CORE GROUP RETURNS FOR PLNU WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL IN 2022

(SAN DIEGO) With the core of the PLNU Women’s Volleyball team returning, the Sea Lions are hoping a productive offseason translates onto the court this fall.

“It’s hard to predict anything going forward but this past spring was the best spring we’ve ever had,” PLNU Head Coach Jonathan Scott said. “We trained super hard and performed. There was that taste in the air that this fall could be special. Right now, it’s just a progression of that and we’ll see where it leads.”

Of the eight players who started double-digit matches in 2021, when PLNU went 14-13 overall (10-9 conference) and finished sixth in the PacWest, seven are returning this season.

Point Loma, picked to finish fifth in the conference this year, brings back its top-five statistical leaders in kills, assists and digs, as well as four of the top-five in blocks from a season ago.

“There’s a lot of hope in the air and we’re looking pretty good,” Scott said of training camp so far. “On the court and culturally, the girls are taking ownership, which is one of our core values. As long as they own it, then I think we can go far.”

With 12 returning players, and the addition of four true freshman, competition for a spot in the starting lineup is high ahead of the new season.

“We’re competing hard in practice which is really fun,” Scott said. “This is as deep as we’ve been, especially in that outside hitter position. It makes my job a little more complicated lineup wise, but that’s a better problem than if you’re healthy, you’re playing.”

However, Scott is hoping to nail down his starting lineup sooner rather than later, with the new season beginning on Thursday.

“It’s hard to say who our returning starters are because last season we probably did a dozen different lineups,” the ninth-year head coach said. “I have an early goal that we can find our best lineup early; I think this team needs that. Absolutely if it’s not clicking, we’ll adjust and try to win in the moment, but the earlier the better.”

While the majority of PLNU’s roster returns, the team may look slightly different stylistically.

“We have a new system that we’ve been working on offensively that we’re pretty excited about,” Scott said.

Regardless of what system the team plays, PLNU strives to compete with competitive joy, a term the program coined as its primary core value.

“Competitive joy is the penultimate, that’s what we shoot to be,” Scott said. “We’re super crazy competitive and want to win at all costs, but we do it joyfully. We’re good teammates and have gratitude. That’s our defining principle.”

Roster

Leading the way for PLNU will be fifth-year Courtney Dyer, the reigning PacWest Libero of the Year who also earned AVCA Honorable Mention All-American and D2CCA First Team All-West Region honors last season.

“Originally we didn’t think she was going to do her fifth year, so we were prepared to replace her which was hard,” Scott said. “We have two capable liberos who wanted that jersey, in Jordyn Moriarty and freshman Macy Reynolds. I think we would’ve been just fine, but with Courtney returning it just makes us that much better, that much deeper, that much more experienced.”

Dyer’s 667 digs last season were the third-most in a single season in program and PacWest history. She enters this season ranked fifth all-time among Sea Lions in career digs (1,719), just 475 behind the program-best mark.

“She did some pretty amazing things last year,” Scott said of the Preseason PacWest Libero of the Year, who set the single-match program record for digs (43) a season ago.” She’s got a few of our records and has pretty much every one of them on her hitlist for this season. We’re excited.”

Along with Dyer, middle blocker Anna Massari is expected to anchor the PLNU defense after leading the team and ranking third in the PacWest with 95 blocks in 2021.

Massari (237 kills) is also one of several attackers returning for PLNU, including outside hitter Torina Hommes (259 kills), opposite hitter Claire Smith (186 kills) and a returning-from-injury middle blocker Grace Hicks (66 kills).

“Those are all returning starters who have been on the court a lot,” Scott said. “I think they all are hungry to be in that conversation for All-PacWest or even better. We’ve got a lot of young blood who’s really coming to take it too, so we’re excited to have those practice battles.”

Setter Lauren Phillips (685 assists – seventh-most in the PacWest) and Maggie Wolf (182 assists) are back and will also have outside hitters Alexis Soncrant (154 kills) and Bailey Williams (88 kills) and middle blocker Anna-Kate Treske to set to.

“Alexis Soncrant has played and started more than she hasn’t,” Scott said. “Bailey Williams is the same position and has done a lot of great things. I expect to see them finding ways on the court one way or another.”

After redshirting last season, outside hitter Abigail Nua is expected to make a significant contribution in 2022. The team signed four true freshmen to round out its roster in libero Reynolds, outside hitter Izzy Reisinger, middle blocker Gabby Hicks and outside hitter Grace Vanderkooi.

“Abby is looking like a baller and we’re expecting pretty good things out of her,” Scott said. “The freshmen are all right there trying to compete for a spot.”

Schedule

Point Loma will be tested immediately in its new campaign, with six of its first eight matches against regional opponents.

“All six of those teams have a shot at making the regional,” Scott said. “Those matches in particular very well might decide our future of being in our out of the postseason. Any one of those could be the deciding match, so these are a big deal and we’re not shying away from that. We’re ready to step into it.”

PLNU’s first four matches will be played at the UAA Volleyball Invitational in Anchorage, Alaska, the same city the Sea Lions played in the last time they qualified for the NCAA Regional in 2015. The Sea Lions open up the tournament on Thursday at 5 p.m. PT against Alaska Fairbanks, before taking on Pittsburg State (Friday – 1 p.m. PT), Alaska Anchorage (Friday – 8:30 p.m. PT) and Emmanuel College (Saturday – 12:30 p.m. PT).

The season-opening trip will offer a team-bonding opportunity for the group, which Scott said has an A+ culture.

“The girls are super tight and that’s a big part of volleyball in general,” Scott said. “You’ve got to have that culture and those relationships off the court for it to really last. Those longer trips, with airplane flights and waiting in the terminal, bus rides, that’s all good bonding time.”

Point Loma will then conclude its non-conference slate by hosting the Seaside Invitational Sep. 1-3, with matches against San Francisco State (Sep. 1 – 5 p.m.), Cal State San Marcos (Sep. 2 – 5 p.m.), Cal Poly Pomona (Sep. 3 – noon) and Simon Fraser (Sep. 3 – 5 p.m.).

“I love hosting it,” Scott said of PLNU’s annual invitational. “I think we do it about as well as any tournament, with the location and the type of team that gets drawn to it. It’s always a very high-level tournament. 

“It is nice playing one of those first couple of nights that all the students are here. We hope to get those new students falling in love with volleyball early.”

The Sea Lions then begin their conference schedule with three-straight road matches, including a northern California trip to take on Academy of Art (Sep. 9) and Dominican (Sep. 10), before returning home to host Biola on Sep. 23. 

“The PacWest has five or six teams, maybe seven this season, that have a shot,” Scott said of the conference’s West Region outlook. “Chaminade will be big, physical and athletic. They do return some really good players, so it’s theirs to lose. Someone has to take it from them. Biola and APU also compose the big three right now.

“The last few years right behind them is where we’ve found ourselves, along with Concordia and a couple of the other Hawaii schools. Those are the teams that tend to be in the mix, maybe one of the NorCal schools sneaks in there. I think we can be right there at the top this year.”

After the Sea Lions conclude their regular season on Nov. 12 at home against Azusa Pacific, they hope to qualify for the NCAA Regionals, which begin on Nov. 17.

For PLNU’s full schedule, click HERE.