burger and Shannon Rosado, during Senior Night against Asbury College at 7:00 pm in Alumni Gym.
Following Senior Night the Gold and White of Centre will host its annual Halloween Bash Tournament. Participating schools will be Piedmont, Rose-Hulman, and Loyola (New Orleans).
After a short trip to Lexington on October 30 to take on in-state rival Transylvania, Centre will hop another flight to Texas in order to conclude its regular season of play at Austin College in Sherman, TX at the SCAC Tournament. The winner of this tournament will receive an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball National Tournament.
We Are, Centre!
Click here for 2005 Season Preview
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