The Gustavus Adolphus College volleyball team arrived on campus Saturday, August 16 to begin its preseason camp for the 2008 campaign. The schedule for the student-athletes consists of a heavy dose of practice and team bonding exercises. For the first-year players these days are important as they adjust to their teammates, the campus, and college competition. The pre-season schedule starts with morning and afternoon practice sessions focusing on individual skills, and then progresses to team drills and scrimmages. Each night concludes with team building activities, which are conducted by the team’s four senior captains, Britta Bolm, Bridget Burtzel, Emily Klein, and Andrea Smilanich.
Coach Kari Eckheart saw 26 players report to camp, including 12 returning letterwinners. These players will look to replace standout outside hitters Jen Thelemann and Andrea Kron, both of whom graduated. Thelemann and Kron helped lead the team to a 18-8 record and a tie for sixth place in the MIAC standings last season.
The Gusties have less than two weeks to prepare for their first tournament of the season which is the Rhodes College Invitational in Memphis, Tennessee on August 30-31. The following weekend, Kari Eckheart and her squad will host the Gustavus Classic on September 5-6.