Aug. 24, 2006

Despite a couple weeks of three a day practices followed by iced knees, elbows, shoulders and ankles, the 17 ladies that compose the Plainswomen volleyball team are ready to take on the region this season. Six sophomores have stepped up in fine style to take the leadership role on the NJC volleyball team. The ladies will be at Otero Junior College in La Junta this weekend at an early season sub region tournament which usually serves as a pretty good barometer of what the rest of the season will bring.

On Wednesday, August 30th, the Plainswomen play host to North Platte for their home season opener at 6 p.m. which will also include a free hamburger feed for all game fans at the Bank of Colorado Event Center starting at 5 p.m. Meat for the feed will be provided by the NJC Beef Boosters and the NJC basketball and baseball coaches will be doing the cooking.

This year's NJC volleyball roster features a total of 1,175 inches--average team height is 5'9"--and a ton of talent from a wide geographical area, including three Brazilian players. In past years, NJC fans have watched in awe as Brazilian hitters like Western Nebraska's first team All-American Patty Azevedo, a 5'9" outside hitter (now at Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne University) owned the net with, not necessarily height, but an extreme vertical jump and spikes that moved the ball faster than the speed of light. NJC hopes to capitalize on some more of this same kind of South American talent this year. Brazil has quickly emerged as a world leader in volleyball on both outdoor sand courts and indoor hard courts.

Sophomores leading the team in 2006-2007 will include: Erin Holbrook, a 5'9" libero/defensive specialist out of Poudre High School in Fort Collins; Jenny Andresen, a 5'1" libero/defensive specialist originally from Chaparrel High School (Parker, CO) who played for Otero Junior College last year and transferred here this year; Ashley Kauffman, a 6 foot tall outside hitter from Fort Morgan; Stacy Manweiler, a 5'9" setter from Windsor; and Callie Vrooman, a 6 foot sophomore right side hitter who was a star player at Platte Valley High School in Kersey, went to UNC for one year and transferred to NJC in 2005; and Isabela Lachowski, a 6'3" middle hitter from Colegio Dom Bosco High School in Curitiba PR, Brazil.

New freshmen on the NJC roster this year include Addi Radke, a 6 foot outside hitter from Santiam High School in Corvallis, OR; Nancie Halfmann, a 5'11" outside hitter from Overland High School in Aurora; Brittany Palmer, a 5'6" setter from Rampart High School in Colorado Springs; Thais Hollerbach, a 5'7" outside hitter form Colegio Americano High School in Porto Alegre, Brazil; Myriah Storrer, a 5'8" defensive specialist from Crowley County High School in Ordway; Jessica Tjaden, a 5'10" right side hitter form Julesburg High School; Tamy Leipelt, a 6'2" outside hitter and right side hitter from Colegio Marista Sao Pedro High School in Porto Alegre, Brazil; Kendra Buckmaster, a 6'1" middle hitter from Longmont High School; Karrissa Scribner, a 5'5" defensive specialist from Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins; Dayna Jenkins a 5'8" defensive specialist also from Ordway, CO who attended Edison High School; and Cami Chapin, a 5'3" defensive specialist from Weldona High School.

The NJC team is coached by Marci Henry who begins her eighth year as head coach at NJC following a very successful high school coaching career. Henry is assisted by Robby Haley, now in his ninth year as assistant. Pre-season injuries have been kept to a minimum and so the Plainswomen are excited to offer local fans a great performance at the home opener. There will be only limited broadcast of home games for all NJC sports this year, so if you enjoy following the action in the Bank of Colorado Event Center, you'll need to show up in person to take it all in. The cost of admission to the games is the same as past years: $5 for adults, $4 for area students and seniors, NJC students free with a full-time student identification card. For more information, contact the athletic department at NJC at 521-6618.