MOBILE, Ala. – Spring Hill College (SHC) volleyball head coach Peggy Martin welcomes back a team composed of eight sophomores and six freshmen out of a roster of 20 student-athletes to start the 2017 season, but she is confident that her players are ready to meet the challenge ahead. "We are already working well together," she says.  "When replacing four starters you have your work cut out for you. Two of our seniors last year were four-year starters on the outside, so our experience in that position is lacking, but overall I am very pleased with the competition at every position and everyone is working hard to pull it all together."
 
The Badgers lost three of their top six scorers in 2016 to graduation. Still, Martin sees her returning players as more than equal to the challenge of making up those lost points. "On the outside, sophomores Payton Gidney (Grapevine, Texas) and Taylor Hurst (Gulf Shores, Ala.) have been handling the bulk of the swings and doing well," she says. "Freshman Allison Weimer (Covington, La.) is also looking very good while trying new positions. She literally can play them all and we love her versatility. Sophomore Sarah Senft (Spring Grove, Pa.) was our "go-to" on the right side last year as a freshmen and has had a great pre-season."
 
Feeding the scorers this year will be incoming transfer junior Hannah Fromdahl of Mobile, Ala., who comes to the Badgers after an All-Panhandle Conference career at Pensacola State College in Florida and sophomore Emmarose Neibert of Arnold, Mo., who saw action in 44 sets as a freshman. Junior Grace Herrington from Gainesville, Fla., will also see time as the SHC signal caller as the season progresses.
 
Offensively, Martin is not quite satisfied, but she likes the way her team is fighting in the early stages of the season. "Our defense is definitely ahead of our offense with sophomores Cassidi Sterrett (Lee's Summit, Mo.) and Brittany Bilotti (Miami, Fla.) along with red shirt junior Randi De'Armitt (New Orleans, La.) leading the way," she says. "If we want to be a great defense then our blocking still needs to improve and that usually takes time to develop."
 
Overall, Martin sees this year's team featuring a deep bench particularly at the net and on defense. "We have a lot of depth in the middle with our only senior Katelyn Bobinger (Mobile) leading the way," she says. "Transfer junior Morgan Eiland (Mobile) is holding down the other middle blocking position, but competition from freshmen Mary Keller (Kansas City, Mo.) and junior Emily Greim (McKinney, Texas) and a slew of other middles will continue. Setting is a work in progress with Neibert and Fromdahl sharing the load in a 6-2 system. Senft, Weimer or sophomore Emily Sullivan (Chicago, Ill.) will play the right side positions while Sterrett really looks good at the libero spot with De'Armitt at the defensive specialist position."
 
Adding to the Badger weapons in reserve will be sophomore middle hitter Patty Blood of Cincinnati, Ohio, and red shirt freshman Angele McClain from New Orleans as well as freshmen Paige Pappas and Ryann Horkavy from Chicago along with Rebecca Moore of Grand Bay, Ala.
 
With such a young team and so many new faces, Martin sees the challenge this year as being how quickly her team can come together as a cohesive unit. "We will really only have two returning upperclassmen on the court to start the season which is a huge challenge in our sport," she says. "We will make mistakes, but work very hard to grow up quickly."
 
Spring Hill will open the 2017 season at home on Tuesday at 6 p.m. versus non-conference opponent Mississippi College in the Arthur R. Outlaw Recreation Center.