This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Youth, and plenty of it, will do the serving for the Utah State volleyball team this year.
The Aggies don't have a senior on the 2015 roster, leaving a bunch of young returning players and fresh faces with the duty of carrying the team through a tough Mountain West schedule.
The Aggies were picked to finish eighth out of 11 in the MWC preseason poll. But in what is perhaps a good sign, no one wearing Aggie blue likes that prediction.
"They are a little fired up about it," said Utah State coach Grayson DuBose. "No one knows that much about us, but this group is going to figure it out and be ready."
The biggest hole to fill is at setter, where Paige Neves commanded the offense the past four years. Junior Erica Moscoso, who made an appearance in 82 sets last year, is expected to replace Neves, though DuBose acknowledged there will still be an adjustment for his team.
"We are all still learning how to play with each other," he said. "We don't have a lot of match experience, but I like their personalities and they are practicing hard. I like what we are becoming."
Outside hitter Kaylie Kamalu and junior defensive specialist Hannah Gleason lead the team in experience, combining for 27 starts.
Kamalu will be expected to lead the offense since she was strong last year, finishing third on the Aggies overall with 232 kills.
Another player who should be in for a breakout year is middle Hannah Smith, who earned 22 starts as a freshman and finished with 1.36 blocks per set.
Others expected to step up include redshirt middle Carly Lenzen, sophomore Maddie Day (who moved from outside hitter to back row last year), and Rachel Gale and Kayla DeCoursey.
Gale, who hails from Pleasant Grove, spent time with the Mountain West All-Stars team in the summer while DeCoursey has limited experience from last 2014 season.
With all the inexperience, DuBose will push a quick offense rather than an intricate one.
"We aren't queen kongs," he joked. "We aren't a big, physical team but we can go faster than anybody else."
If they do that, they might be able to scamper past a few teams too.
Twitter: @LyaWodraska —
Mountain West preseason poll
Team Points
1. Colorado State 97
2. UNLV 83
2. Boise State 83
4. Wyoming 77
5. New Mexico 67
6. San Diego St. 58
7. Air Force 41
8. Utah State 39
9. Fresno State 26
10. Nevada 20
11. San Jose State 14