2018 VB Preview: Outside Hitters
8/14/2018 12:10:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The 2018 Sam Houston State Bearkat volleyball season is nearly upon us, with Coach Brenda Gray's group set to open up the year on August 24 vs Drake on the opening day of the Sam Houston State Tournament.
This is the third of a four-part preview, position by position of this year's squad, leading up to the 2018 season opener.
OUTSIDE HITTER NOTABLES
Returning: Amanda Gooch, Madison Wallace, Ashley Lewis, Caroline Sheaff, Jordan Kiley
Newcomers: Breanne Chausse, Haley Havekost
HUNTSVILLE – Few teams have the luxury of having a pair of outside hitters like the Sam Houston State Bearkats have had over the past four seasons. But entering 2018 the Kats are tasked with replacing the most productive hitting duo in the Southland Conference.
Fortunately, Gray and her staff have stockpiled a number of options for just such a task.
Last season seniors Jordyn Vaughn and Brooke White each capped their tenure at Sam Houston with all-conference honors and by going over the 1,000-kill mark for their careers. With the pair now having exited the fold, the Kats will turn to group of skilled underclassmen and a pair of upperclassmen to slide into those spots on the edges.
One way the Kats will look to fill that void is by shifting Amanda Gooch to the outside, her natural position according to Gray. Gooch spent her first two seasons in the middle for the Kats and started off 2017 there as well before going down to an injury just seven matches into the season that cost her the remainder of the year.
She hit over .300 as a sophomore and was off to a good start in 2017 before the injury, one that happened early enough to allow her a chance to be given a redshirt and retain two years of eligibility. At 5-10 from a small school between Huntsville and College Station, Gooch was originally brought in to play on the outside before moving into the middle where she played in 23 matches as a true freshman.
“I think she could play in the middle occasionally, but she came in as an outside when we originally recruited her,” Gray said. “She just kind of migrated to the middle because her work ethic and knowledge of the game allowed her to do so.”
In moving Gooch back to her natural position, it gives the Kats a mature veteran presence on the front line and an attacker who has hit at a high clip for her career. She likely will not play all the way around due to Sam Houston's depth of players who excel in ball-control situations, but she should make an instant impact offensively when on the floor.
“She won't play back role to start the year, but she will be serving because she doesn't make a lot of errors” Gray said. “She just sees the floor so very well and has a real knack for the game.”
The Kats are also excited about the prospect of freshman Breanne Chausse, a left-hander from Coppell who looks to be the frontrunner to take the open position on the right side.
“She reminds me of what Sarah Sherman was when she got hot a couple of years ago, but with more consistency,” Gray said. “Jackie likes to dish to the right side, and Breanne just fits what we want over there. We just have to get her over there and get her to believe that she's one of our go-to players and just get going.”
Chausse played for one of the top high school teams in Texas at Coppell, pushing the Cowgirls to as high as a No. 2 ranking in Class 6A and a 38-4 record on the year. She flew in under the radar before Bearkat coaches discovered her on the club circuit and even though she is just a true freshman, Gray and her staff believe the 5-9 Chausse could be the answer they have been looking for on the right side to round out what could be a potent offense.
“We needed another right side, but the position is backwards and to get a lefty over there is big for us,” Gray said. “I think she is going to be that diamond in the rough that nobody saw coming, but they are going to learn her name quickly.”
In addition to Gooch and Chausse, the Kats also return a trio of freshman hitters along with senior Madison Wallace and freshman Haley Havekost. Wallace will likely see time all over the court, including in the middle and a back-row option as Gray feels she is a key glue piece who needs to be on the court for the Kats to be successful.
Now sophomores, Ashley Lewis, Caroline Sheaff and Jordan Kiley all saw action as true freshman in 2017 but will be asked to carry an added load in 2018. At 6-0 with an athletic frame, Lewis brings the potential to be a six-rotation outside and she showed flashes of that talent last season, including scoring eight kills in the SLC Tournament against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
“I think Ashley could possibly tap into that other outside position,” Gray said. “She has a great block and is a true six-footer. She's got game, but she just needs to let go and let her game speak for itself.”
Sheaff and Kiley could also be in the mix, while Havekost joins the program in her first year coming from a solid high school program at New Braunfels Canyon HS. Both Sheaff and Kiley check in at better than 6-0, giving Gray a multitude of options should she want to go with a bigger lineup at any point during the year.
“We will need them for sure this year,” Gray said. “There are going to be times where we run across bigger teams and we have to get it done with defense. Having players like that are important to have in your arsenal because they are big and seal the net.”
