The key for success this season for the Lady Broncs will be their ability to give 100 percent every time that they step out on the court and to accomplish the goals set forth by Hubbard and her coaching staff.
In order for the Lady Broncs to be successful this season, they will need all their building blocks to calibrate with one another to form one special unit.
The Lady Broncs will return nine players from the 2006 season and will have five additions to the roster. UTPA will depend heavily on their upperclassmen in senior Mallorie Wilson (Chico, CA/Butte College) to go along with a quartet of juniors in Chelsea Blakely (Houston, TX/J. Frank Dobie H.S.), Kellie Phillips (Chandler, AZ/Corona del Sol H.S.), Deanna Schneyer (Diamond Bar, CA/Diamond Ranch H.S.) and Ytszel Trinidad (Mercedes, TX/Mercedes H.S.).
Noelle Mayor (Missouri City, TX/Dulles H.S.) and Rebecca Toddy (McAllen, TX/McAllen Memorial H.S.) will make up the sophomore class for the Lady Broncs while five freshmen will get their first taste of collegiate volleyball as part of Hubbard's first recruiting class.
With the losses of key seniors in Heather Bravo and Karen Lyons following the 2006 season, the Lady Broncs will look to build upon the experience that they have returning, which will come in handy since the Valley's squad plays 26 of their 30 matches this campaign away from the confines of the UTPA Fieldhouse.
Below is a look at the 2007 UTPA women's volleyball program.
Outside Hitters
The Lady Broncs will take a major hit at the outside hitter's position with the graduate of Bravo, but the Valley's squad will have their number-two offensive threat back in the lineup in Phillips.
The UTPA junior posted another outstanding campaign during her sophomore season with the Lady Broncs as she found her name in both the UTPA single-season and career record books. She recorded 370 kills during the 2006 campaign, which ranked her seventh among all NCAA Division I Independent players and ranked her 10th in the UTPA single-season record books.
"I have a lot of expectations for Kellie this season. She still has a lot of potential left to build on, and I think she can definitely be a big part of our offense and defense this season. I expect her to be our number-one outside hitter next season," said Hubbard.
Mayor saw limited action during her rookie season for the Lady Broncs and will also compete on the right-side position this upcoming season. The UTPA sophomore competed in 40 games where she finished with 13 digs, seven kills, six assists, two service aces and two blocks.
"I think that Noelle is more of a control hitter, and I think she does a good job of seeing the floor as she's hitting," added Hubbard.
The outside hitter position will be stacked with the signing of three freshmen in Marci Logan (Centennial, CO/Arapahoe H.S.), Danielle Reed (League City, TX/Clear Creek H.S.) and Cassandra Trevino (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg H.S.).
Logan comes to the Rio Grande Valley from Centennial, CO, where the UTPA freshman earned first team All-Continental Conference laurels during her senior campaign.
"Marci is a very enthusiastic player, and she has a lot of passion for the game. When she's on the court, you can tell she loves it. She works really hard and has a heavy arm. I'm definitely expecting her to fight for that second outside hitter's position," Hubbard said.
Reed helped Clear Creek High School capture three consecutive District 24-5A titles during her career and brings tremendous club volleyball experience to the table for the Lady Broncs where she competed in the Junior Olympics.
"Danielle has a lot of poise and a lot of control, and I think that's something that we needed to bring to this team. Whenever she's on the court, she controls the ball, and that's something that I was looking for. She will be fighting for a position on the outside as well as the right-side with the loss of April Young," said Hubbard.
Trevino completes the trio of outside hitters added to the UTPA lineup, and the Rio Grande Valley product will provide tremendous depth for the Lady Broncs.
"Cassandra has a lot of work ahead of her, but she has a good base to build upon. I think she will do a great job of pushing the outside hitters," Hubbard commented.
Setters
The setter's position will remain the same from the 2006 season as Blakely returns for her third season as the quarterback of the UTPA offense. However - the UTPA junior will have a protégé keeping a watchful eye as newcomer Charity Cucancic (Kirbyville, TX/Kirbyville H.S.) makes her collegiate debut with the Lady Broncs.
Blakely became the third player in program history to dish out over 1,000 assists in a season as she notched 1,188 during the 2006 campaign. The UTPA junior also became the second player in program history to collect over 1,000 assists and 300 digs in the same season. Blakely is currently ranked second in the UTPA all-time record books with 2,034 assists and needs 459 assists to become the program's all-time leader in that category.
"I think Chelsea runs the court well. She communicates well with the hitters and makes them feel confident because she's confident. When I came in, I completely changed the offense on her, and she has done a great job of adjusting. Our offense will depend a lot on her success," said Hubbard.
Cucancic is one of the most promising young players on the Lady Broncs' lineup, and she will be a very capable backup at the setter's position.
"Charity is young, and she's going to learn a lot from Chelsea. I expect her to come in and push Chelsea as well as learn from her experience. She is a great athlete, very determined, a hard worker, and most importantly, she's very smart on the court. She brings a lot of strengths to the table," Hubbard stated.
Middle Blockers
One of the most important positions in the game of volleyball comes at the middle blockers' position, and this will be one position that the Lady Broncs have talent, but are lacking in depth. The weight of this position will fall on the shoulders of one middle blocker in Schneyer.
Schneyer returns to the Lady Broncs for her third season in the Valley as the squad's top middle blockers as she led the program last season with 57.0 total blocks. The UTPA junior finished fourth on the team in kills and total attacks as well as etched her name in the career record books at the conclusion of the season in total blocks and block assists.
"I think that Deanna is probably one of the best blockers on our team. I think she knows that, and that is something that she takes pride in and is going to work hard to keep that role," Hubbard added.
Defensive Specialist
Following the graduation of Lyons at the libero position, the Lady Broncs will look to three players to try and replace the former UTPA standout during the 2007 campaign.
Trinidad is the most experienced libero returning to the UTPA lineup as she appeared in 69 games last season and recorded career-highs in nine statistical categories.
"I think Ytszel has a good work ethic, and in the spring, she worked very hard in practice. Anything I tried to implement, she worked really hard to perfect the technique," said Hubbard.
Toddy saw limited action during her freshman campaign with the Lady Broncs as she appeared in 28 games during the 2006 season.
"Rebecca doesn't have too much experience, but she wants to win. She is not afraid to get on the floor after the ball, and she is a very athletic player that I look to compete for that spot in the starting lineup," added Hubbard.
Jordan Davila (Houston, TX/Mayde Creek H.S.) comes to the Rio Grande Valley from Houston, TX, where the UTPA newcomer concluded her prep career as the program's all-time leader in digs at Mayde Creek High School. The UTPA freshman was one of the top defensive players in the Greater Houston Area and garnered first team All-District 19-5A honors during her junior and senior campaigns.
"I love watching Jordan play because she's very dynamic and that's what you need in your libero. She goes after every ball, and she reads the court very well, which is very important. She has control, and I'm expecting to see great things from her this upcoming season," Hubbard added.
Match Point
The Lady Broncs will have their share of obstacles to overcome this upcoming season, especially in learning a new offensive scheme to go along with 26 matches on the road, but Hubbard believes that all these hurdles can be cleared through hard work and dedication.
"The expectations that I have for myself, my staff and my team are to come in and work hard everyday to reach our goals of becoming a successful program. I believe it's important for us to stay focused this season and not become distracted with being on the road, but turn it into a positive by bringing home victories. I believe if we all work toward this common goal then we will have success. However - that success will be determined by the players and their willingness to accomplish this goal," concluded Hubbard.
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