GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – The Green Bay volleyball team arrived on campus and opened practice this week, a season removed from finishing runner-up in the Horizon League in both the regular season and conference tournament. With its core of strong returning talent and experience, the Phoenix is entering 2017 with a high-level of excitement and expectations.

Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Sean Burdette, Green Bay will most likely be projected to claim the league title or finish runner-up. Burdette claimed Horizon League Co-Coach of the Year honors last season, leading his squad to a 21-9 overall record and an impressive 12-4 record in league play. The team fell to top-seeded Cleveland State in five sets in Cleveland last November in the tournament championship, and will look to get back to the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in program history this fall.

A strong candidate for Player of the Year, Lydia DeWeese will return as the leading attacker for Green Bay, earning First Team All-League and All-Tournament Team honors last season. DeWeese is currently the program's all-time leader in career hitting percentage (.329) and played on an All-Star Team this summer that toured and played throughout Europe. She earned All-Tournament Team honors on that tour as well.

Vanessa Buman, who also played for a European touring All-Star Team, along with Austyn Everingham and Emily Lautenschlager will anchor the Phoenix defense again in 2017. All three played in every possible set from a season ago and each was critical to their team's success, averaging over eight digs per set together and combining for 60 service aces.

All-Freshman Team honoree Maddie Yoss returns after a strong freshman campaign, in which she led the team in assists with 10.68 per set and ranked third in digs. Yoss ranked third in the league in assists and was also key to the Phoenix success on defense.

Joining DeWeese at the net for Green Bay will be fellow seniors Abby Jeffcoat and Taylor Totka, along with junior attacker Jessica Wolf. The trio combined for eight kills per set last year, and each will be tasked to take on an even bigger role with the graduation of All-League honoree and team leader Megan Powers.

As a team last year, Green Bay ranked second in the Horizon League in hitting percentage (.226) and led the league in blocks with 2.39 per set. DeWeese broke the school record in blocks and ranked third in the NCAA in blocks per set with 1.63, helping her earn AVCA All-Region honors.

Joining the strong returners are a host of freshman, who each bring in a strong skillset at different positions. Six newcomers will aim to help the Phoenix this year.

Burdette has certainly challenged his team out of conference this season, with four of the team's 11 matches coming against teams currently ranked in the AVCA Preseason Top 25 (Michigan, Missouri, San Diego and Utah). The Phoenix will play three matches in the Michigan Invitational and three matches in the Utah Classic, where all three matches will come against teams currently ranked programs.

This challenging nonconference schedule should help prepare Green Bay for the league play, facing some of the best programs and attackers in the country.

Green Bay will once again host a home tournament weekend, welcoming Cal Poly, North Dakota and IUPUI to the Kress Center. With IUPUI joining the league, the team will only play North Dakota on Sept. 15 and Cal Poly on Sept. 16.

The league schedule sees Green Bay play six of its first eight matches at home, hosting its conference-opener on Sept. 22 against Oakland before hosting Youngstown State on Sept. 23. The Phoenix finishes the regular season with what could be a huge weekend, visiting defending-champion Cleveland State and Northern Kentucky.

Green Bay will open its much-anticipated 2017 season at the EIU Panther Classic in Charleston, Ill., where it plays Eastern Illinois (Aug. 25), Bradley (Aug. 26) and Memphis (Aug. 26).

All told, Green Bay will face seven teams this year that made the NCAA Tournament last year. Burdette and the Phoenix have ramped up the schedule and they will finally have the target on their backs.

The 2017 season should be an exciting one for Green Bay, with the perfect blend of a challenging schedule, returning and incoming talent, and a potential league-favorite title.


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