New head volleyball coach Linda Grensing expects her team to perform just as well this year as it did last year. Considering the 1994 squad had four seniors and went to the third round of the NCAA tournament, she has high expectations for her squad.
"This is a great program with a very strong tradition," said Grensing, who arrives in Durham after being an assistant coach at Ohio State, an NCAA semifinal participant last season. "The team is very young but they are a talented group of people. I would much rather start with young kids and develop them."
Gone from last year's squad is the talented foursome of Briar Blach, Tami Peterson, Adrian Nicol and Ashley Wacholder. With those four players on the court, the Blue Devils captured four consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference tournament titles and made two straight appearances in the third round of the NCAA tournament.
A fifth player, rising junior Kristin McMahon, transferred to Georgetown this summer, though she will not be playing volleyball for the Hoyas.
Also departed is former head coach Jon Wilson, who led the team for the past 14 seasons. Wilson turned Duke from a 7-19 team in 1980 to a 30-3 team two years ago.
Duke achieved national attention in the volleyball realm under Wilson's direction, garnering a No. 21 ranking at the end of last season.
Despite all of Wilson's success, Grensing hopes to move the program forward, past the NCAA third round and into the semifinals.
"I want to take this program to the next level," Grensing said. "Jon did a good job developing. I want the program to go one step further.
"I'm used to being part of top-10, Final Four programs, and that's what I think of where I want this program to go."
Sophomore Maureen Reindl, who was recruited by Grensing to become a Buckeye, said her new coach impressed her from the beginning.
"I liked her at Ohio State," Reindl said. "Everyone has good things to say about her. I'm sure she will take us to a new level."
Grensing said that despite losing four seniors, the 1995 squad is a talented bunch, led by Reindl and her classmate, 1994 ACC Freshman of the Year Kristen Campbell.
"I know the group that is returning is a very strong core," Grensing said. "They will be successful in their own right."
Grensing will look to these two sophomores for leadership on this young team.
"Kristen--in her role as the setter--she has a little more responsibility in leadership," Grensing said. "She has a mix of verbal and active leadership.
"Maureen will lead in her own way. She will set the example by what she does on the court."
Reindl is looking forward to the challenge of being one of the team's leaders.
"I'm going to have to learn to communicate more than before," Reindl said.
Reindl is also excited about being a leader for Duke's freshmen. Joining the team will be three new recruits, including Megan Irvine from Wasilla, Alaska. Grensing is pleased with the new talent coming into the program.
"I think all three are very solid athletes," Grensing said. "Their strength is their athleticism.
"All of them will get much better at the college level. They will all do some great things by the time they leave the program."
With all of Duke's new faces, many ACC pundits aren't favoring the Blue Devils to repeat as conference champions. Conference coaches picked Duke to finish third in the conference, a ranking Reindl thinks is a little low.
"I know a lot of people won't expect us to do that well," Reindl said. "But we're not going to treat this any different [than last season]. Our goals are the same--to win the conference championship and make the Sweet 16."
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