Vandals Volleyball Facts

Coach: Debbie Buchanan (first year)

Assistant coaches: Ken Murphy, Jennifer Sondrup

1999 record: 17-15 overall; 7-9 third place Big West Eastern Division

Players to watch: Sr. MB Regan Butler, Sr. OH Jenny Kniss

Key newcomers: Fr. OH Jackie Gallagher, Fr. MB, Anna-Marie Hammond

Bonus points: Memorial Gym will have a new volleyball court made out of Taraflex. The synthetic surface looks like wood and has some give. More importantly, it will cover the miles and miles of basketball lines… . Murphy coached with Buchanan at Colorado State at Fort Collins, Colo. Sondrup is from Fort Collins and is working on her master’s degree at Idaho … Fifth-year senior Alli Nieman contemplated a return to volleyball after a three-year absense, but decided against it.

Outlook: It could be an ugly start for first-year coach Buchanan. The Big West Conference coaches predicted the Vandals will finish eighth out of nine teams in the smaller Big West Conference. Long Beach State, ranked second in the AVCA poll with three straight Final Four appearances, should win again. The 49ers have three starters returning. No. 12 Pacific and No. 14 UCSB are expected to follow.

Roster

Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown

Jackie Gallagher OH 5-11 Fr. Glendale, Ariz.

Regan Butler MB 6-1 Sr. Tucson, Ariz.

Kristin DeBello DS 5-6 Jr. Sebastapol, Calif.

Reba Blanchard MB 6-2 So. Eugene, Ore.

Delaney Menell OH 5-10 Fr. Calabasas, Calif.

Heather Kniss OH 5-10 Jr. Gresham, Ore.

Brooke Haeberle OH 5-10 Fr. Omak, Wash.

Mindy Marques DS 5-7 Fr. Kalaheo, Hawaii

Megan Odgen MB 6-2 Fr. Gresham, Ore.

Mandy Becker S 5-9 Fr. Fort Collins, Colo.

Jenny Neville S 5-10 Jr. Sonoma, Calif.

Ashley Perkes OH 5-11 Fr. Las Vegas

Jenny Kniss OH 6-0 Sr. Gresham, Ore.

Anna-Marie Hammond MB 6-2 Fr. Long Beach, Calif.