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