It’s safe to say that Volleyball Head Coach Pete Hoyer needs a personal promotions team. In fact, he probably deserves it. Over the last five years, the UD womens volleyball team has garnered accoladess galore, yet the team still fights for attention during the fall — attention that’s still hard to come by. We’re trying to change that.

Look through any A-10 seasonal log over those years and you’ll find Dayton’s name mentioned beside conference Players of the Year, conference Rookies of the Year, and conference titles. Just a couple seasons ago, the Flyers missed an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament by the slimmest of margins. Some even felt Dayton was the last team left out. The A-10 coaches recently picked Dayton to finish 2nd in the league this year, so things look ripe for yet another strong season. So what’s the problem? Not a whole lot, other than getting some ink in the media for a job well done. So we decided to start from ground zero for those who haven’t been paying attention to Coach Hoyer’s spikers. For the fans who follow volleyball like us, just grit your teeth. For everyone else however, here’s the low down on Coach Hoyer and the Flyers.

UDP: Introduce yourself and give fans your personal profile.

PH: My name is Pete Hoyer. I am entering my 8th season as Head Volleyball Coach at the University of Dayton. I took over the Flyers volleyball program after nine years as an assistant coach at Ohio University, Southwest Texas State University, and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. My wife Stephanie and I reside in Dayton, and are expecting our first child in September.

UDP: What’s the coaching staff been doing this offseason? Are you out scouting the talent like most coaches in other sports? Attending camps?

PH: The typical summer for a volleyball coach is extremely busy. Most of our recruiting takes place through Junior Olympic volleyball. The J.O. season runs from January to July, with tournaments somewhere every weekend. Many of these tournaments take place in convention centers with as many as 50 courts in one facility, so Junior Olympics make recruiting very cost effective. We have the ability to go to one city and see as many as 2000 athletes in a weekend. The JO season culminates with major tournaments throughout June and July. My assistant, Sarah Mikla, and I spent just about the entire month of June, and the first week of July on the road evaluating volleyball athletes for the class of 2002, and beyond.
In July our recruiting emphasis changes from evaluating talent to making contacts with our top prospects. At the same time, we are conducting volleyball camps, both at the University of Dayton, and at other sights throughout Ohio. This past summer we instructed over 500 athletes at various camps and clinics.

UDP: Whats the early scouting report on the 2001 Flyers? Any predictions?

PH: The 2001 season is going to be exciting and challenging. My excitement is generated by the group of athletes we have on this team. Ten of our 15 athletes are over six feet tall, and all are very athletic. All nine of our returning athletes trained together this summer in Dayton. Four days a week they met for weight training, jump training and sprint workouts, and twice a week they got together for pick-up games in the Frericks Center. Our newcomers were equally committed, some hiring personal trainers to oversee workouts throughout the summer. Work ethic is definitely a strength for us.

The challenge comes with the fact that we likely have only two starters from our last match of 2000, available for 2001. We will be incorporating a lot of new people into the program, while facing a very competitive September schedule. Our goal is to work hard to improve each and every day, and play our best volleyball in November, when the race for the Atlantic 10 title will be decided.

UDP: The Flyers are blessed with two of the best players in the conference in Katie Ferriell and Susan Westbrock. Briefly introduce fans to them and other players on the team you feel should make a strong impact this year.

PH: We are blessed with the best combination of Middle Blockers in the A-10. Senior Katie Ferriell and Junior Susan Westbrock have at times been unstoppable. Katie has been in the Top 10 in the league in Hitting Percentage and Blocks Per Game for three years, and is set to play her best volleyball in her final season. Susan is simply the best athlete in the conference. Her one-footed attack terrifies opponents and is a pleasure for fans to watch.

We have also been blessed with a great transfer addition to our team. Erin Treadway, a 2000 Chaminade-Julienne graduate, decided to leave Ohio State after one year, and join our team. She bring Big Ten and NCAA Tournament experience to our program, and a tremendous amount of leadership and work ethic.

UDP: For the uninformed, a few rules changes are going into effect this year that will change the way the game is scored. Touch upon these changes and what they’ll mean to womens volleyball across the country this year.

PH: Rally scoring has come to college volleyball for the 2001 season. That means a point will be scored on every rally, regardless of which team served. Matches will still be best three-out-of-five. However, games one through four will be played to 30 points, and game five to 15 points. Most fans love rally scoring, as it is more exciting to have every play reflected on the scoreboard. For the sport of volleyball, rally scoring provides a more predictable match length.

Net serves are good For 2001. If a serve hits the net and still goes over the net, it is a good serve and must be played. The sport of volleyball has done this in order to keep the ball in play longer. Statistically, it’s not that significant to the game. However, it may take some getting used to for fans.