University of Memphis Athletics
A Q&A With Volleyball Head Coach Carrie Yerty
Jul 18, 2001 | Women's Volleyball
July 18, 2001
MEMPHIS - Head Coach Carrie Yerty sat down and talked about the upcoming 2001 volleyball season. Following is her Q&A session where she talks about her seven returning players and her expectations for the upcoming year.
Q. With five seniors returning this season, talk about the experience that you return this year and how you see that starting this season out as compared to the last 2 years when you've had such young squads.
A. This biggest difference between this year and the last two years is the confidence that these seniors will bring when they come in. We've come off a really good spring season where we won our last 10 matches in a row and we beat great teams like LSU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. For our girls to end their spring that way, I think you'll see confidence, and maturity, and that's exciting for us. I also think because they're so confident and so in control of what they're doing that it also brings the level of play up for those around them. They're able to focus more on team than what they are personally doing.
Q. You will have three setters on this year's roster, what will that do to the line-up and could Amie Hamilton also see some time as a DS this year after setting last year?
A. With two senior setters coming back, I'd like them to be able to contribute from day one. Amie Hamilton is an extraordinary athlete that could be one of the best setters in our conference, as well as one of the best defensive specialists in the conference. She will contribute probably in both of those positions, depending on what kind of shape Angie comes in with and if she's ready to play.
A. It also depends on if our freshman, Heather Watts, can come in and earn a starting position and run the offense. Ideally I'd like to use Angie in the same capacity that I used her last year in terms of a big blocker for the right side. I'd like to see Amie Hamilton as the defensive player of the year in our conference, but I think in order for anybody to come in and beat Amie Hamilton out at setter, they're going to have to be in great shape, they're going to have to have extraordinary leadership skills and they're gonna have to be ready to run a quick offense. Amie, however, is ready to do whatever it takes to make this team as good as it can be and she is committed to setting and she is committed to being a defensive specialist, and only time will tell which one she will be. We can see her doing either/or.
Q. Last year you had returning players, but quite a few were playing out of position. With three incoming middles, will Brittany Barnett move back to the outside and talk a bit about the type of year Brittany had last year.
A. Brittany will definately play outside hitter. She will be a starting outside hitter playing opposite veteran Ginger Garrett. She did a fantastic job in the spring, there were matches where she was absolutely unstoppable. She is a very gifted hitter, she's got great shots, she's aggressive and she's learning to see her blocks better and mix up her shots. She is an extraordinary ball control player, so I definately see her again playing in serve-receive as well, she has great reading skills defensively. Brittany's days in the middle position are certainly over and in terms of last year, she was thrown to the wolves in the middle. She had never been a middle blocker before, we asked her to sacrifice for her team, she came in there and wholeheartedly did the very best job she could, and because of her efforts, and because of the people around her, she was able to become and all-freshman player for Conference USA, I'm very pleased with her progress. Look for Brittany to be a very powerful outside hitter this year.
Q. Emily Eichmann really emerged last year, winning the team's Most Improved Player award, and leading the team in service aces. How important is it for her to continue to excel and what are some general comments about the year she had last year.
A. Last year was a HUGE year for Emily Eichmann. She went from limited playing time to role-playing time to a starter and all-around player for us. She definately has the ability to dominate on the right side. Last year, she really emerged with her attacking and blocking skills, she also has a very nice serve, so that's also a nice weapon for us. General comments about last year, I think Emily went from a timid volleyball player hoping to do well to an aggressive volleyball player that expected excellence in what she did. It's important for her to continue where she left off, because in Conference USA, the right side is generally a weakness for the majority of our teams and if you have a good right side attack, it can put you at an advantage, offensively. In terms of defensively, she's a 6-2 blocker that touches about 9-10 or 9-11, which is a big block on that right side as well. I would definately expect her to continue to progress and she needs to be a leader on our team. She's really emerged in her leadership role, she's dedicated to demonstrating, to verbalizing, to physically putting whatever it takes into practice and match play and to lead by example and I definately expect her to have a great year this year. She's ready, she's worked hard and she's committed.
Q. Having Ginger Garrett, a two-time assistant captain, and Amie Hamilton (an asst. captain last year) back, what type of things do you expect from both of them and your largest-ever senior class?
A.I have really high expectations in terms of my senior class for leadership and for confidence. These kids have been in this program for a long time, they've got experience and I think they really understand our system. I definately expect all my upperclassmen, including Brittany, to take charge of what happens on the court, as well as off the court, and really dedicate themselves to having the kind of season and style of team that they want. We've got a lot of experience coming back and I think that these kids are just ready to take that next leap forward.
Q. Your two returning sophomores each saw a lot of action last year. Talk about any possible changes they will see this year and how important it is for them to play as much as they did last year.
A. Brittany will move from our team's best blocker to one of our team's most powerful offensive weapons on the outside. She will be asked to continue to be a primary passer as well as be one of our top three defenders. Shella Neba, who had an extraordinary spring season, has greatly improved. I would expect her to challenge for a starting position and dominate on our attack and help speed up our attack. Shella is a mature young lady who has really worked to improve over the spring, as well as the summer, and I would expect Shella to be much improved and come in and be very steady for us in the middle.
Q. You lose April Harriman this season after she stepped up in a huge way last year. You also lose Laura after she suffered a career-ending knee injury. Who fills those voids in this year's line-up for you?
A. I don't think that you'll ever fill a void from somebody who has brought something extra-special to your program. April's fire and Laura's athleticism were incredible. Laura's heart and her desire to please were also amazing. I would certainly expect Brittany, Ginger and Adrianne to come in and challenge for those attempts that April had. I would expect Brittany and Ginger to be bangers for us. I would definately expect Adrianne to continue her ball-control presense as a defensive specialist, and to challenge on the outside or the right side as Emily's back-up. After losing Laura, we brought in Tulsa transfer Brooke Chrisman. I expect her to come in and not skip a beat. She's a very talented athlete that is excited to come back and play. She is excited to be a Tiger, she's been here over the summer to prepare for the upcoming season. I would definately expect her to come in and fill that void. I look to Shella to contribute in the middle, as well as Tiara Gilkey and Rachel Aldous.
Q. You have nine first first-time opponents on this year's schedule. Talk a bit about your scheduling philosophy for this season and then talk about the changes in conference play (playing Saint Louis twice a season now and adding ECU and TCU).
A. We're excited about playing new opponents. It's always an opportunity for your team to compare to other conferences and to go up against teams that have been tops in their conference. In terms of SLU, I think it'll be exciting. We haven't played Saint Louis as tough as we should in the past, and I think our team is looking forward to playing them at home and playing them back-to-back. ECU and TCU are definately great additions to Conference USA. TCU has a tradition of being a great volleyball program, I think it was certainly a nice addition in terms of strength of our conference. ECU has an energetic, young and fiery coach that's there and I think that she will also raise the level of our conference play and I'm looking forward to a new challenge.
Q. Any other comments you want to add?
A. I'm excited about this season. It is my pleasure to have the opportunity to coach this team and I can't really give a win-loss or guess about where we'll place in our conference, but I can say that this will be one of the best years that I've had with Memphis in terms of player personnel and coaching staff and I'm really looking forward to it. I think these individuals, from staff, managers, trainers, they have really worked hard and I think now is a good opportunity for us to feed off our hard work and dedication. I know that Fiona has definately come into her role and I'm excited to have her back again.
