As one of the top teams in the Pac-12 (and D1 women's volleyball in general), the UW women's volleyball team is just as experienced and prepared as ever. Even with the new additions, there's no reason to think the Huskies will be anything less than insanely successful in 2016.
We spoke with second-year head coach Keegan Cook about what we can expect to see from the team this season. Let's get started…
Courtesy of the University of Washington
HERO: Which players will log significant minutes for your team this year?
Coach Cook: Our junior class is going to be the group that is expected to set the standards and take the majority of the swings and lead us in our serve and receiving game as well.
HERO: What will be the biggest difference between this year's team and last year's team?
Cook: Mostly age, we’re a younger team this year. Doesn’t mean that we’re necessarily less experienced, but our roster is generally a little younger than the previous season.
HERO: Which newcomer(s) do you think will make the biggest impact for your team this season?
Cook: Hard to say. Any of the freshmen could jump in. Avie Niece is probably in the position to most fill a void at middle blocker.
HERO: Which player(s) do you expect to lead the team this season? Please name the captains if you know them.
Cook: A number of people are going to have expanded roles on the court. So from an on-court leadership perspective, I expect that Crissy Jones, Courtney Schwan, and Tia Scambray will have increased roles. Off the court, we have a number of people stepping up to be leaders.
HERO: Is there one game you have circled on your calendar as your "Game of the Year"?
Cook: The match at Hawaii. I think playing at Hawaii is a special thing, so I’ve been looking forward to that for a long time. I think the Maryland team is a great team that is up and coming and has some good talent so I’m looking forward to playing that match.
HERO: Is there anything else you want fans to know about your team?
Cook: We’re trying to put ourselves in some adverse conditions with our travel schedule, and we’re going to have some conference situations that are tough, some back to back matches, four road trips in seven days, so we’re expecting some adversity and we want to be able to thrive in those situations.
