Let’s say you are the head coach of a successful college volleyball program that recently lost the best player in the program since Ann Meyers won the Broderick Cup as the nation’s top player in 1979. Add to that a disappointing loss to St. Louis in the A10 Conference tournament finals on UD’s home court — a tourney the Flyers won three years in a row leading up to the setback. For most coaches and at most programs, it’s time to rebuild things from the ground up, but that’s not the case for the 2007 Flyers.

Faye Barhorst is that big-time loss of course, but this season could be the year Head Coach Tim Horsmon and his staff demonstrate that unparalleled team depth can accomplish the same things as a good team straddling an All-American. It won’t be easy and UD must manufacture a new go-to player (or two), but there are more capable candidates than ever before and a two-deep roster at most positions should give Dayton greater flexibility to roll with the hot hands. An incoming freshmen class ranked in the consensus Top-25 polishes off the optimism.

When it came to a sure thing, Barhorst was the closest answer in 2006, earning All-America mention while earning her second A10 Player of the Year award. Her time in the US National Team camp paid dividends all year; she was nearly unstoppable when receiving a quality set to her wheelhouse. Barhorst finished her career as one of UD’s finest ever and that’s not easy to do considering the laundry list of past A10 Players of the Year and the aforementioned Ann Meyers preceding her. While she hammered home kills and remained at the top of most conference offensive stats, Barhorst rarely played defensive ball away from the net and rotated out as soon as she got near the back line. In other words, she played only half of the points in most matches, making her career all the more impressive but at the same time making her loss not as dramatic as some think; not on this team, at this time, with the returning players.

Also graduating is seldom-used Margot Moeller, while promising sophomore Chauntey Mickens, sophomore Allison Florian, and redshirt sophomore Lauren Markowski are no longer around. Mickens was the biggest loss and had a great upside. She earned MVP honors at the Dayton Flyer Classic against a pair of Top-25 foes, while Florian saw minimal action and Markowski sat out 2006 as a transfer from NC State.

Leading the returnees is reining A10 Setter of the Year Erin Schroeder, a redshirt junior from Cincinnati St. Ursula. She ranked 4th in the A10 in assists and earned 1st Team A10 Honors along with outside hitter Jamie-Lee Richards (6-2). Now a senior. Richards could be the next #1 option for the Flyers on offense and at the same time give UD a continued stronghold on the conference Player of the Year award. If Richards doesn’t make a run for it, look for senior middle blocker Robynne Green (6-2) to make a statement. A 2nd Team All A10 performer in 2006 (and in 2005), Green started 32 of 33 matches and led the team in serve assists. Her sister Adrienne is a 5-9 libero and already holds the UD career record for digs. She’s near the top of the NCAAs in career digs per game and is the Flyers’ defensive stopper away from the net. Adrienne could easily find her way on an All Conference team in her senior year.

Other returning veterans include 6-2 junior outside hitter Kortney Norris, 5-10 outside hitter Nicole Bateman, and 6-4 middle blocker Bethany Akerhielm. Norris is a junior who battled through injuries last year to appear in just 28 games spread over 15 matches, but played in 33 of 35 matches as a true freshman. A healthy Norris will make Dayton unquestionably better because she possesses solid skills on both offense and defense. Bateman transferred in from Louisville last year and proved to be an immediate help. She finished second in digs and third in kills for the Flyers while earning the “Nails” award as the most intense player on the team. Look for Bateman to step it up this year and vie for All-Conference honors. Akierhelm has tremendous size and came on strong as the season progressed, playing in 17 of the final 18 matches. An imposing defender at the net, Akierhelm has waited patiently for her chance to shine and this year it could happen.

Defensively, 6-0 junior Mandy Robbe is one of UD’s primary point savers. Playing in the back line and at times as an outside hitter near the net, Robbe saw action in 99 of 119 games last year. The Alter HS product will team up with Adrienne Green to help bolster the Flyer defense all season. Sophomore Chelsy Christoff, a 5-10 defensive specialist, appeared in 31 matches as a freshman and should see her role increase as well.

The fresh faces in the program comprise a large group with extensive prep credentials. The Flyers are getting help first and foremost from redshirt freshman Lindsay Fletemier, a 6-6 middle blocker from Garden City, MI. Fletemier is imposing anywhere on the court and reports tell us her offseason included very impressive performances during spring ball, so much so that coaches from major programs kept asking where she came from. With a year already under her belt to practice and learn the system, she should hit the ground running and make immediate contributions.

The 2007 freshmen class is the program’s best-ever, perhaps only to be eclipsed by future recruiting hauls that are already under way and in extremely good standing. Leading the list is 6-1 outside hitter Tiffany Gaerke, a Top-100 prospect from the volleyball-rich cornfields of Ft. Recovery, OH. She was a three-time All-State performer and four-sport athlete. Becky Novacek, a 6-1 middle blocker from Hopewell, PA, is another multi-sport start, winning state titles in three sports (basketball, volleyball, track), a feat believed to be a western Pennsylvania first. She earned Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Athlete of the Year honors and was also named among the Top-100 recruits in the country. Her uncle is former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jay Novacek.

Adding to the talent surge is Kacie Hausfeld from nearby Alter HS. Hausfeld is a 5-9 setter who broke the season assists record for the Lady Knights twice en route to All-State honors as a junior and senior. She won a pair of state titles, the first teaming up with her sister Ali (Duke ACC Player of the Year), and the second last season as a senior. Yvonne Martin, 6-2, hails from Cathedral HS in Fortville, IN, and earned All-State honors en route to one state title and a pair of runner-up finishes. Rachael Broerman is the shortest of the newcomers at 5-4, but packs a serious resume’ as a libero/defensive specialist. Coming from Colorado Springs, CO, Broerman earned 2nd Team All-State honors twice and helped St. Mary’s HS finish in the Top-4 in the state all four years. She finished her career third in career aces and sixth in assists in the state of Colorado. Together, this group should help the Flyers achieve a new level of success in the coming years.

Like always, the staff has assembled a tough non-conference schedule comprised of tough Midwest foes and nationally ranked opponents to get the team ready for the conference season. Headlining things is a pair of matches against Utah and Purdue, both Top-25 programs. The Flyers nearly beat the Boilermakers in Dayton a year ago — perhaps should have — and are looking to repay the favor in West Lafayette this year. The Utes and North Carolina visit at the same time as part of the Mortar Board Premier tournament hosted by Purdue, so it will be a weekend to prove or disprove the optimism surrounding the Flyer program. Other non-con foes include Wake Forest, Illinois, Cincinnati, Bowling Green, Jacksonville, Radford, IPFW, WKU, Towson, and UM-Baltimore County. A post-season A10/MAC challenge pairs Dayton with Miami and Western Michigan.

The A10 schedule remains as competitive as ever. The preseason prognosticators chose St. Louis to win the A10 West with Temple taking care of the East division. The Billikens surprised the Flyers a year ago to win the A10 title and should be UD’s stiffest competition. The West generally outpaces the East so Temple should have little trouble doing well in the other division. The only other challenger for the Owls might be Charlotte. Playing division foes home/home means UD will be battle-tested, but it also means they must finish no worse than second in the West, even though three of the four best teams in the conference may ultimately play ball in the West. Only the top two teams from each division advance to A10 tournament play. The Flyers are a safe bet to make it, but with SLU fighting for western supremacy too, there are no other margins for error.

Coach Horsmon and his staff have assembled a roster that exemplifies a budding program ready to take the next step and accept the next challenge. The post-Barhorst era now begins but things should remain progressive. This year’s team lacks a player of Barhorst’s caliber but makes up for it with a perfect blend of seasoned All-Conference performer at the key positions and maturing young talent in the lower classes. Schroeder, Bateman, Richards, the Green sisters, Norris, and Robbe are all proven commodities good enough to start for just about any team in the league. Akierhelm has star potential to go with her formidable size and it’s not unusual in the Flyer program to see someone suddenly reach their potential as a christened upperclassman. Christoff should see her role increase as well. Redshirt freshman Lindsay Fletemier could be the “next big thing” in a hurry. The incoming class has everything a program with UD’s aspirations wants: size, athleticism, and raw talent capable of contributing right away.

Obviously, a number of people think SLU is the team to beat and we’re not saying that’s a bad choice. After all, the Bills took two of three matches against Dayton a year ago and won the one that mattered most in the A10 Finals (on UD’s home court no less). They also return the A10 Rookie of the Year and don’t lose the league’s best player. Dayton has momentum of their own however, only longer and more substantiated. Just look at the A10 regular season, tournament title, and Player of the Year winners over the past 5-6 years and Dayton corners the market. If St. Louis is the favorite, UD is the favorite to knock them off. Not only can it happen, but don’t be surprised if it does. Last year’s ending to an otherwise terrific season festered terribly in the stomachs of both players and coaches. Not only did it break a string of success, it may have angered the giant too. UD’s only legitimate weaknesses last year were three-fold: a somewhat predictable offense, a lack of defensive digs during key points in key matches, and a serving game that still lacks an ace server. The Flyers should be less predictable this year, leaving only tougher defense and some better service standing in the way of great things.

If UD can assimilate early in the season and develop a couple sure things on offense, this year’s success could surpass 2006. Why? Because more players are ready to step up and more options now sit on the bench. Rather than win matches with the home run ball, Dayton may be a gap-hitting program in 2007. But that’s perfectly okay, and in some respects even better. Diversity is tougher to prepare for. And unlike last season, this year may be a year where UD plays their best ball at year-end. A non-conference hiccup or two is not out of the question, but we like this team’s chances when it counts. The program is too strong now to expect otherwise.