New faces to lead Lady Tiger volleyball team

With just one returning starter from last year’s team that finished third at the NJCAA Division II National Volleyball Championships, the Cowley College volleyball team will look to a talented freshman recruiting class to help the program continue its success.

“Our freshman our very strong, I feel we really don’t have a weak link as far as skills go,” Cowley head coach Joanna Pryor said. “I feel it’s one of the best classes all the way around that we have had.”

Freshman Kendra Miller from Campus High School will take over as the team’s setter and will look to make up for the loss of Marina Tosi, who spent two successful seasons as the team’s setter.

“It’s big shoes to fill, it will probably take some time at the beginning, but with Kendra’s experience I don’t think she will have a hard time learning fast,” Pryor said. “She’s got great hitters around her.”

Victoria Green from Bishop Carroll High School and Lucia Cizmarova from Bratislava, Slovakia, are expected to be key performers at the middle hitter/outside hitter spots.

“Victoria and Lucia will each need to step it up right from the beginning and make a difference,” Pryor said. “ Cizmarova is a talented player that stands 6-foot-4.
“Lucia will make her presence known,” Pryor said.

For the first time in four years, Pryor will not have the luxury of looking toward one of the Domingos’ sisters to come up with a big point for the team. Fernanda and Eliane Domingos, the programs only two-time All-Americans, are going to be playing together at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

“I’m proud of those girls and glad they have had the opportunity to move on,” Pryor said. “They were good leaders and we will miss them, but I think we have a lot of kids that can stand out as leaders.”

Outside hitter Lilian Rezende returns to the team after a stellar freshman season in which she was named an All-American. Being the lone returning starter, Pryor expects even bigger things from Rezende as a sophomore.

“She is very determined and focused to do well,” Pryor said. “The girls look to her on the floor for answers.”

Fellow sophomores Andrea Mitchell (setter/defensive specialist), Courtney Shanklin (outside hitter), and Valerie Cox (middle hitter/rightside hitter) each saw valuable playing time as freshmen and will be looked upon to provide leadership.
“I think with a smaller group of sophomores it’s easier for them to stand out and be leaders on and off the court,” Pryor said.

Pryor landed her first ever recruit from the Kansas City area in outside hitter Crystal Garman from Shawnee Mission North High School. Garman played for a strong club team and grew up playing volleyball year round.

Other freshmen are, Ark City native Kasha Kelly (rightside hitter), Jacey Sechrest (libero/defensive specialist), and Jessica Fiscus (defensive specialist/outside hitter).
Cowley has captured each of the last two Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division titles and placed in the top-three at the national championships each of the last two years. Despite the number of new players expected to contribute, Pryor believes this year’s team has a chance to be just as good as the last two.

“We are going to have to work hard, it’s not going to come easy,” Pryor said. “I still expect for us to be successful, hopefully we will remain focused all year long on what we are here for, and that’s to be successful and have fun doing it. As long as these kids gain the confidence they need, then they will be hard to stop.”