Team to rely on new chemistry

Nine underclassmen are not going to keep the 2001 volleyball team from being successful and having great chemistry.\n"This year is actually like a repeat of last year with so many underclassmen, but we are more experienced," Coach Katie Weismiller said. "We have five of six returning starters, and when you look at us on the court, we look like we've aged. We truly look much more mature than we were a year ago."\nWeismiller also believes the team is much more physical.\n"We're touching higher, we're reaching higher, and we're faster," Weismiller said, "You'll see that offensively we're probably better than we've ever been."\nEven though the coaches aren't allowed to have hands on practice with players during the summer, the volleyball team has managed to work hard. "They've worked really hard on their own, getting into shape and being ready to step on the court in much better volleyball shape than in the past," Weismiller said.\n"Our biggest concern this season is the same as any other team, and that's to stay injury free. Injuries a lot of times can't be controlled so it's a big concern," Weismiller said, "The chemistry with this team will not be a problem at all. Adding chemistry is going to help win more matches than a year ago. The team chemistry is already starting to gel."\n"We're close friends," Freshman Christina Archibald said, "We get along off the court just as well as we do when we're on the court."\nNot only are there nine underclassmen, but also a transfer student from Kansas State. Senior Disney Bronnenberg, originally from Bloomington, set a NCAA record with 15.54 assists per game and was named to the 1999 First-Team All-Big 12 squad. During Bronnenberg's junior year at Kansas State she helped lead the team to a Sweet 16 appearance in the 2000 NCAA Tournament. This year however, she made the decision to come back to her hometown and play for the Hoosiers. \n"It was a very tough decision to make, especially after establishing roots in a place for three years. I finally decided that this was the right place for me," Bronnenberg said. Bronnenberg doesn't mind playing with so many underclassmen, and even looks at it as a good experience. "Working with the underclassman and dealing with the transition of my transfer has really forced me to mature in a lot of different ways. I think that's one of the things I can bring to this team is a little experience, little maturity, and I think the underclassman are great. They're fresh and excited to play."\nFreshman Christina Archibald from Belleville, Ill. will be a contributor in deciding the success of this year's team. This past May in the tryouts for the Junior Olympic National Team, Archibald reached the second round. This freshman, with impressive high school records, chose IU because of its great coaching staff.\n"The players are awesome to get along with," Archibald said, "It's a much more high level volleyball than what I'm used to and so much more upbeat. Overall though, I've been having so much fun here with the team."\n"I just love the girls on the team. They have been so welcoming to me and to the other new comers," Bronnenberg said, "The main focus off the court has definitely been team chemistry and bonding us as a team. We spend a lot of time together off the court and we've done a lot of different things to help the chemistry of the team."\nOff the court the IU women's volleyball team has participated in other activities together. One activity was volunteering to participate in the Adopt-A-Road program. The team walked up and down the road they adopted, picked up trash, and recycled what they could.\n"We also had a great promotional day where we went out to different parts of the town and passed out schedules and posters and that was a great time for the team to really bond," Bronnenberg said.\nThe season kicks off with the Blimpie/Holiday Inn Classic Tournament on the Hoosiers home court. The first game will be against Maryland and will take place 7 p.m. August 31.\n"The most important and difficult match for us will be the first one," Weismiller said, "We're more concerned this year about our side of the court, and how we play together. We're truly looking at every match, one match at a time"