Season Preview
VOLLEYBALL SEEKS IMPROVEMENT FROM WITHIN

The late college basketball coach Al McGuire famously said, “The best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores.” If that statement holds true, the Muhlenberg volleyball team could be in for a very fun season.

With six sophomores and no freshmen, the Mules

Losonci posted double digits in digs in 10 matches last year.

expect to contend for their first Centennial Conference tournament berth in six years. However, the five seniors on last year’s team graduated, and others, including some sophomores, must step up.

Senior setter Tiffany Elliott believes this year’s squad, which begins its season this weekend at Moravian’s Greyhound Premiere Invitational, can compensate for anything it might lack.

“We did lose some key players, but I think we’re going to be fine,” said Elliott. “We have a lot of depth in our team. We have a lot of good players and our players are versatile.”

Leading the team this season is a three-member senior class. Leading the hitters is senior Jess Anselmi who ranked third and fourth on the team in kills the last two seasons. Anselmi is the team’s top returning hitter with 442 career kills, which ranks 14th in school history.

Elliott is expected to compete for the starting setter position, but will see plenty of action regardless. She was second on the team with 302 assists last season and placed sixth with 141 digs.

Senior Megan Young returns

Anselmi averages 2.03 kills per game for her career.

as the starter at the libero position. She had a remarkable year in 2006, setting the four- and five-game school records for digs in a match with 45 and 44 in back-to-back matches against Bryn Mawr and McDaniel. Young also posted the best seasonal digs per game average in school history and the second-most digs in a season in school history. She currently ranks 10th in school history with 825 career digs.

Juniors Megan Eiser and Danielle Losonci have been named captains of the team. Eiser is a more vocal leader, while Losonci is known as a great competitor.

Eiser returns at the setter position in 2007. Last season, she led the Mules with 513 assists, ranked second with 281 digs and stood third with 25 service aces and 38 blocks. Eiser stands seventh in school history with 689 career assists.

Losonci offers the team her great ball control abilities and will see plenty of court time at different positions. Losonci ranked fifth on the team with 193 digs last season.

Sophomore Christina Cangelosi will again play extensively at several positions this season. She tied for a team high in games played last season, ranked third on the squad with 259 digs and finished fourth with 18 aces.

Cangelosi’s classmate Phylicia Lee also figures to see a lot of playing time at several positions. Lee ranked fourth on the team last season with 196 digs and was fifth with 124 kills and 16 blocks.

Outside hitter Liz Leslie, another sophomore, is expected compete for a starting slot on either side of the court. She was third on the team in 2006 with 151 kills and had 30 blocks, which was good for fourth on the team. Leslie ranked third among Mule regulars last season in hitting percentage.

Sophomores Liz Dean and Amy Cohen and junior Ally Ivaniski will be expected to compete for starting positions in the middle, though none played more than sparingly on last year’s more experienced team. Sophomore Brittany Williams will compete for a starting position on the right side and is expected to see playing time on both sides of the court.