Tom Roof, who is entering his first season as head coach of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford volleyball team, admits the first year will be a transition year. However, with a combination of key returners and a strong recruiting class, the Panthers are set to reload — not rebuild.
Pitt-Bradford opens the 2015 campaign tonight at the University of Scranton Tournament.
“We understand this is a transition year, but that doesn’t mean we’re conceding anything,” Roof said. “There’s going to be no training time for the freshmen. They’re being thrown right into it, but I have no problem doing that. We know they can play. That’s why we recruited them so heavily.”
Roof will be relying heavily on a strong group of returners, including middle hitters Kaitlin McCann and Brittany Watts. The Panthers also return hitters Erin Fagan and Melanie Yanetsko.
Watts and McCann were among the team leaders in kills last season and are expected to play a huge role in any success the Panthers hope to enjoy.
“Kaitlin is super quick in the middle and gets on top of the ball well. She’s also a tremendous blocker,” Roof said. “Erin has been working hard on her technique, and I think she will have a much better kill percentage this year. Melanie gives us a legitimate threat on the right side of the court.”
Megan Geary takes over as the team’s setter in her junior season, while the Panthers also return defensive specialists Jenessa Ceprish and Emily Reitz.
Roof believes the rest of the team can be categorized into two groups — freshmen and transfers. He believes if they can contribute, the team will be successful.
The four freshmen are hitters Kirsten Platz, Chelsea Oynech and Alexis Dhayer, as well as defensive specialist Hailey Black. The transfers are hitters Mandy Finch and Alma Turpin, as well as setter Christina Rauh.
“Our freshmen have to show us they belong. I don’t have any doubts they will be able to contribute for us this season, but the reality is, it’s a different game at this level. It’s faster and more demanding,” Roof said. “As for our transfers, many of them were very successful at their previous schools and will be able to help us right away.”
Sierra Rose and Carley Kriner are also expected to contribute this season.
“Both have been on campus and decided to come out this year,” Roof said. “I am glad they did because they have been great additions. Both know the game and come from strong high school programs.”
Although it is Roof’s first year as the head coach, he has been an assistant with the program for six seasons. His expectations won’t be any different than they were in the past.
“The expectations are always high with this program,” Roof said. “We’re deeper than we’ve ever been. We just have to find the right combination of players and the sooner we can do that, the better we will be. The competition is making for great practices. We just have to make sure we carry that onto the court in the regular season.”
Roof feels getting out to a quick start will be another key to success this season.
“I’d love a good start to give us some momentum heading into conference play,” Roof said. “Our schedule won’t be easy, though. We are in three very good tournaments at Scranton, Lycoming and Wooster. Conference play will be tough as well. I’m not sure the conference has ever been stronger from top to bottom.”
Roof is hoping the hard work and motivation to succeed will pay off for his team this fall.
“We have a strong drive to succeed, and our goals are pushing us to get better every single day,” Roof said. “This is a very motivated team that is working hard to achieve something special. If we keep that up, the success we crave will come.”
