2008 Season Preview
Looking to climb the ladder in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), the Centre College volleyball team returns two seniors, seven juniors, and one sophomore while adding six freshmen to the 2008 roster, which will play an extremely competitive schedule this fall.
 Seniors Lindsay Smith (Cincinnati , Ohio.) and Layla Marefat (Lexington, Ky.) have been major contributors since their freshmen years. Smith, who swung on the outside for the gold and white last year, finished third on the team in hitting efficiency and fourth in kills/game. Marefat, who hit opposite, saw action in 122 games as a junior, putting away 129 kills and blocked the opponent 39 times for the Colonels. Both Smith and Marefat have been named to the SCAC All-Academic Team in each of the previous three years.
Jacqueline Beck (Lexington, Ky.), Mary Brieschke (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Laura Broughton (Lexington, Ky.), Megan Gatewood (Louisville, Ky.), Alex Headley (Owensboro, Ky.), Kelly McCoy (Dallas, Texas.), and Tyler Travis (Lexington, Ky.) comprise the junior class.
 Beck, returns after seeing a significant increase in playing time between her freshmen and sophomore seasons, and is expected to continue to challenge for time on the right side again this year.
Brieschke is expected to continue setting the Colonel offense as one of three setters who could all contribute to the team this year. She was second on the team a year ago in total assists.
Broughton, who was the team's starting libero last year led the team in total digs and digs/game (693 and 5.02 respectively); this placed her third in the SCAC. Gatewood, who played in all but six games last year (133 of 139), was one the team's top passers and defensive players as a sophomore. After finishing third on the team in total digs she will be expected to offer major contributions in the back row again this year.
Headley, who played on the outside for Centre last year, finished second in both total kills and digs, and should continue to be looked at as a top contender for one of the outside hitter positions.
Travis, although a junior, is in her first year as a Colonel volleyball player. She has spent the past two seasons playing for gold and white softball team, but with her natural athletic ability is expected to help contribute to this team's success as either an outside hitter or defensive specialist.
McCoy, who played both on the right side and in the middle last year, will likely see time as a setter and right side hitter this year. She has finished second on the team in hitting efficiency the past two seasons and was second on the team in total blocks last year as well.
The sophomore class is represented by Lexington native Ashton Hupman. Hupman brings solid experience from her freshmen campaign to the team this year as a middle blocker. The 6'1" sophomore saw action in 96 games and ended up fourth on the team in hitting efficiency and third in total blocks. With her continued desire to succeed, Hupman could be a major force for the Colonels in the front row this year.
The freshmen class comprises some of the best recruits the Centre Colonels have ever signed.
Sarah Bennett (Louisville, Ky.), Hannah Greer (Owensboro, Ky.), Jessica Hagan (Florence, Ky.), Laura Hench (Lexington, Ky.), Evis Muhameti (Boston, Mass.), and Stephanie Woeste (Louisville, Ky.) will represent the freshmen class.
Bennett is a 5'10" outside hitter who finished her high school career at Manual as one of the schools all-time leaders in kills. Bennett also played club ball for MAVA and is expected to challenge for a starting position.
Greer is a 5'7" setter who started for state contender Apollo High School. Greer captained her Apollo team in 2007, the same year she set school records for career and single season assists.
Hagan a 5'1" defensive specialist led her team in digs for the past two seasons. She has been the defensive player of the week in her Region countless times over the past three years and was the defensive anchor of one of the top teams in the Northern Kentucky area during her career.
Hench, at 5''7" played outside hitter for most of her career at Tate's Creek High School and for her club team, Thoroughbred Elite Volleyball Alliance (TEVA). However, she is also going to be looked at for her defensive capabilities as well.
Muhameti is a 5'8" outside hitter and defensive specialist who played her high school ball for Latin Academy.
Woeste a 5'10" middle hitter has been a starter on her perennially state contending high school team at Scared Heart Academy for the past two years. She also played club ball for one of the top club programs in the country at Mid American Volleyball Association (MAVA). Her club team has finished fifth at the open division of nationals the last two years, and seventh during her senior campaign.
The 2008 season will not be an easy road for the Colonels as they prepare to play in arguably the toughest NCAA Division III volleyball conference in the country
Centre will open at the Elmhurst Invitational in Chicago, Ill. where it will face off in its first match of the season against a never before seen opponent, Fairleigh College. The following week will see the Colonels traveling to Hanover, Ind. to compete in the Hanover College tournament. Centre will battle four teams while in Indiana; Hanover, Anderson, Maryville, and then they will have a cross over match.
After being on the road the first two weekends, Centre will return home for its annual Centre College Classic; and then the following weekend they will hit the road again. At the Centre College Classic, the Colonels will play host to Transylvania, Spalding, Lynchburg, and Hanover. The next weekend the team will travel to Northern Kentucky to compete at the Thomas More Quad; where they will play three different teams (Piedmont, Thomas More, and Baldwin-Wallace) in the same day.
The Colonels will continue to stay on the road as they travel to Atlanta, Ga. and Jackson, Miss. for the first and second round of conference play. During those two weekends the team will begin their quest for their first ever conference championship. This will be no easy feat as last year six different teams in the SCAC were ranked in the top 25 at some point during the season.
Following the first two weekends of conference play the Colonels will take a mid-week trip to play regional rival Maryville in Tennessee. After playing Maryville the team will head directly to Austin, Texas for the third of four regular season conference tournaments. The next week will mimic the previous week in design as the Colonels will play in-state rival Asbury during the middle of the week at Asbury than travel to Sewanee, Tenn. for the fourth and final regular season SCAC tournament.
After over a month on the road the team will finally get to return home as they will honor their two seniors, Layla Marefat and Lindsay Smith, during Senior Night against Transylvania at 7:00 pm in Alumni Gym.
Following Senior Night the gold and white of Centre will host its annual Halloween Bash Quad on Saturday, November 1. Participating schools will be Asbury, Washington & Lee, and Mount Saint Joseph.
After a short home stand Centre will hop another bus in order to conclude its regular season of play at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn. 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 2007 Season Preview
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