Aug. 17, 2000

LARAMIE, Wyo. -

The Wyoming Volleyball team enters the 2000 season with both familiar faces, and a group of new and upcoming players. The Cowgirls are looking to improve on a 9-21 overall mark and 3-11 record in their first season of Mountain West Conference competition.

Heading into her fifth season at Wyoming, head coach Susan Judge welcomes back three starters and four letterwinners from the 1999 squad.

"In returning three starters, it really goes back to a confidence level, because the skill and talent levels are there. We just have to bring those three players and a group of six together, and have the chemistry and confidence to execute. If we can do that, the confidence will definitely come and success will result as well."

The 2000 Wyoming squad will be made up of three seniors, two juniors, one sophomore, one redshirt freshman and seven freshmen. But despite some of the squad's inexperience, Judge envisions a group of players who should develop into a very formidable team.

"The team, as a whole, will be much improved over last season," Judge said. "I think they've learned a lot about themselves individually, and each player has matured a great deal through the trials and tribulations that come from having such a young team. They've gotten some experience, which allowed them to grow up faster than they would just watching from the sidelines, and that will be a benefit for our team this fall."

"Throughout the spring, I also saw great deal of improvement in the areas of individual maturity and skill work. It's important that we carry all of our improvements over into the fall with both our individual and team performances. Our newcomers should also provide good balance. We will still be a young team, but I think the team chemistry and personality should be improved from a year ago, and will be a factor in our success this season." In the off-season, the Cowgirls brought in two college transfers and seven freshmen from the high school level. Judge feels the addition of the talented newcomers will provide her team with more depth entering the 2000 campaign.

"The incoming players will be a great compliment to our already existing team. They are all congenial, but competitive and that's what we're looking for in our players."

"Lori Sanford had the benefit of training with us in the spring. She has been in our system, which is important for a middle blocker, and it helped her transition to the pace of the game at the Division I level. She will definitely contribute to both the middle blocker position and our blocking scheme."

"Melissa Robinett is a player we will look for to play at the rightside position, but she also has the potential to play at the middle blocker spot. She's a strong athlete, and has a lot to offer once she gets used to our system. She will be a definite force for us, whether she plays in the middle or the rightside."

"Stefanie Snyder comes into the season with a year of college experience at the setter position, and should really challenge for the starting spot. It's very important in the setting position that there is some healthy competition. I think Stefanie will be a strong competitor and contender, as well as a team leader."

"Katy Brown is another setter we've brought in with solid skills. She is a competitive athlete, and is also a very coachable player with a strong work ethic."

"Michele Rauter will first have to make the adjustment of coming to the United States from Canada, plus all the adjustments a freshman has to make. Michele is an aggressive player, which carries over into her offensive and defensive game. She should really add a spark to our team in those areas."

"Katie Jarman is a real team player. I think she will bring strong leadership abilities and fit in with the program very quickly. The key for her is to learn how to hit at this level and against a bigger block. She will also make herself a viable and active part of our team, because of her defensive skills and ball control."

Judge will look to several people this season in leadership roles, especially her returning starters. Seniors Melody Friehauf (middle blocker), Jamie Burke (rightside hitter) and junior Rachel Lau (middle blocker), along with several others will be expected to make strong contributions this season.

"Melody Friehauf, who has been All-Conference the past two years and made numerous All-Tournament teams, has to the be the player that comes through for us day in and day out," Judge felt. "But quite honestly, I think anyone has the potential to step up and provide some leadership for us. Jamie Burke, as a senior, is another person that knows the ropes, and can help in the leadership area. Going into her junior year, Rachel Lau has played in this league for two years, and could also carry some of the load. The main thing that we want is a team effort, so we don't necessarily rely on Melody, and balance out our attack were everyone contributes."

Judge anticipates the Wyoming tradition of strong blocking will continue, but will also look to some of the other positions to take on some responsibility.

"Our depth and experience certainly lies in the middle blocker positions," Judge feels. "However, in better passing, we hope to develop our rightside and outside hitters a little bit more. We want them to have an opportunity to look at better passes and sets, instead of just keeping the ball in play. I think we have an aggressive group of hitters all the way around, so we want to have a more balanced attack. The spring was really good for us offensively. Our timing was good, we became more aggressive and controlled, so I'm very excited about the potential there."

"I think one of our biggest strengths is that we have some really dynamic athletes, who are coming into their own as far as skill levels and applying their athleticism to their game. It's a strong point when you have experienced starters coming back, which should allow you to grow and develop beyond what you did the previous season. I also think our newcomers will fill in the gaps at some of the starting positions, and our team depth will challenge each of the players individually, and raise the overall level of play."

"We have some weaknesses in a couple of areas. We're still inconsistent in our play, and our ball control is a little questionable. But through considerable competition that area will stabilize, and we can develop the offense from that. However, we want to focus on the basics. Our ball control and other weaknesses can be overcome from training and gaining experience."

That consistency on the offensive side of the ball will have to come from several players, who will need to step up this season.

"The experience factor is a big key. Melody still needs to be the stabilizer for us. She's been a big part of our team for the past three years, and we expect a lot out of her," Judge said. "But with some of the young kids gaining experience and competing in the conference, they should really have an idea what's needed to be successful."

"After last spring, I really saw some areas of Jamie's (Burke) game improve, especially her passing. That's an area she needed to improve upon, and it really had affected her game. When her passing is on, she is an effective hitter and blocker. Also, her playing experience will be something we will rely on at the outside hitter position."

With the return of senior Melody Friehauf and junior Rachel Lau at the middle-blocker positions, along with the addition of Lori Sanford, Wyoming could possibly have one of the top blocking tandems in the Mountain West Conference. Friehuaf, a First Team All-MWC selection last season, recorded a team high 144 blocks, which was third in the conference. Lau continued to gain valuable experience in her second year finishing with 93 blocks.

"Melody continues to be our point of stability. She's very reliable, consistent and certainly leads by example both on and off the court. She will need to continue to be a leader and role model on this team as we bring in the younger players. She's a player that opponents will be keying in on, both offensively and defensively, at the net."

"Rachel has really established herself in the middle blocker position. She has seen a significant amount of playing time, and has really learned how to compete at this level. She gained a lot of confidence from last season, and will definitely be challenged this year because of our depth at the middle blocker position. I think competition is good for athletes, and that will be something which will keep her focused."

This season, Wyoming enters their second season of competition in the Mountain West Conference. The Cowgirls will face fierce competition every night against several top schools, which include Air Force, Brigham Young, Colorado State, New Mexico, UNLV, Utah and San Diego State. They will once again play each of those teams in a home and away series.

"As far as the conference goes, it's going to be the same knockdown, drag-out that it is every year. We're really looking forward to it, and there will be a great deal of competition between several of the teams, who challenged one another last season. There really was only a two-win difference between the 4th place and 8th place teams, which says something for the competitiveness of the league. BYU and CSU are once again going to be tough, and Utah has a lot of returning players. I feel that anything is possible if we establish our passing game and allow our offense to develop. Our non-conference matches should also lead well into the conference schedule in developing competitiveness, and confidence in winning. If we can establish that confidence, the conference will be a tough challenge, but something we can be successful at."

The 2000 non-conference schedule will be highlighted by matches against several NCAA tournament teams. The Cowgirls start their season out on the road as they face Oregon, UT-San Antonio, Mississippi and Sam Houston State in the UT-San Antonio Volleyball Classic on Sept. 1 and 2. Wyoming will continue their travels at the UW-Milwaukee Tournament on Sept. 8 and 9, when they will go up against Austin Peay, Portland and 1999 NCAA Participant UW-Milwaukee. They will also host the Cowgirl Classic on Sept. 15-16 with Xavier, Pittsburgh and Wisc.-Green Bay traveling to Laramie. The Cowgirls will also have several other non-conference match-ups, which include Denver, Loyola-Chicago, Loyola-Marymount, Notre Dame, UT-Arlington, Utah State and Weber State, before entering MWC play.

"Overall, the first part of the season will be a big challenge, but that's what a young team needs. They need to be on the court gaining experience, which is really how they can mature. I feel that's something we're really providing for our student-athletes," added Judge. "I'm also excited about the conference tournament being in Ft. Collins this year. It should provide an opportunity for our fans to support us. It will be a little different because the tournament is a week earlier this year, but hopefully this will be a positive and our fans will get a chance to see us."

In all, the Cowgirls will be playing seven teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament (BYU, Colorado State, Loyola-Chicago, Loyola- Marymount, Notre Dame, Utah, Wisc.-Milwaukee).

The Mountain West Conference Championship will be held this year in Ft. Collins, Colo. Each team in the conference will qualify for the single-elimination tournament, which begins on Wednesday November 15 and runs through Saturday, November 18.