2018 Team Stats | 2018 Individual Stats | SportsCenter Top 10

CHARLESTON, S.C. -The Citadel volleyball team closed out a historic season behind the reigns of first-year coaches Dave Zelenock and Michelle Cole. 

The team finished with a final overall record of 12-19 after defeating five conference opponents for the first time in program history. The team also posted their first conference tournament victory with a win against Western Carolina while landing a spot on SportsCenter Top 10 on a foot kill from Mellanie King.
 
"The team exceeded our expectations in certain areas as effort and passing got better as the year went on,  but we aren't going to get complacent," said Zelenock. "We felt like we left four or five wins on the table so there is a lot of room to improve."  
 
Player by Player Breakdown from Coach Zelenock 

Sharlissa De Jesus
"Sharlissa has one of the highest volleyball IQ's that I have ever coached and she demands the ball wherever she is on the court. Her defense, passing and instincts are all things that have an immediate impact on each match. She still has two years left and the potential she has to be even better is scary. We are going to work on improving her out of system play in the offseason and she should come back even stronger."
 
Megan Fuhr
"Megan is one of those players that never gets a break. She played in every set this year and was our only setter on the team so there was never any time for her to not be on and executing every single rally. It's a lot of pressure to put on a sophomore and she shouldered a lot of responsibility that included making a lot of decisions to continue pushing and didn't get complacent. She is the quarterback of the team and does all the work to be where she is at. She will watch the film before we even have film. That is why she received the unsung hero award. 
 
Mellanie King
"Mellanie was a really diverse player for us this year. She switched positions right at the beginning of the season and it was a hard transition for her, but we thought she had great confidence on the outside as the year went on. She is a great passer and has good instincts that helped develop plays in big matches for us." 
 
Emma Strong
"Emma played a vital role in the last five matches for us as she became an extremely consistent piece of our game. She has one of the highest volleyball IQ's on the team and we are excited to get more out of her next season."  

Caricia Rodriguez 
"Caricia wore the libero jersey for us 90-percent of the year and she found a way to always get better after each set. She has always naturally been a great defender, but her passing this year enabled us to finish off some hard rallies." 
 
Sarah Dobrich 
"Sarah is our calm and confident player who always finds a way to produce. She is a very steady player for us that we can always count on to make a good decision and not put the team in a bad position. Her reliability is something we will hopefully be able to instill in other players next season."  
 
Freshman Outtake 

Alicia Roberts was a bright spot. We knew she was athletic, but we were impressed with her on-court game. Her willingness to take instruction and focus to be part of the offense was something we were extremely happy with. Maya Elassal was able to be versatile for us this year and never questioned the coaching staff when asked to step up and do what was asked of her. Faith Justice  plays a position where there is a lot of experience in front of her, but she will get reps as the years go on. She is the energy of our team no matter what the situation and prides herself on being the heart of the team.  
 
Losing Two Seniors  

"On the court, they will be missed for several reasons, but good leadership is something that will be missed in the locker room and the classroom. We are hopeful that during their collegiate career, they passed along their knowledge to the underclassmen." 
 
Incoming Freshman 
"This 2019 class is a good combination of athleticism and technicality," Zelenock said. "They are dedicated to The Citadel's core values of Honor, Duty and Respect and we can't wait to have them join us and make a huge impact on the program. This class will help us add depth to positions and give us the opportunity to switch some things up throughout the season. We expect each one to come on and immediately make an impact on and off the court. All three of these incoming cadets are what we strive for every one of our recruits to be: dedicated to the Corps, great academically and a winner on the court." 
 
Expectations for Off Season 
"Spring will be eye opening since we didn't get a full season with the team last year. We will focus on individuals and details of every player as we want them to do things the right way and not worry about the results. We will put a big emphasis on winning everything: every play, every ball, while applying instruction and having it show up on the court immediately. Mental toughness will be a big focus for us as we move forward and reset our expectations."  

For more information, visit CitadelSports.com and follow @CitadelVB on Twitter.