Best Western Shocker Volleyball Classic
North Texas Volleyball Game Notes
DENTON, Texas (8/22/07) While last season's Sun Belt West Division crown broke new ground for North Texas volleyball, the Mean Green isn’t resting on its laurels heading into this weekend’s trio of matches at the Best Western Shocker Classic in Wichita, Kan.
NT, which kicks off the season against Wichita State on Friday night, has been pounding the floors of the Mean Green Volleyball Center for the past month, building on the success of last season while preparing for what could be one of the toughest Sun Belt slates in recent memory.
The Mean Green returns not only the nation’s leading server in Brooke Engel, but also brings back arguably the best libero in program history in Jessica Hulsebosch the school record holder for single game, season and career digs. Overall, NT returns three starters and nine lettermen from last year’s 23-win squad the most wins by a North Texas team since 1995.
This season should be a banner year for the Mean Green in the record books. At least one member of the team will rank in the top 10 of every major career statistical category at year’s end. Senior Katy Prokof is already in the top 10 in kills, attacks and digs, while Catherine Coffey is among the leaders in attack percentage and blocks. Hulsebosch is already the program’s all-time dig leader, and Heather Maddox is only 50 assists from the top-10 list.
Now the all-time leader in North Texas victories with 103, Cassie Headrick is the first coach in Mean Green history to post two 20-plus win seasons. Ten of North Texas’ 17 all-conference selections have come in the Headrick era, including four First-Team All-Sun Belt bids and the program’s first All-American in Corina Marginas.
You can follow all the action from the Best Western Shocker Classic through the Wichita State athletic site. The Mean Green takes on Wichita State on Friday at 7:30 p.m., and on Saturday faces Kansas State at 11 a.m. and No. 14 Cal Poly at 5 p.m.
