Influx of talent boosts UMaine volleyball team

ORONO – When Sue Medley arrived on the University of Maine campus in August of 1999, she faced the daunting task of reintroducing volleyball to the school after a 15-year-hiatus without a few of the essential ingredients.

Among those were a volleyball court (which was under construction), volleyballs and uniforms (which she ordered), and volleyball players (which she recruited in part with a mass mailing). Oh. And assistant coaches (she’s since hired them, too).

Understandably, that first-year team took a beating: The Bears finished 0-21, scored only 2.7 points per game, and were shut out 16 times. As a team, the Bears’ hitting percentage was below zero. That number, -.104, means they amassed more hitting errors than kills.

Enough bad news.

As soon as the season ended on Nov. 14, Medley hit the recruiting trail.

“I have no idea how many miles I went,” Medley said with a chuckle on Tuesday. “Miles. Miles. And miles.”

The journey paid off. After rounding up 10 new Bears to join five returnees on this year’s squad, Medley says her team resembles last year’s in only one way.

“It’s still a group of people with a lot of pride, a lot of effort, a lot of hard work,” Medley said.

Among the returnees is Kristi Carver of Beals, who admitted the influx of new talent has changed things around Memorial Gym.

“It’s just entirely different,” she said. “The atmosphere is different. The intensity is different. The personnel, the girls, are all different.”

Kristi’s sister, freshman Tricia Carver, said it didn’t take her long to notice she’d taken a big step from Maine high school volleyball to Division I.

“I was so overwhelmed the first three or four days I was here because there are so many new aspects of the game coming at me,” Tricia Carver said.

“I was learning new stuff physically and I was learning new stuff mentally and I just felt like my head was going to explode.”

When the Black Bears open their season at the James Madision University Classic in Harrisonburg, Va., this weekend, their starting six will consist of six brand-new Bears.

Medley said the Bears possess the skill and athleticism to be able to compete in each match.

“The question mark is, this group hasn’t experienced the tradition of winning yet,” Medley said. “So, how fast we can create that and go on with it, that’s the big thing.”

The lineup will consist of four or five freshmen, along with two juniors new to the program.

The top freshmen are setter Cheryl Elliott of Puslinch, Ontario, right-side hitter Jen Vollmer of Sherwood Park, Alberta, middle blockers Randi Olin of Pueblo Colo., Claire Poliquin of North Vancouver, British Columbia, and outside hitter Dawn Dommermuth of New Fairfield, Conn.

They’ll join outside hitters junior college All-American Leah Voss of Gettysburg, Pa., and Adrienne Poplawski, a junior from Somersworth, N.H., who transferred from Montana State-Northern, to make up a formidable lineup: he top seven average stand an average of 5-foot-11.

Voss, whose grandparents live in New Harbor, chose Maine in part to spend more time near them. She said she expects a successful season in Orono.

“We’ve got amazing players. We really do,” Voss said. “I think we’re gonna have a really good year because the girls [Medley] brought in are phenomenal.”