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Bengals look to get over postseason hurdle
By Tom Gallagher
On August 16, 2012
In each of its past two seasons, the Buffalo State volleyball team saw considerable regular-season
success amount to little success in the postseason.
However, with a squad still very much intact after suffering consecutive first-round playoff exits, the
Bengals enter the 2012 season eager to get back on the court to prove that the third time's a charm.
"We're going to be a lot hungrier this year," middle hitter Sam Parente said. "We're getting some really
good players coming in and everyone just wants to win so much more now because it's frustrating (to
lose in the postseason)."
That hunger is sure to be program-wide. One season removed from guiding the Bengals to a school-
record 6-2 finish in SUNYAC pool play, Maria DePeters enters her third season at the helm for Buffalo
State.
"(DePeters) is a really good coach," setter Kelsey Bashore said. "She's done a lot of good for the program
and has brought in a lot of good recruits. She's doing a lot with them."
After serving as an assistant coach for two years, DePeters assumed the head coaching responsibilities
on an interim basis following the 2009 season. In 2010, she guided the Bengals to their first playoff
appearance in eight seasons and was subsequently named the team's full-time head coach.
DePeters recruited six high school graduates and one transfer student from the University at Buffalo to
join the team. She expects all of the newcomers to contribute in some capacity next season.
"A lot of the talent that we have coming in is going to be in the outside positions," DePeters said. "A lot
of them are going to be impact players for this team."
Parente thinks the new players should fit right in.
"We've met with some of the new girls and they were nice," she said. "The biggest thing is that we don't
want there to be any cliques on the team. We want to welcome them as a family."
Just one player from last year's team won't return for the 2012 campaign. Paige Ottaviano, the team's
senior captain and starting outside hitter last season, graduated in May.
"(Ottaviano) was really a force and she really held her teammates accountable, but people are going to
step up next year, and some of them already stepped up late last year," DePeters said.
Bashore agreed.
"We're definitely going to miss Paige but I think we have enough girls on the team willing to step in and
take over as leaders," she said. "We'll have to do it more as a team than relying on one person."
In addition to incoming recruits, sophomores Mary Naboi and Lauren Lysiak are expected to help fill the
void created by Ottaviano's departure. They are the only returning outside hitters from last season.
As for other returning talent, DePeters will once again lean heavily on juniors Bashore and Chelsea
Moore to lead the team on the court.
Bashore was recruited out of the University of Louisana at Lafayette by DePeters prior to the 2011
season. As the team's setter, she's responsible for being the playmaker of the offense - a role she
embraced last year, evident by the honors she collected as a first-team All-SUNYAC West selection.
Moore, a two-time All-SUNYAC West second-team selection, led the team in digs last season. As the
team's libero, her defensive prowess is a trait utilized by DePeters on a regular basis.
"You see it as soon as they step on the court - Chelsea dominates the back row and Kelsey dominates
the front row," DePeters said. "They really work great with one another. I expect really big things from
them and I think they can lead this team to a SUNYAC title and to the NCAA tournament. With their
knowledge of the sport and their intensity, they definitely have the power to do that."
Bashore expects a lot out of herself both as a leader and a player. In addition to wanting to be a player
her teammates can rely on, the fashion major wants to improve her setting for the upcoming season -
lofty expectations considering her 7.40 assists-per-game last year led the Bengals by a very wide margin.
Parente and senior Sherrell McLean are both expected to see time at the middle hitter position. Parente
had a team-high 303 kills last year, averaging 2.42 per game. McLean led the team in blocks-per-game
and was second in kills behind Parente.
The Bengals went 4-0 in the first round of SUNYAC pool play last season, including a sweep over
eventual SUNYAC West top seed Fredonia (7-1 SUNYAC). The Blue Devils returned the favor with a
sweep of their own in the second round of pool play, though, overthrowing the Bengals for first place in
the process.
Fredonia is sure to pose as stiff competition for the Bengals again this season, but Parente and the rest
of the Bengals believe they can win the division.
"If we have the right mindset we can definitely come out on top," Parente said.
Tom Gallagher can be reached by email at gallagher.record@live.com.
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