By Patrick Stumpf
TOLEDO, Ohio (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – Year two for Sean Burdette as head coach of the Phoenix volleyball program is off to a promising start, as Green Bay opened its 2015 season slate with back-to-back 3-1 victories over Portland and host-Toledo at the Rocket Invitational on Friday.
Despite a couple of early deficits, Burdette lauded the leadership and resiliency of his team for winning six of its first eight sets, and ultimately, its 2-0 start.
"I have to credit the seniors and the leadership of our team for today's success," he said. "I thought they rallied when they needed to rally, they responded and ultimately they made the big plays when we needed them to.”
“We've worked in preseason training through different scenarios and different situations and more than anything, I've found that this group is pretty resilient. They found a way to remain calm but aggressive, and didn't let being down a couple points affect them."
GAME ONE
Junior middle blocker Megan Powers (Glendale, Ariz.) paced Green Bay with 13 kills and five blocks, while sophomore outside hitter Abby Jeffcoat (Racine, Wis.) added nine kills as the Phoenix defeated the Pilots in four sets (25-22, 25-22, 15-25, 25-18). Senior setter Emily Riese (Fond du Lac, Wis.) recorded a team-high 40 assists in the match.
Trailing 19-17, the Phoenix ended the opening set on an 8-3 run to win, 25-22. With the second set knotted at 15, Portland appeared to seize momentum after three straight kills; however, Green Bay once again used a late rally to win by the same line, taking a 2-0 match lead.
After the Pilots led the third set from start to finish, Portland threatened to force a tiebreaker after jumping out to an early 9-3 lead in the fourth frame. The Phoenix went on another big run, though, this time 10-2, forcing a Pilot timeout leading 13-11.
Green Bay kept the pressure on out of the break, and ended its opener as freshman outside hitters Samantha Anthon (Lake Mills, Wis.) and Jessica Wolf (Waconia, Minn.) capped the 22-9 run with back-to-back kills to close out the victory. Anthon had four kills in five attacks to finish with a .800 attack percentage in her first collegiate game.
Burdette said he likes what he sees from his freshman class thus far.
“I think (the newcomers) have brought a competitive spirit to the court. They're in some new scenarios, some new situations for themselves, but they've also got good support from their teammates which allows them to go out there and execute. They're not always going to play perfect, but I thought they stayed aggressive and made plays when they needed to.”
Another of the Phoenix's five freshman, Austyn Everingham (Noblesville, Ind.), finished the season-opener with a team-high 20 digs. Senior Jillian Bauer (Verona, Wis.) chipped in with 19.
GAME TWO
In a carbon copy of its earlier game, the Phoenix got off to a quick two-set lead against Toledo en route to its second 3-1 win of the day (25-20, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23) against the home team.
Green Bay was able to get tremendous balance from across its roster, as five players: Jeffcoat (12), Powers (11), Wolf (11), Lydia DeWeese (11) and Taylor Totka (10) all logged double-digit kills in the match. Senior setter Emily Riese (Fond du Lac, Wis.) recorded a game-high 47 assists and Jillian Bauer (Verona, Wis.) a game-high 27 digs.
The momentum markedly shifted after Toledo won the third set and proceeded to rattle off six consecutive points to begin the fourth set. But following a Green Bay timeout, the Phoenix were able to mount yet another comeback.
Burdette said it provided a great early test for his group, even in the second game of the season.
“I thought it was a very big win," he said. "Toledo had a full pep band here, they were loud, they were into it, and they had a good student group. We made some key errors in the third set, got down quick and called a timeout in that fourth. Boy did we respond. The seniors stepped up and just started outworking Toledo at that point.”
LOOKING AHEAD
The Phoenix will complete its first tournament of the new campaign tomorrow afternoon against Bradley, with first serve at 1:30 p.m at Savage Arena. Although none of the players remain, it will be a reunion of sorts for Burdette as he faces the same team he coached from 2008-10.
Like Green Bay, Bradley also earned a sweep in Friday's action, picking up 3-2 wins over Toledo and Youngstown State.
“For us it's just another opponent on the other side of the net," said Burdette. "They're 2-0 in the tournament, and we're 2-0. They're certainly a very good squad with physical players, and we're going to have to step up our game to compete with them.”
Live stats will be available HERE.
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