Lady Trojan Volleyball begins season Friday, Aug. 22

The Colby Community College volleyball team, under the direction of new head coach Valerie Armstrong, begins its season this Friday. The Lady Trojans will be competing in the North Platte Tournament in North Platte, Neb.

The Trojans play four games on Friday, beginning with No. 15-ranked Northeastern Junior College at 2 p.m. The remaining Friday schedule consists of McCook at 3:30 p.m., Eastern Wyoming at 5:30 p.m., and Iowa Central at 8:30 p.m. On Saturday, the Lady Trojans will face South East Community College of Nebraska at 9:30 a.m. and North Platte CC at 2:30 p.m.

The first home match for the Lady Trojans is Monday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Community Building. The annual Colby Classic Tournament is Sept 5-6.

The Lady Trojans return just two players from last season in sophomore middle blocker Rexanne Schilowsky (Phillipsburg) and sophomore libero / outside hitter Megan Dennis (Oakley). Armstrong expects that both will have a positive impact on this year’s team.

“Megan can pass the ball and is quick defensively. She is also intense and will be a vocal leader for us,” Armstrong said. “Rex was a captain last season and will be a force in the middle.”

The Lady Trojans have one other sophomore on their roster in transfer Priscila Sena. A 5’5” setter, Sena, transferred to the program from College of the Southwest where Armstrong was previously an assistant. Sena is originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Armstrong said she was happy that “Pri” decided to transfer to Colby.

“She has great hands and is a smart player, but needs to improve on her quickness and aggressiveness.”

The Colby squad features eight freshman: LeAnna Shaeffer (Oberlin, Kan.); Ashley Ming (Dighton, Kan.); Jessica Schmidt (Melvern, Kan.); Michele Ferreria (Sao Paulo, Brazil); Juliana Motta Da Silva (Campo Mourao, Brazil); Jessica Merino (Belen, New Mexico); Cassie Smatana (Albuquerque, New Mexico); and Lisa Faimon (Stratton, Neb.).

With the abundance of newcomers, Armstrong and assistant coach Juliana “Ju” Todescan are in the process of finding the right rotations for the team to be successful.

For more information on the Lady Trojans go to www.colbycc.edu and click on athletics. Currently on the volleyball page are player bios, complete 2008 schedule and photos from a scrimmage at Garden City on Aug. 16.