CALGARY – “The great thing about our program is that we reload, we don't rebuild, and I think that's evident with our pre-season record and the fact that we're ranked number four in the nation.”

Second-year head coach Jesse Knight is nothing if not confident with his Dinos women's volleyball program with the 2009-10 season just around the corner.

The Dinos, who took the scenic route to last year's CIS silver medal finish – a 3-2 win over Alberta in Edmonton to qualify for the national tournament, then another five-set win over previously undefeated Montreal to advance to the national final – lost their top four outside hitters from 2008-09. Holly Harper, Lauren Perry, and Julie Young all graduated, while third-year national team power hitter Laura Wilson underwent knee surgery in the off-season and will be unavailable until the fall of 2010.

Despite such wholesale change, Knight likes the look of his group as they head to Edmonton to open against the Alberta Pandas this weekend. Calgary posted a 7-3 record in the pre-season, winning the annual Regina tournament and going 2-1 against the Pandas so far.

“It's a new team, a new character, and we're going to evolve as a different group,” he said. “We've already met some tough challenges, and I really like the character of this group.”

Veteran leadership will come in the form of fifth-year middles Laura Spence and Laura Littlejohn, with Raynell Lavertu swinging from the left side after three years as the team's libero. Spence, who blossomed into a significant role with the team last season, made the Canadian team for the FISU Games in Serbia this summer.

“The transformation of Laura Spence has been unbelievable,” Knight said. “She's always been a quiet, do-her-own-thing sort of leader, but now she's speaking out in pre-games and time outs. She's always been a great blocking middle, but she's become pretty versatile offensively too.

“Ray (Lavertu) is taking on a completely different challenge, but she's such a talented player,” he continued. “A point is a point, and she's going to find her way to score. She hasn't played that position for about three years, so it'll be exciting to see where she is at the end of the season compared to where she is now.”

The task of filling in for Harper, the 2008-09 Canada West player of the year, falls to sophomore Lindsey Doland, and the Dinos have hardly skipped a beat.

“Lindsey is doing just as good a job as Holly was for us last year,” said Knight. “She has tremendous offence, but she's been extremely good for us defensively with her blocking.

Another young player that will see significant playing time is rookie Newfoundlander Maura Hayes, a veteran of the junior national team.

“Maura passes and handles the ball really well, she can do a lot of great things, and she's a great athlete,” Knight said.

In a season of change in Canada West, the Dinos will look to extend the longest active streak in the nation of attending CIS championships by qualifying for their 10th straight national tournament in Edmonton.

“You don't look at things for just one year, and I always look at the three- or four-year plan for this team,” said Knight. “At the same time, you can't be happy with or accept anything less than your best performance. There's a balance between not losing sight of improving and progressing, but also performing at our best on any given night.”
 
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