Despite bidding farewell to four seniors in the 2012 graduating class, Citadel head volleyball coach Amir Khaledi will have the luxury of seven returning letterwinners who are familiar with his offensive and defensive styles when the 2013 Bulldogs open the season at South Florida in late August.
Among those returnees include the lone senior, defensive specialist/libero Erin Bucherl. Bucherl enters the season ranked 12th on The Citadel's career digs list (523) and has rattled off six consecutive double-digit dig matches since amassing 29 in a five-set thriller against Davidson on Oct. 28. That allowed Bucherl to finish the 2012 season ranked first on the team in digs (334) and digs per set (3.09).
Providing Khaledi with a formidable presence of middle blockers is the combination of junior Lauren Hurt, a Charleston native, and sophomore Bailey Kernodle. Hurt was one of only two players on The Citadel roster to appear in all 122 sets last season. She wrapped up the season by ranking in the top five of eight statistical categories including kills (fourth-187), kills per set (fourth-1.53), total attacks (fourth-579), solo blocks (first-34), assisted blocks (first-87), total blocks (first-121) and blocks per set (first-0.99). These numbers placed Hurt among the top SoCon performers, ranking second in the SoCon in the latter category.
Opponents directly felt the presence of Hurt, who notched the school's single-season record for most assisted blocks and finished with the second-most single-season solo blocks.
Meanwhile, Kernodle worked her way into the rotation, appearing in 57 sets and posting a double-double (11 digs, 10 kills) to go along with five assisted blocks and a .308 attack percentage against Radford in early September. She capped off her rookie season with 78 kills, 42 digs and 21 total blocks.
The outside hitter position is one of Khaledi's most explosive with the junior duo of Ise d'Angelo and Amanda Rudnik. The hard hitting d'Angelo finished the 2012 season ranked in the top five of five statistical categories including kills (second-240), kills per set (second-2.12), total attacks (second-828), assisted blocks (fifth-25) and total blocks (fifth-27). That moved d'Angelo into 15th in both career kills (334) and career kills per set (1.86). She tallied at least eight kills in 17 matches including a career-high 15 in a three-set match with SoCon rival Davidson in late October.
The high-flying Rudnik was a solid contributor throughout the season as she ranked in the top five of eight statistical categories including kills (fifth-132), total attacks (fifth-544), service aces (tied fourth-13), service aces per set (tied fourth-0.12), digs (fourth-233), digs per set (fourth-2.18), assisted blocks (fourth-34), total blocks (fourth-36) and blocks per set (fifth-0.34). Her biggest impact on The Citadel lineup was made defensively as she posted 10 double-digit dig matches, including a match-high 21 digs to go along with nine kills and two assisted blocks in a meeting with Wofford.
Junior Mallory Moore, who appeared in 21 sets for The Citadel in 2012, is the top returner at the right side hitter position. Moore finished the season with eight kills, seven digs and four assisted blocks. She will face competition for playing time with freshman Megan Sowell, vying for a spot in the rotation.
Sophomore Rachel Keefer is returning at setter where she dished out 246 assists in 62 sets a season ago. Among her standout performances included a 58-assist, 10-dig outing against Davidson that placed her in a tie for fifth all-time, alongside Emily Hill, for most assists in a single-match. Keefer ended the season on a positive note as she handed out a trio of double-digit assist matches against Wofford (10), College of Charleston (19) and Elon (15).
The returning Bulldogs will have four freshmen and one graduate senior waiting in the wings to assist in the battles of the upcoming season. Among those newcomers are Carly Cannon, Samantha Espy, Sowell, Wilkinson, Dominique Williams and Katie Briggs.
"The class of 2017 will be a vital part to the growth of the program after a large number of graduating seniors," said Khaledi. "Collectively they are a very talented group of players, and when you combine them with our experienced core returnees, the addition of these six players will definitely complement those players already in place."
