GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - The Green Bay volleyball team is in the midst of its
spring season, with last weekend's Green Bay Spring Fling in the books and head
coach Debbie Kirch and her team
looking forward to a tournament this weekend at Wisconsin. As the team goes
through its spring schedule, GreenBayPhoenix.com will look at the team's
progress.
Green Bay Spring Fling
While
getting to play four matches, Green Bay was able to test itself against
different competition by opening its spring season with the Green Bay Spring
Fling at the Kress Events Center. It was the first time Kirch and the Phoenix
faced an outside opponent since the 2010 season concluded. Green Bay faced
teams from Minnesota Duluth, Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan as well a
squad filled with Green Bay alums, going 7-4 in sets played.
"I
was a little disappointed in how we started the day, but we were a completely
different team in the afternoon," said Kirch. "We played much better as a unit
and adjusted well to personnel changes. We played with much more discipline and
limited our unforced errors. Offensively, we still need work but our defense
and blocking has improved since this fall. Our depth at every position was a
positive for us."
Abbey Gitter (Hortonville, Wis.) led the team in kills on the day
with 35 while Katie Mroczenski (New
Berlin, Wis.) led the team in hitting percentage (.471). Brittany Groth (Oak Creek, Wis.) had a team-high three service aces
while Alison Bohnen (St. Germain,
Wis.) recorded 10 blocks.
Badger Spring Invite
This
Saturday, Green Bay will have the chance to play five quality opponents at the
Badger Spring Invite at the Nicholas Johnson Pavillion in Madison. The Phoenix
will be in Pool A with Northern Iowa, Wisconsin, Marquette and North Dakota
State. The team will then play a fifth match against a squad from Pool B
depending on its finish. Pool B consists of Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan Tech,
Northern Illinois and Milwaukee.
"It
will be key for us to pick up where we left off this past Saturday against
quality opponents," said Kirch. "If we truly want to use this spring as our
"preseason" to the fall, we don't have time to "transition" into it. We have 14
returning players, and most of them were in our lineup this past fall at one
point or another. We really should be able to move players in and out of the
lineup without seeing any difference in the product on the court. Our
possibilities are truly endless as far as lineups and positions."
While
the Badger Spring Invite is not open to the public, parents of players are
invited to attend.
Match Schedule
9:00
a.m. - Green Bay vs. UNI
11:00
a.m. - Green Bay vs. Wisconsin
12:00
p.m. - Green Bay vs. Marquette
2:00 p.m. - Green Bay vs. North Dakota State
