Bradford High head coach Judy Abbey will have plenty to work
with when shaping the 2006 edition of the Lady Owls volleyball team
as 31 girls have come out to play this season.

Even with a large pool of players, the girls have still
exhibited good team chemistry.

At the heart of the group are senior team captains and
letterwinners Rachel Garges, Caitlin Persichini, Katlyn Nelson and
Lexie Goble.

“My four core seniors are where the team chemistry comes from,”
Abbey stated. “This will be their fourth year playing together and
that’s key right now. They know what to expect from each other.

“The girls are coming off of a really good season last year in
which we had good chemistry and unity was a real big thing. We have
great senior leadership – they feed off of each other and the
chemistry is there right now.”

Garges, Persichini, Nelson and Goble bring a lot of talent and
experience to the team and should serve as a solid foundation for
the Lady Owls in the upcoming campaign.

“Persichini has been our setter for three years,” Abbey
remarked. “She has taken on that role and done exceptionally well.
She has great court sense and is not afraid to get on the floor.
She is a player that keeps it all together for us – a fiery player
that you like to have to motive the other kids.

“Garges is just an all-around athlete,” Abbey declared. “She has
good court sense, is an exceptionally good defender and a very good
hitter. She, too, is one of those players that brings it to the
court every day and leaves nothing when she walks out.”

“Lexie has big shoes to fill at the center position. She was
chosen to play in Hawaii for a week and that’s really picked her
game up. She’s a powerful server and a good hitter. She and Katlyn
will be our blockers and they really play well together.

“Katlyn is a three-sport athlete who is very dedicated to her
sports,” Abbey noted. “Her strong suit is her outside hitting and
she really blocks particularly well. She’s not afraid to get on the
floor either. Katlyn and Lexie have worked hard together and they
really put together a nice front line.”

The only other letterwinner returning from the 2005 team that
finished 14-10 and fell to Punxsutawney in the District 9
championship is junior Nicole Keane.

“Keane is an excellent passer,” Abbey emphasized. “She’s a great
back-row player and a good server. She had a nice sophomore year
playing liebero. This year she has to step up and fill in as a
full-time player.

Abbey admitted that the sixth, seventh and eighth spots are
still up for grabs. Competing for these slots are sophomore Bobbi
Hopkins, freshman Michelle Keane, seniors Nicole Capello, Britani
VanScoter, Heather Hazlett and Erica Johnston and juniors Corrinne
Switzer, Caroline Breznik and Sarah Langy.

“Hopkins is a front-runner right now,” Abbey commented. “She is
only a sophomore, but has great jumping ability and she’ll see a
lot of front-line varsity time. She has been playing year-round and
has improved her blocking.

“Michelle Keane has been a nice surprise as a freshman. She’s an
excellent hitter and plays great defense. She passes extremely well
for a freshman not having any formal junior high experience, coming
in and doing very well. She’ll play a tremendous amount of
varsity.”

“I have high expectations for Capello,” Abbey said. “This is her
second year out and she has improved tremendously. She’s a good
back-line player and liebero. She has worked hard this
preseason.

“VanScoter played soccer for three years, but decided to try
volleyball this year. She is a good jumper, a good athlete and has
done well catching up to the game.

“Johnston was a JV player for us last year and this year she’ll
move up to play back-line for the varsity.”

Also on the squad this year are sophomores Kailey Fesenmyer,
Crissy Carrow, Theresa Skillman, Ashley Sampson, Megan Carr and
Brittany Elliott; and freshmen Erin Black, Merissa McLaughlan,
Kayla Vinelli, Brooke Holsinger, Amber Wilber, Carly Frisina,
Morgan Burdick, Brittany McGee, Shane Baker, Ashlie Harrington and
Candice Wareham.

Overall, Abbey is encouraged by the Lady Owls’ effort in the
preseason and is particularly excited about their serving
ability.

“All the kids really worked hard in conditioning this year,
doing some pool work, aerobics and circuit training. We had a great
turnout throughout the preseason.

“We’re a strong serving team this year – there’s not a weak link
with any servers that come through the line,” Abbey explained.

“We also have a nice blocking scheme going and have some real
nice outside hitters. The best thing I can say about this team is
that they’re not afraid to sacrifice. They’re right there all the
time.”

Assisting Abbey again in 2006 will be junior varsity coach Nikki
Lohrman.

“Nikki is an asset to this team,” Abbey said. “She’s a
volleyball fundamentalist, she knows the game and she really adds
to the chemistry of this team.”

Looking at the squad’s schedule, Abbey noted a stretch in which
her girls will play seven games in 10 days.

“That stretch will definitely give me a good understanding of
the team. But, it’s a nice schedule and we’ll be looking forward to
getting into league play. It’ll be a fun season for the girls and I
think we’ll do fine.”