Alexsa "Crash" Parker is one of the Gaels' top returning players in 2018 after leading the team in assists and aces last year.
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
VB | 2018 Season Preview: Juniors
8/23/2018 6:04:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Leading up to the kickoff of the 2018 season, SMCGaels.com will take a daily look at the Saint Mary's volleyball team, going class by class.
MORAGA, Calif. — Three juniors return this fall for the Saint Mary's volleyball team, and all three will play important roles across multiple areas for the Gaels.
Outside hitter Sienna Young is the Gaels' returning kills leader (242 in 2017) and will give SMC a powerful weapon on the outside. She played in 27 of 28 matches last season and posted double figure kills on 10 occasions. She turned in a career-high 21 kills in the season finale versus Santa Clara on Nov. 21. She also hit at least .400 in six different matches while hitting .222 for the year.
Setter Alexsa "Crash" Parker returns as the Gaels' lone returning setter and should slot into the starting role at the start of the year, but she was also as one of the team's top players in 2017. She played in all 28 matches in her first season at SMC and led the team with 597 assists. She was also the Gaels' best server with a team-high 42 aces while finishing second on the team with 224 digs. She led Saint Mary's with 10 double-doubles, including a career-high performance of 27 assists and 17 digs versus Santa Clara in the season finale on Nov. 21.
Middle blocker Aubrey Pitts returns this fall after dealing with injuries her first two seasons. But those issues are gone and she's back to shore up the Gaels' front line. She recorded 67 kills and 36 blocks in just 12 matches as a freshman in 2016. Last season she played in 11 matches and had multiple blocks in four of them, including a career-high eight at Gonzaga on Sept. 21.
Hear directly from the Gaels' juniors below:
Sienna Young | Outside Hitter | 5-11 | Elk Grove, Calif. | Pleasant Grove HS | #6
MORAGA, Calif. — Three juniors return this fall for the Saint Mary's volleyball team, and all three will play important roles across multiple areas for the Gaels.
Outside hitter Sienna Young is the Gaels' returning kills leader (242 in 2017) and will give SMC a powerful weapon on the outside. She played in 27 of 28 matches last season and posted double figure kills on 10 occasions. She turned in a career-high 21 kills in the season finale versus Santa Clara on Nov. 21. She also hit at least .400 in six different matches while hitting .222 for the year.
Setter Alexsa "Crash" Parker returns as the Gaels' lone returning setter and should slot into the starting role at the start of the year, but she was also as one of the team's top players in 2017. She played in all 28 matches in her first season at SMC and led the team with 597 assists. She was also the Gaels' best server with a team-high 42 aces while finishing second on the team with 224 digs. She led Saint Mary's with 10 double-doubles, including a career-high performance of 27 assists and 17 digs versus Santa Clara in the season finale on Nov. 21.
Middle blocker Aubrey Pitts returns this fall after dealing with injuries her first two seasons. But those issues are gone and she's back to shore up the Gaels' front line. She recorded 67 kills and 36 blocks in just 12 matches as a freshman in 2016. Last season she played in 11 matches and had multiple blocks in four of them, including a career-high eight at Gonzaga on Sept. 21.
Hear directly from the Gaels' juniors below:
Sienna Young | Outside Hitter | 5-11 | Elk Grove, Calif. | Pleasant Grove HS | #6
- On starting her junior year
"I'm definitely excited. I think it'll be a fun year. We have a big team with a lot of talent, so I think it'll be awesome."
- Goals for 2018
"I don't expect a giant leap, I just want to continuously be getting better at everything I do. I'll be happy if every day I'm getting better. It doesn't have to be like I'm going to double my kills or anything like that. I hope to stay consistent and continue to improve."
- Aspirations for the team
"I really just want our team to find what makes us click and play well together. We just have so much talent, and I see all the talent, and I just want us to figure out that thing that makes us work well together and be better teammates together. Just play to the best of our ability."
- On what she's focused on this year
"I think one thing is the confidence. Going into freshman year I got to play a lot, so I was like, 'Oh I'm a freshman, I get to play a lot,' and there were no expectations. I just had to be good enough. Then sophomore year with injuries, I could kind of practice but I could tell it just wasn't the same as it had been. So, this year one thing that's important for me is having the confidence and being able to consistently do what I want to do."
- Aspirations for the team
"I think in general, our team is very kind. We're all really nice to each other and we're supportive of each other, which is awesome. But – we've talked about how we want to be more 'fiesty.' When people watch, I want them to feel our energy and our presence. I want other people to be invested in us and us to invest in our team this year the same way that other teams invest in themselves. If we can get to the point where as a team we're constantly competitive and you have the fight, it makes it easier to play."
- On transitioning into a leader after her first year
"It hasn't been super hard. (Alosina Thompson) and I, we're both from Utah. We both know a lot of the same people. Her club coach is a really good family friend of mine so I know some of the things she's been taught, so I can use that to help her get into our system. It's been an easy transition because of that, and also because Alo is easy and takes whatever, so it's good."
- On team chemistry for this season
"I think what I want to see the most is us meshing well on the court. I'd rather play good and lose than play bad. I want to have the chemistry on the floor."
Players Mentioned
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