UMO men's volleyball preview: Young, talented team takes the floor

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on January 9, 2015 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

MOUNT OLIVE -- The memory hasn't faded.

University of Mount Olive co-captains Mike Mann and Tyler Yanez vividly recall watching Erskine celebrate winning the Conference Carolinas tournament title -- and earning the league's first-ever automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA playoffs.

"Motivation, besides jealousy?" Mann quipped. "I think it put us in a little bit of perspective. We had been doing well all season and (playing) someone we had beaten in the past. Maybe we had a little bit of overconfidence going into the final round and thinking we were going to walk away with it."

The Flying Fleet sailed into historic waters, instead.

Yanez agreed with Mann.

The senior setter from California said the loss "sucked" and that it fueled the Trojans to work harder in the offseason. There's been a concentrated effort on weight lifting, conditioning and open-gym workouts.

UMO puts its most-inexperienced lineup on the floor tonight against Division I Ball State University. First serve is 7 p.m. at Kornegay Arena. BSU has won all three meetings in the series.

Despite the lack of returning offensive firepower and the addition of seven freshmen, third-year head coach David Heller continues to have high expectations for the program which has been the benchmark for the other Division II schools in Conference Carolinas.

"I think that athleticism and height are things that (will) work in our favor," said Heller, who has nine players on the roster who stand 6-foot-4 or taller.

"We've got guys out there with really high volleyball IQs and have great international experience. There are some really strong volleyball backgrounds out there that are really going to help us develop this year."

And make Heller sweat about a starting lineup.

The Trojans have depth at every position, hard-hitting left-handers who can terminate points quickly and Yanez, who plays smart and is fully capable of keeping the offense running efficiently. Mann, a 30-year-old military veteran, and 6-6 sophomore Andrew Sydow should solidify the middle.

Mann cranked out just 58 kills in an offense that hit .229 as a team and lost its top four offensive players to graduation. Sydow and Palmatier combined for 35 kills in 46 total sets.

However, defense and serving are crucial.

UMO committed 335 service errors last season and struggled to consistently pass the ball from the backline. That disrupted the chemistry and, at times, produced transition balls that opposing teams capitalized on with regularity.

"We've been doing a lot of reps (in serve receive)," said Yanez, who dished out 304 assists in a reserve role last season. "It's important getting people comfortable passing next to each other. Last year we didn't do so well with that.

"(This year) we have to play as a team ... can't let one person control the game. As a team, we need to be there for each other."

The Trojans will play a 24-match schedule that includes contests against just two traditional Division I powers -- Ball State and Penn State. A year ago, UMO played seven Division I schools.

Mann didn't mind the strong competition.

"I like to get beaten in this game because it only makes you better, especially when look at the possibility of going to the finals for this sport," Mann said. "You want to have as much exposure to top-level teams that are really playing well. On the other hand, it's good to stay comfortable and see who is in this conference.

"We'll learn what we need to do early on in the game to beat them."

And maybe get that chance to celebrate a trip to the NCAAs.