Volleyball | 1/26/2017 11:13:00 AM
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team began spring workouts this past week. The maroon and gold is preparing for the 2017 season, which is set to kickoff next August.
The Bobcats began their individual workouts on Jan. 17, and that will continue for five weeks before they are allowed – per NCAA regulations – to have seven weeks of team sessions beginning Feb. 16.
"It's so good to have the spring for individual training. This is where we can really see some improvement," TXST Coach
Karen Chisum said. "This is the time of year where we can really hammer home the little things like footwork, how to track a ball and proper arm swing. In August when they come in, we don't have time to train individually very often, so we really use this time to see individual growth."
Chisum also noted that this particular spring is vital for the future success of the program due to the fact that Texas State has just three returning upperclassmen. Those are rising seniors
Erin Hoppe and
Jaliyah Bolden, and rising junior
Madison Daigle.
"This is the first spring for eight of our players, so we have to take things a little bit slower than usual," Chisum said. "Now is the time where we can go backwards a little bit and work on the little things. We are trying to tweak their fundamentals to make them stronger volleyball players."
In addition to the three upperclassmen and the six underclassmen, Texas State welcomed two fresh faces to the program this semester in
Halee Brewer and
Effie Zielinski. Brewer is a JUCO transfer, while Zielinski is a November signee who graduated early from high school to join the team this spring.
The maroon and gold will play matches on four different dates, which will include home competition on April 1. The full spring schedule will be announced later.
Below is a closer look at the newest Bobcats:
Halee Brewer – MB – 5-11 – Longview, Texas (Longview HS/Tyler Junior College)
Brewer spent the past two years at Tyler Junior College and will have two years of eligibility remaining at Texas State. She is an NJCAA All-American and also a two-time NJCAA Region XIV First Team honoree.
Brewer led the Apaches to a combined 45-21 record during her two seasons, which included an NJCAA Region XIV Championship and a trip to the NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship tournament this past campaign.
She played in 65 career matches and amassed 816 kills, 221 blocks, 116 digs, 19 aces and 15 assists. She also had a two-year hitting percentage of .360.
In 2016, she ranked ninth in the entire nation in points scored (561), 10th in kills (468), 11th in blocks (142) and 16th in hitting percentage (.345). For her efforts, she was named to the 2016 NJCAA All-American Second Team.
She also ranked seventh in the country in hitting percentage (.379) as a true freshman and was honored as the 2015 NJCAA Region XIV Newcomer of the Year.
Prior to her stint at TJC, Brewer was a four-year letterwinner at Longview High School under Chacka Jackson. She was a three-sport letterwinner who also played basketball and softball for the Lobos.
Effie Zielinski – MB – 6-2 – Leander, Texas (Vandegrift HS)
Zielinski was a one-year letterwinner for Vandegrift High School after competing for three years at Kingwood High School. She played for Kelly Skidmore and helped lead the Vipers to a 39-9 record (10-2 district) in 2016. VHS was ranked as high as No. 90 in the nation and was one of the top-20 programs in the state of Texas, according to
Max Preps. Zielinski was also selected as an Under Armour All-American Honorable Mention after posting 320 kills, 122 blocks and 93 digs.
During her time at Kingwood, Zielinski was a first team all-district performer and the district's newcomer of the year. She was also named to the academic all-district team. She was named in 2015 to the Houston area's Fab 50 list by
VYPE Magazine.
Zielinski competed for the Elite Houston Juniors Volleyball Club team, and the team won the USA Division national championship in 2013. The squad placed second at the national tournament in both 2014 (USA division) and 2016 (Open division).
Two other signees who will join the program next fall will be Brooke Johnson (Tomball, Texas/Tomball HS) and Tyeranee Scott (Houston, Texas/Jersey Village HS).
-TxStateBobcats.com-
