Last November, the Cal Poly volleyball team walked off the court following a 3-1 victory over UC Davis. The team won seven of its last eight matches and most, including head coach Jon Stevenson, believed the Mustangs were headed to the NCAA Tournament.
But the selection committee passed over the Big West runner-ups in favor of Long Beach State, which Cal Poly defeated twice, and the Mustangs, along with freshman stand out Kristina Graven, were left out of the postseason.
“(Getting rejected) really motivates us,” Graven said. “We were really annoyed and thought we should have been in the tournament, but it’s been the motivation we need to go out and win conference this year so there is no one deciding our fate.”
To do so, the Mustangs plan to work hard in the offseason, but due to NCAA rules, the team was not allowed to conduct many official volleyball practices in the winter. So the team was left to work on strength and conditioning.
Led by strength and conditioning coach David Wood, the team underwent a winter quarter training regimen. Stevenson said he is happy with the progress his team made under Wood’s direction.
“Our team did a good job of attacking then acquiring the skill, the knowledge (necessary to be successful) and then really going all in, in terms of their strength and conditioning,” Stevenson said.
He was particularly grateful for Wood’s work in planning individualized workout schedules that allowed each team member to maximize their offseason workouts.
In particular, Stevenson said Graven, who was American Volleyball Coach Association (AVCA) Region Freshman of the Year, will come back stronger this year because of this training.
“Graven really benefited from her strength and conditioning,” he said. “Not that she was weak, she just got more powerful. I felt that there was not a better outside hitter that I saw in the spring.”
Graven led the team in kills with 458 in 2010 and combined with senior Dominique Olowolafe to torment defenses.
The absence of Olowolafe in 2011 might give the Mustangs reason for concern, but AVCA All-American Jennifer Keddy will combine with Graven for a powerful one-two punch at the net.
“Keddy is a scary player right now,” Stevenson said. “She was nothing short of fantastic (in offseason play).”
He was particularly impressed in one match this spring when she racked up four blocks in one match, including a final “stuff block” to earn a point for the Mustang squad.
The 6-foot-4 sophomore accounted for nearly half the team’s blocks in 2010, with 125 total, averaging more than one per set, including 14 solo blocks.
Graven even noticed her increased tenacity and sees Keddy as more aggressive and taking big swings this spring.
It was easy to overlook outside hitter Catie Smith last season because of the imposing trio of Graven, Keddy and Olowolafe, but next year’s senior captain actually matched Keddy kill-for-kill last fall and will look to do so again.
Driven by the NCAA tournament committee’s rejection, Smith said leading the Mustangs to the postseason is within reach in 2011.
One key to not being left out of the postseason for a second time is earning a higher RPI, a ratings system used to help the selection committee, and the team has some big matches scheduled against power conference opponents early in the season to attempt to do just that.
Last year the team was 3-0 against the Pac-10 including an opening day win over Arizona, which was ranked 18th in the country.
Although, getting in a position to compete with the best teams in the nation includes replacing libero Alison Mort, which will come in the form of junior Lauren Law who handled much of the digging duty with Mort and Sarah Cawrse, last season has plenty of experience and should take a more active role next year.
Smith also said freshman middle blocker Marianne Gera is one player to watch out for in 2011. Gera has been practicing extremely well as of late filling in the spot normally occupied by Olowolafe and could be poised to make a difference in the upcoming season, Smith said.
Other returners include Holly Franks, whose 139 kills put her behind Olowolafe in that category, and Molly Pon who only played in 18 matches but matched Gera with 33 kills.
A key date for the Mustangs is Oct. 22 when they will face defending Big West champions Cal State Fullerton after the Titans were the only team in conference to defeat Cal Poly twice in 2010.