In terms of wins, there was no better season for Shippensburg volleyball than 2006. After amassing 24 wins en route to the single-season record for victories, the Lady Raiders will be looking for a return to the PSAC Tournament for the first time since 2004.

Shippensburg will be seeking its fourth-straight winning season, all under the guidance of head coach Leanne Piscotty. The Lady Raiders have compiled a 66-45 record under Piscotty, but will be looking for a longer tenured trip into the postseason.

The Lady Raiders will enter the 2007 season without one of its all-time greatest players, as four-time All-PSAC Eastern Division selection Missy Pierce graduated after a stellar career that included the all-time school record for career digs 1,899. Pierce also finished second on the all-time kills list with 1,242, finishing just 97 kills shy of Alyssa Kilgore's 1,339, and she is just the third player in Shippensburg history with 1,000 digs and kills for their career.

Despite Pierce’s departure, Shippensburg will be returning a veritable armada of talent, a majority of whom are just entering their prime. With depth and experience returning at every key position, the Lady Raiders will be vying for a place atop the PSAC East standings in 2007.

Shippensburg will also be out to prove its doubters wrong. Despite setting the career single-season win mark, the Lady Raiders were picked fourth in the PSAC East preseason poll – ahead of Mansfield and Cheyney but behind East Stroudsburg, Kutztown and West Chester. With loads of depth and experience, the Lady Raiders will look to make a strong run toward the top in 2007.

One area of strength for Shippensburg has been its ability to mount rallies and to sustain energy out on the court, and the team also knows how to finish. The Lady Raiders were fourth in the PSAC last season with a .230 hitting percentage. Shippensburg was also fourth in the PSAC with 1,791 kills, an average of 14.21 per game.

Shippensburg also finished third in the conference with 318 service aces, just one behind second-place Lock Haven. If the Lady Raiders are to have success in 2007, they will need to mount a similar performance to last season while improving upon its blocks and defense.

Right Side

Sophomore Missy Ramp had a breakthrough season in 2006, emerging as a valuable contributor to the Lady Raiders as a freshman. She initially filled in as an injury replacement and remained fixture in the team’s rotation for the duration of the season. Ramp played in 36 of the team’s 37 matches and racked up a team-best 701 assists (10th best in the PSAC) to go along with 28 service aces, 60 kills and 160 digs.

Senior Mandy Taylor is expected to chip in as well. Steady has been the key for Taylor over the course of her Shippensburg career, having totaled 280 kills and 262 digs over the last two seasons. Last year, Taylor average 1.11 kills per game to go along with 19 service aces and 87 digs. Taylor will likely be splitting time between right side and outside hitter this season.

Setter

One of the key cogs for the Lady Raiders is the impressive play of junior Maureen DuVall. After a 2005 season that saw the then-freshman set new school records for assists (1,318) and service aces (105), DuVall was slowed by injury from the outset of the 2006 but would return to post a solid season.

DuVall is one of the top setters in the conference statistically. Despite being limited to just 76 games played in ’06, she finished second behind Ramp with 594 assists, moving into third place on Ship’s career assists rankings with 1,912 after just two seasons. DuVall also totaled 30 service aces, recorded 66 kills and committed just 15 errors for a hitting percentage of .440, the best on the team.

Emerging as a valuable player in her own right is sophomore Renee Parseghian, who was often utilized for serving abilities during her freshman campaign. Parseghian totaled 16 service aces while committing just four errors in 15 matches, and her 0.50 service aces per game average ranked first on the team. She is expected to see time at setter this season while backing up DuVall.

Junior Karey Toms, a transfer from Hagerstown Community College, will join the ranks and see time at setter, while sophomore Hannah Sorber also expects to make significant contributions. Both may also see time at outside hitter.

Middle Blocker

Among the many the freshmen that thrived last season, none shone more bright than sophomore Cindel Young. She became the first Shippensburg freshman since Lisa Garey in 1994 and just the second ever to be named PSAC Eastern Division Rookie of the Year and was also one of just three freshman in the PSAC to earn All-PSAC Eastern Division Second Team honors.

She finished the season ranked 10th in the PSAC in hitting percentage (.301) and was the only Lady Raider to play in all 37 of the team’s matches. Young ranked third on the team with 262 kills with an average of 2.34 kills per game, and will rule the court as Shippensburg’s middle blocker.

While Young hastily made waves for the Lady Raiders, fellow sophomore Kali Antolik impressed in her own right, emerging as a top player and appearing in 33 straight matches after recovering from an injury that forced her to miss the first four matches of the season.

Antolik excelled in the rotation, ranking second on the team in block solos (18), block assists (41) and total blocks (59) behing Young. She totaled 214 kills, fourth-best on the squad, and tallied a .254 hitting percentage. Both players will be integral to the success of the Lady Raiders in 2007.

Outside Hitter

The team is loaded with depth at outside hitter, and its biggest weapons will be three sophomores that return after dazzling debuts in 2006.

The most impressive performer of the bunch in 2006 was sophomore Colleen Toomey, who made an immediate impact as a freshman by appearing in 35 matches and ranking third on the team in games played with 111.

Toomey repeatedly slammed thunderous kills upon her opposition in 2006, recording 328 on the season, and posting the seventh-best single season total in school history. She averaged 2.95 kills per game and also contributed 35 service aces while committing just 10 errors.

Red-shirt sophomore Brittany Roche joins the club after transferring from Georgia State, where in 2005 she played in 47 games and 18 total matches. She finished her freshman season there with 90 kills and 28 digs, and is expected to be an immediate contributor for the Lady Raiders.

Sophomore Hillary Addleman, a high school teammate of Wenger at Chambersburg Area Senior High School, displayed plenty of potential after playing in 21 of the team’s 37 matches and averaging 1.18 kills per game. She posted 8 kills in a game twice last season and also racked up a career-high eight service aces in one match.

Defensive Specialist

One of the best liberos in the PSAC will be returning for her junior season in the form of junior Kelsi Hoffman.

After a brilliant freshman season in which she set a new single-season school record for digs with 787 (a mark that included a school record 57 digs in one match), Hoffman totaled 344 as a sophomore to become just the fourth player in school history to total 1,000 career digs. Her career total of 1,109 places her third on the career digs list, and she tied for third on the team with 30 service aces.

While Hoffman’s integral presence will remain to help the defense, she will be joined by sophomores Jacklyn Tuccio and Melanie Fries. Tuccio gained some experience at libero after appearing in nine matches and playing in 16 games, while Fries saw action in 25 of the team’s 37 games and recorded 12 service aces on the season.