Young squad, high goals


Anna Duke

Sports Editor

For the first time since the 2008 season, the Fighting Scots volleyball team will have a roster dominated by underclassmen. Since seven of the 14 team members are freshmen, the team will look to their three upperclassmen for leadership.

After losing a talented graduating class and gaining a number of new players, the team made a few position changes. Rachel Sell ’15 will move from playing setter to defense. The position switch will not be hard for her, though; she played defense her freshman and sophomore years and racked up 193 digs, the third highest on the team at the time.

“We’re excited about the things Rachel can do for us in the back row,” said Coach Sarah Davis in an interview with Wooster Athletics. “She is very quick and has a nose for the ball. We see her playing a big role for us this year.”

Joining Sell in the back row are teammates Kaitlin Banko ’16 and Laura Sherer ’17. Banko, last season’s libero, specializes in quick digs and impressive aces. Sherer made a mark on the court her rookie season and looks to continue to have a big impact on the team.

Brittney Nicholson ’16 returns to the court this season as a leading setter. She hit her stride toward the end of last season and hopes to continue advancing this fall. Another setter joining Nicholson on the court Sydney Virgin ’18 is expected to contribute as well.

Teaming up with Nicholson and Virgin on offense is Lydia Webster ’17, the team’s only returning middle hitter. Davis is confident that Webster can be a strong offensive leader for the team after spending the last year learning from some of the best offensive players that Wooster has seen.

The Scots are confident despite their youth. Their first test will come against Muskingum University on Sept. 3 when they will see if their results can match their expectations.

 

S. KOREA DEFEATS CHICAGO IN LLWS

Chicago Little League became the first all African-American team to advance to the title game of the Little League World Series but fell just short as South Korea handed them an 8-4 defeat in the championship game. Chicago and South Korea emerged as the victors of the separate U.S. and international brackets, defeating Nevada and Japan, respectively, to advance to the final. The Little League World Series gained greater national attention this year thanks to several compelling storylines, including the success of Philidelphia’s female pitcher Mo’Ne Davis (CBSSports.com).

ALL-FEMALE SPORTS TALK SHOW

CBS Sports has announced it will be launching “We Need to Talk,” a weekly all-female sports talk show. Permanent hosts will include Allie LaForce, Lesley Visser, Amy Trask and Tracy Wolfson. The show will have a round-table style format, featuring a rotating cast of prominent female sports figures such as WNBA player Lisa Leslie and sports journalist Andrea Kremer. The show will premiere Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 10 p.m (USAToday.com).

KEVIN LOVE TRADED TO CAVALIERS

In a deal that had been rumored for months and unofficially agreed to by both parties for several weeks, the Cleveland Cavaliers officially traded recently drafted guard Andrew Wiggins and power forward Anthony Bennet to Minnesota in exchange for all-star power forward Kevin Love this past Saturday. The three team deal also sends Cleveland’s 2015 first round pick to Philadelphia, who received forward Luc Mbah a Moute and point guard Alex Shved from the Timerwolves. The Timberwolves will also receive power forward Thaddeus Young from the 76ers. “I’m committed to this team, committed long term to the end goal, and that’s to win championships,” Love said (ABCNews.com).