The 2011 University of Nevada volleyball team will have a new leader for the first time since 1997 as Ruth Lawanson begins her first season as the head coach for the Wolf Pack. Lawanson spent last season as an assistant coach for the Pack and was named the head coach on July 22 after serving as the interim head coach for nearly seven months.
The 1992 Olympian helped the United States win a bronze medal in Barcelona. She spent four seasons with the U.S. National Team, playing on the 1991 World Cup squad that earned a bronze medal in Japan and the 1990 World Championship team that won a bronze medal in China. Competing in the Major Volleyball League, she earned MVP honors in 1988. She also played professionally in France and Italy.
Returning for his sixth season is assistant coach Nate Hallett, who will add the duties of recruiting coordinator and coaching the setters. Shawn McLaughlin is the newest member of the staff after spending the last two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach at UC Davis. McClaughlin will work in all areas of the defense and coach the liberos and defensive specialists.
Although the Pack does return four starters, the coaches must find replacements for a pair of All-Western Athletic Conference selections in middle blocker Lindsay Baldwin and outside hitter Kylie Harrington. Baldwin was a four-year starter and four times earned WAC honors, twice being named to the first team. Harrington started three seasons and was recognized by the WAC coaches each of those years with first team honors coming after her junior year. Also gone from the 2010 team is libero Nicole Link who ended her career second in school history with 1,468 digs and produced the second-and third- best digs totals in a season at Nevada.
Front Line
Nevada returns three starters along the front line and a total of six letterwinners who will be joined by two freshmen and a redshirt freshman.
Heading the list of veterans is senior right side hitter Erin Garvey (6-0, Sr.) who earned second-team All-WAC honors last season. Garvey is slated to once again start on the right side in her final season at Nevada. She averaged 2.09 kills and .62 blocks per set with a .238 attack percentage as a junior. The 2.09 kills per set are tied with Grace Anxo (5-10, So.) for tops among the returners.
Anxo started 29 of 30 matches as a freshman in 2010 and averaged 2.09 kills and 1.65 digs per set. She was named to the WAC Freshman team for her play a year ago. The Reno native is expected to again challenge for a starting spot in her sophomore season.
Returning for her third season is middle blocker Janelle Batista (5-11, Jr.) who started 27 matches in 2011 after starting 17 as a freshman. The Corvallis, Ore. product was named the MVP of the Wolf Pack Invitational after leading Nevada to the title last season. Batista averaged .83 blocks per set last year and is the Pack’s top returning blocker for 2011. She averaged 1.48 kills per set and will be counted on to improve her offensive and defensive numbers in her junior year.
Brittni Yates (6-1, Sr.) enters her fifth season in the program and will battle for a starting spot at middle blocker in her senior season. Yates was slowed by a shoulder injury last year and appeared in 16 matches, earning three starts to begin the season. She averaged 1.36 kills per set and hit an outstanding .307. Defensively she averaged .64 blocks per set. She will be counted on to be a key contributor in her final season at Nevada.
Honolulu native junior Elissa Ji (5-10, Jr.) is looking to earn more playing time as she did in 2008 when she was named to the WAC Freshman squad. Last fall she played in 17 matches with one being a start. As a sophomore she averaged 1.29 kills, .58 digs and .29 blocks per set. The junior provides depth and experience to the team.
Redshirt freshman Tessa Lea`ea (6-4, RS-Fr.) is the tallest member of the squad at 6-4 and is expected to be a blocking presence at middle blocker in her first season of competition and should vie for a starting spot.
Freshman Bonnie Paul (6-0, Fr.) joins Nevada after an outstanding prep career at Liberty High School in Madera, Calif. Paul earned numerous honors as a prep athlete being named to the All-North Sequoia League, All-Valley and Division IV Max Prep first teams. Paul will press the veterans for a starting spot at outside hitter in her first season in the program.
The second newcomer to the program this season is Vanessa Van Muyden (5-11, Fr.) who played her prep volleyball at Woodland High School in Woodland, Calif., where she earned first-team All-Tri-County honors. Playing time for the outside hitter could be limited in her first year in the Silver & Blue with the large number of players at her position.
Setter
Nevada returns one of the top setters in the WAC in senior Tatiana Santiago (5-6, Sr.) who started all 30 matches a year ago. In WAC play, Santiago dished out a conference best 11.69 assists per set and overall her 10.38 was fourth in the league. Last season she totaled 1,162 assists, which is the 10th best season in Wolf Pack history, and her 1,772 career assists ranks ninth at Nevada. Six times in 2010 she recorded a double-double, which ranked second on the squad. She dished out 30 or more assists in 24 matches, which included six of 40 or more, five of 50 or more and a career-high 64 versus Idaho.
Sophomore Dana Holt (5-10, So.) will serve as the backup setter once again in her second season in the program. Holt reached double figures in assists twice as a freshman and nearly led the Pack to a come-from-behind victory over UNLV with her 23 assists off the bench.
Libero/Defensive Specialist
Three letterwinners return to battle for time at the libero and defensive specialist positions in Kelly Chang (5-2, Jr.), Sofia Anxo (5-10, So.) and Brianna Heinen (5-10, So.).
Chang is the most experienced of the three having played defensive specialist the last two seasons and is poised to move into the role as the Pack’s starting libero as a junior. She has played in all 61 matches the last two seasons and has a 1.55 digs per set career average.
Anxo will be making the move from outside hitter, where she played last season, to defensive specialist for her sophomore year. Last year she saw action in seven matches.
Appearing in 29 matches last year off the bench as a defensive specialist, Heinen averaged 1.47 digs per set to rank sixth on the team. An excellent server, her .19 aces per set and 18 total aces ranked third in both categories for the Wolf Pack.
Schedule
Nevada will once again play a difficult schedule in 2011, opening the season with three road tournaments. The Pack gets the season started at the Aztec Invitational in San Diego where they take on Portland, UC Irvine and the hosts San Diego State. In the Portland Nike Invitational the following weekend Nevada will play Washington State, NCAA Tournament qualifier Butler, Texas A&M and the host school, Portland, for the second week in a row. The third tournament is the Hilton Garden Inn Classic, hosted by 2010 NCAA runner-up California, who the Wolf Pack play after taking on Sacramento State and then end the weekend versus UT Arlington.
A nonconference matchup with UNLV on Sept. 21 is the final tune-up before WAC play begins. Nevada will play one additional nonconference tilt during WAC play, hosting Seattle University on Oct. 20.
WAC
The WAC will have a different look with eight teams battling for the title led by the 14-time regular-season champion Hawai`i Rainbow Wahine. UH had won 10 consecutive WAC Tournament titles until Utah State defeated the Rainbow Wahine in the championship match last season.
New Mexico State, Idaho, Louisiana Tech, San Jose State, Fresno State and the Wolf Pack round out the eight team WAC. The conference schedule will be a home-and-home with each school for a total of 14 matches.
For the third year in a row, the season-ending tournament will be played at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas with the top six teams based on regular season play qualifying. The tournament winner will receive the WAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. Last season Hawai`i and Utah State each earned a spot in the NCAA field.
