The 2018 season was the first time in Jim Giacomazzi's 11 seasons as Wayland Baptist's volleyball coach that his Pioneers turned in a sub-.500 season. He's confident that was an exception and won't become a trend.
"I'm anticipating having a pretty good year," Giacomazzi said on the eve of his 2019 team opening the season at a tournament in Iowa.
With a blend of three all-conference players, a handful of other returners and seven newcomers, the Pioneers are picked to finish tied for fourth in the Sooner Athletic Conference after coming in sixth a year ago.
"Last year, provided we were healthy, we could play with anyone in our conference. We saw that at the end of last season," Giacomazzi said.
However, the Pioneers were seldom at or even near full strength a year ago, often playing with players out of position and even taking the floor with one available substitute at times. It's no surprise, then, that staying healthy is at the top of Giacomazzi's list of what it will take to return, after a two-year absence, to the NAIA National Tournament.
Hopefully the Pioneers are getting their injuries out of the way early this season with two of their all-conference honorable mention honorees, Amber Daniel and Jordan Breding, sidelined with a dislocated shoulder and high ankle sprain, respectively. Daniel, a junior left-side hitter from Frenship High School who was the SAC Freshman of the Year in 2017, and Breding, a defensive specialist/libero and the club's lone senior from Albuquerque – are charged with leading the Pioneers, along with 6-foot junior Kellie Kozak of Canada, who like graduated Mallorie Ellis earned all-conference second team honors in 2018.
In addition to Daniel's and Breding's injuries, Charm Henderson, a 6-foot-2 Canadian transfer from Arkansas-Pine Bluff, is slowed by a tender elbow, and freshman Alexa Hinojos is dealing with a complicated injury. Add to that several pulled muscles and two other transfers – Lucie Mahelova of the Czech Republic by way of Laredo College, and Ariel Marquez of Amarillo by way of Eastern New Mexico University – still seeking clearance by the NAIA, and the Pioneers could be scrambling this weekend in Iowa against some stiff competition.
"I scheduled a very challenging tournament to open the season with three teams typically in the top 15," Giacomazzi said of Iowa-based teams Briar Cliff, No. 7 Northwestern and No. 11 Dordt, the national runner-up two years ago that spent much of last season in the top five. Wayland's other opponent this weekend is a solid squad from Concordia, Neb.
"These teams will show us where we need to get to by the end of the season," Giacomazzi said. "With so many new players for us, there's a learning curve for everyone. We really need two months to get where we need to be, but we have two weeks. It's going to take time for us to start to gel."
That said, the coach was pleased with what he saw in his team's lone outside scrimmage Tuesday against New Mexico Junior College.
"One of our challenges last year on the outside was too many mistakes, but (against NMJC) I was pleased with our hitting percentages. We had fewer errors and more kills. Hopefully we can continue that (because) as a team we have to have a higher hitting percentage," said Giacomazzi.
That coach added that freshman defensive specialist Brenna Daniel (Amber's sister) "did really well stepping in because of injuries" in the scrimmage. She's one of five freshmen on the roster, joined by Hinojos, Cheyenne Gruben of Klondike, Kinzie Hudson of Lubbock, and redshirt setter Renzelle Horner of Canada, who sat out most of last season with injury. Horner figures to play a big role in 2019.
Also returning from injury and expected to make a big impact at the net is 6-1 sophomore Canadian Tatijana Markic. Other experienced hands are junior Sadie (Staton) Hall, a junior left-side hitter from Perryton, and Tevia Bell, a sophomore defensive specialist from Amarillo.
Wayland's first win of the season will mark the 500th for a program that is 499-457 since its inception in 1991. Hopefully the Pioneers are able to log No. 500 in Iowa this weekend, but if not they'll go for it in their home-opener Wednesday, Aug. 28 against University of the Southwest (N.M.).
WBU then travels to Denver for another tournament to round out August, then the Pioneers jump right into conference play beginning Sept. 6.
Giacomazzi sees Oklahoma City University as the team to beat, as well as Texas Wesleyan, Southwestern Assemblies of God, and John Brown, Ark.
"I think we're in with the top five teams in the conference," Giacomazzi said. "The challenge we have is who is going to be successful and healthy when we play those important matches."
