VUVB looks to start 2021 season strong at Wallace State’s “Diggin’ in the Den” Classic

VINCENNES, Ind. – The Fall 2021 Trailblazer volleyball team are wrapping up their shortened offseason after playing their 2020 season last spring, as the Blazers prepare for an early tough test in Hanceville, Ala.

The Trailblazers will begin their Fall 2021 campaign Friday, August 27 against Roane State Community College at 5 p.m. eastern, which will immediately be followed by a matchup with Chattanooga State Community College at 7 p.m. eastern.

The two-day classic will conclude for the Blazers on Saturday, Aug. 28 when VU takes on host and No. 18-ranked Wallace State at 10 a.m., followed by the final game of the weekend against Bevill State at 12 p.m. eastern.

"We're going to see a different type of volleyball at Wallace State this weekend," VUVB head coach Gary Sien said. "The game is officiated differently down there, some of the calls will be a little different than what we're used to here in the Midwest."

"The style of play will be different as well, typically around here we see a faster offense, that we will have to get accustomed to. Most of the teams we've scrimmaged, especially at IU-Kokomo played fast and set the ball from antenna to antenna, so we're going to have to be more patient on defense because the game will possibly be slower than what we've seen so far."

"Since I've been here, we have not played against three of these teams," Sien added. "The only team I've coached against is Wallace State. Roane State and Bevill State are both newer programs, so that will be a learning experience because we don't really have any history against them."

Vincennes will look to improve on last year's 15-11 campaign, which included an impressive 10-2 record at the P.E. Complex and a Region 24 Runner-up finish.

The Trailblazers are bolstered by the return of four of their top five scorers from last season in sophomores Jamie Russell (East St. Louis, Ill.), Breanna Metzger (Dale, Ind.), Amee Beedle (Wheaton, Ill.) and Emilie Cornelson (Saskatoon, Canada).

Vincennes also returns last season's libero Grace Earp (Mattoon, Ill.), who led the Blazers in digs this past season and Claudia Mendoza (Washington, Ind.).

"We count on the experience factor at this level, so anytime you can get this many second-year players, or even third-year players in Metzger's case, it's extremely valuable," Sien said. "Last season we only had four returning players and of those four only two really had game experience and this year we have six returners with six years' worth of game experience. It's also nice at this level to have returning players who know your philosophy and drills who can quickly assist the incoming freshmen to help them get to know all the different parts of our program."

"I think our sophomores have been looking forward to this. I don't think it sat well with them that we lost in the Region Championship last year and I think they feel anxious to get out on the floor and really prove themselves again. One of the things we want every year from our sophomore is to communicate the importance of all of these matches to our incoming freshmen."

VUVB made several key additions this offseason with a strong 2021 recruiting class that includes a pair of two-time Indiana State Champions in Addison Ainscough (Cannelburg, Ind.) and Hannah Graber (Montgomery, Ind.) from nearby Barr-Reeve High School.

The Trailblazers also added in-state recruits Kaley Roush (Shoals, Ind.) and Josephine Mulligan (Saint John, Ind.).

VU's recruiting class was capped off with the additions of three International players in Lara Gomes de Castro (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and a pair of Polish outside hitters in Jagoda Szybinska (Poznan, Poland) and six-foot-three Malgorzata Banasiak (Gdynia, Poland).

"All of our freshmen are coming in with great experience from being coached and playing at a high level. Our goal this offseason, was to bring in a lot of experience," Sien said of this recruiting class. "The things that they already know how to do is far beyond what we normally get from freshmen."

"Our in-state kids have won Championships at different stages of their volleyball lives, so altogether this is a pretty strong recruiting class. We've recruited extremely well this offseason with the vast amount of talent and experience that we are bringing in."

The Trailblazers will host their first home game of the season Tuesday, Aug. 31 at the P.E. Complex against Shawnee at 6:30 p.m. eastern.

Games at Wallace State will not be livestreamed. All VUVB home games will be livestreamed for free. You can find the link on our website at GoVuTrailblazers.com.