LIBERTY PREVIEW: Volleyball

TAKING A GAME from California in the first round of last year’s NCAA volleyball tournament really was a big deal. The Flames had gone 0-9 in games in three previous NCAA appearances. Then the Bears stormed through their next three matches, dropping a game to homestanding Duke in the second round before sweeping Big 12 opponents Iowa State and Nebraska on their way to the Final Four.

Liberty certainly made Cal sweat, and the single game victory in the first-round match changed the way the Flames viewed themselves as a program.

“The Cal match springboarded our team into a different mindset,” Liberty coach Shane Pinder said. “They saw we can play with teams at that level, and that match gave us a different level of energy.”

Liberty returns six of its seven starters from last year, and the only starter lost — libero Lara Bartolomeo — was injured and didn’t play against Cal.

Liberty blew through the back half of the Big South slate last season, winning its last nine regular-season league matches and two straight to capture the conference tournament championship.

Repeating as conference champions is one major goal. The other is to make a national impression, and the Flames will have an opportunity to do that with a tough early schedule feature matches against Kansas State, Northern Iowa, Notre Dame, UC Irvine, Maryland and North Carolina State.

THE STANDOUT: Take your choice. Setter Kallie Corbin was the Big South tournament MVP and led the conference in assists and service aces. Outside hitter Nicki Scripko and middle blocker Chelaine McCarty nearly carded 400 kills apiece and both did it with great efficiency. Each hit .300 or better.

BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: When Scripko moved to the outside, it opened the starting job at right-side hitter. Juniors Brittany Pacella and Carmen Streeper (Rustburg) and freshman Claire Jacobsma will all fight for playing time at the spot.

Pacella, who transferred to LU from North Carolina State prior to the 2006 season, has battled nagging injuries since arriving in Lynchburg. She’s as healthy as she’s ever been, and Pinder said he has been im-pressed with Pacella’s physical attacking.

QUESTION MARK: Who will be the defensive specialist? Both liberos from last year — Bartolomeo and Rebecca Waneka — are gone. Any one of six players could see time at the spot. Freshmen Rebecca Warren, Jordan Barlow and Kelly Haseman will be in the mix. Outsides Karyl Bacon and Jessica Nelson may see time. Scripko even got some reps at libero during the spring.

LOOKING BACK: Liberty went 27-9 overall and 11-1 in the Big South, earning a share of the regular-season championship. The Flames beat co-champion Winthrop convincingly in the conference title match before falling 3-1 to Cal at Duke in the NCAAs.

THE SCHEDULE: The full slate can be found here.

The Flames open the season Friday at 4:30 p.m. at VCU’s tournament against North Carolina State. Though the Flames won’t face the homestanding Rams in the tournament, VCU will return the favor by coming to Lynchburg for a Sept. 30 match — LU’s home opener and its lone non-conference home match.

With the addition of Presbyterian and Gardner-Webb, the conference schedule expands from 12 to 16 matches. The Winthrop match is scheduled for Nov. 15 at 2 p.m., the same day LU plays its Big South football finale against Gardner-Webb.