The athletics website of Sewanee: The University of the South

First year Head Coach Jessica Cortese knows that the season ahead holds many challenges for the Tiger Volleyball team. A talent-laden conference, a schedule with only five home games, preseason injuries, and a young squad are just a few things the Tigers will deal with over the course of the season. But Cortese and the Tigers are looking at these challenges as a way to only help the team rebuild quicker and stronger and they're facing them head on. "If the level of effort and dedication I've seen during preseason is any indicator of how hard the players will continue to work throughout the season, then I believe there will be a great deal of improvement during the next few months," explains Cortese.

Cortese, who took over the top spot for the Tigers in July, knows the youthfulness of her team will benefit the program for the next several years. The squad only lost one senior from a team that struggled in '09 and finished with a 3-29 overall record and a 0-15 record in SCAC play. Freshmen Tarver Shimek and Hannah Brown, along with newcomer sophomore Lydia Day, join seven upperclassmen, none of whom are seniors, in making up the 2010 edition of Tiger Volleyball.

Juniors Blair Barrows (Atlanta, Ga./ Holy Innocents'), Liz Boddiford (Forest Hill, Md./ Maryvale Prep), Adrienne Borchardt (New Orleans, La./ Ben Franklin), and Kim Conkell (Atlanta, Ga./ Lakeside, along with sophomores Erin Brahm (Huntsville, Ala./ Grissom) and Callie Sims (Asheville, N.C./ Carolina Day School) all return for the Tigers after being significant contributors last year.

Barrows returns at libero for the Tigers after racking up 148 digs in 2009. Cortese expects that Boddiford, Borchadt, and Sims will all see time at outside hitter this year. Boddiford led the Tigers with 176 kills and recorded six total blocks in '09, while Borchardt recorded 241 digs, more than any other Tiger. Sims added 18 kills and was third on the team with 18 assists last year. They'll be joined by newcomer Lydia Day, a 5'7 outside hitter from The Plains, Virginia.

Conkell returns at middle blocker and Brahm at setter for Coach Cortese and the Tigers. Brahm averaged 4.49 assists per game in 2009 after recording 462 assists total as the Tigers main setter. At middle blocker, Conkell contributed six total blocks and 46 kills in '09. She'll be joined in the middle by 5'11 freshman Tarver Shimek, a Towson, Maryland native.

Despite the youthfulness of her team, Cortese is confident that the Tigers will be able to step up to the challenge in 2010. And while Cortese is expecting the four juniors to lead the squad, she has been surprised by the effort of the underclassmen: "Everyone has really stepped up so far to be leaders both on and off the court. There are four juniors who have really bought into the program and have worked very hard to welcome the newcomers to the team. Since the team is so small and young, the underclassmen are really given a big role on and off the court. Overall, I'm impressed with the attitude and determination that I see everyday in practice."

In a year where three SCAC teams are ranked in the AVCA Preseason Top 25, Coach Cortese and the Tigers will be challenged early and often. The team will only host five home matches in 2010, four of which are conference games, so the ability to play on the road will be key. The Tigers open up the season on Wednesday, September 1st when they travel to Maryville College to take on the Scots at 6:00 p.m. EST.

The Tigers will open up conference play with a rigorous weekend of matches on September 25th and 26th, as they play host to four different SCAC opponents. 5th ranked Colorado College and 16th ranked Southwestern University will visit Sewanee, as will DePauw University and Austin College, who both also received votes in the AVCA Preseason Poll. The Tigers will take on Southwestern on Saturday the 25th at 2:00 p.m., followed by a match against the Kangaroos of Austin College at 6:00. Sewanee will then face Colorado College at 11:00 a.m. on the 26th and the Tigers of DePauw later that same day at 3:00 p.m.

The Tigers only other home match of the year will take place on October 27th as Sewanee takes on the Bearcats of Rust College at 5:00 p.m.