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Edinboro Athletic Press Release Index
EDINBORO, PA - A young Edinboro University volleyball team will take the court for the first time in 2004 on Friday, August 27, competing in the UNF Pre-Labor Day Classic in Jacksonville, Florida. It will mark the first match for interim head coach Dale Flickinger, who took over as head coach when Lynn Theehs left for the University of Maine in July.
Flickinger returns to the college coaching front for the first time since 1982, when he finished a three-year reign as the head coach at Arizona State. He also coached one year at Southern California, and has a career record of 81-58. He guided the Sun Devils to a pair of NCAA tournament appearances.
The youthful Fighting Scots, with just two seniors on a roster that includes six freshmen, will go right into the fire facing a strong field in the UNF Pre-Labor Day Classic. On Friday Edinboro faces Lynn, a team which was 16-21 last season. Edinboro will then play two matches on Saturday, August 28, both against nationally ranked teams that have won their respective conference titles each of the last eight years and finished 31-4 last year. At 10 a.m. the Fighting Scots oppose host North Florida. The Ospreys are ranked 11th in the AVCA/USA Today Division II Preseason Top 25. They reached the semifinals of the NCAA South Regional and have won eight straight Peach Belt Conference titles.
Edinboro returns to the court at 4 p.m. against the University of Tampa, a team that is the eight-time defending Sunshine State Conference champion. The Spartans are ranked sixth in the AVCA poll.
The Fighting Scots were 26-12 a year ago, losing to Lock Haven in the PSAC Championship match, and then falling to the Lady Eagles in the title game of the Atlantic Regional. Edinboro will rely heavily on the talents of Renee Kam (Eden, NY/Eden), a 5'9" senior setter who holds the career record for assists with 4,669. Kam also set a school record a year ago with 1,647 assists, ranking eighth in Division II. She was a first team All-PSAC West choice a year ago.
Marissa DeLiberato (Parma, OH/Padua Franciscan) is the only other senior on the roster. The 5'7" DeLiberato did an outstanding job a year ago as the team's libero, finishing second on the team with 446 digs.
In addition to losing Theehs, Edinboro also lost the services of Jen Shaw, who was expected to emerge as the Scots' top hitter. The 5'10" senior will sit out the year due to an injury and serve as a student assistant coach. She was a second team All-PSAC West selection after totaling 394 kills and 465 digs.
Despite the tough competition awaiting the Fighting Scots, and a young roster, Flickinger looks forward to starting the season. "Coach Theehs certainly left the cupboard well-stocked," he commented. "We have a good combination of senior leadership in Renee and Marissa, a good compliment of well-trained returners, to go with what may well prove to be Coach Theeh's best recruiting class.
"Our season will be a success. The degree of success will depend on how fast the newcomers learn and develop throughout the season and on how quickly the individual talent matures and melds together into a cohesive team."
Following this weekend's tournament, Edinboro will return to action on Friday, September 3 and Saturday, September 4, hosting the Fighting Scot Invitational.
~ Fighting Scots ~
Edinboro Athletic Press Release Index
Created on ... August 25, 2004