Throughout the 2017 preseason, VolleyMob.com will be joined by guest writers from last year’s Top 25 teams as well as other award winners and All-Americans. These bloggers will give you an inside look at their teams, preseason training, team leadership and much more.
Pitt libero Angela Seman shared about her team’s drive to get back to the NCAA Tournament, the error correction drill and a feeling that this is going to be a great year. Seman, one of six upperclassmen on the Panther roster, aims to get her team back to the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season. The redshirt junior led the way for the squad defensively in 2016, racking up 486 digs (3.95 per set), including 16 double-digit efforts. The Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, native tallied a season-high 30 digs against Western Kentucky, and also added five other 20-plus dig efforts. Seman also served up 31 aces.
The Panthers made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 12 years, advancing to the second round, to cap off a 25-9 season. The team returns ACC Setter of the Year Kamalani Akeo and honorable mention All-American Stephanie Williams from that team. Both were named to the Preseason All-ACC team as Pitt was picked to finish third in league play, coming in one point behind second-place Florida State. All-ACC Freshman Team honoree Layne Van Buskirk also returns. The team also added transfer Alex Rosignol (Southern Illinois) to its ranks alongside two true freshmen.
The Panthers played their annual Gold and Blue Scrimmage on Saturday to wrap up preseason camp.
Pitt opens the 2017 season in Seattle this weekend, where they will take on two nationally ranked opponents in No. 3 Washington and No. 9 Creighton, in addition to Saint Mary’s.
Seman’s take on offseason workouts, her favorite drill and goals for the season below.
An exciting year is upon us. The 2017 Pitt volleyball squad is ready to continue to work towards its goals this year. Our team has worked hard every day to get stronger and more explosive in the weight room and on the court. We worked on really meshing as a team and going hard in the gym.
Preseason has gone very well so far. Coach Fisher and the rest of the staff is holding us to a high standard that will help us accomplish our goals this year. I have a bunch of favorite drills, but one them is called error correction. It is 6-vs.-6 and after an error, you repeat the skill to fix your mistake. This is one of my favorite drills because it gets extremely intense and there is no slacking allowed during the drill.
After making the NCAA Tournament last season, we are very excited to make that our goal again this year, and make it even further. I personally am very excited to battle it out with my team again and put Pitt volleyball on the map. I have a great feeling about this season, and I cannot put my finger on the specific reason but I think it is because of our team chemistry. We have really bonded into a true family, and that shows on the court. We have three new girls this year: two freshmen and a senior transfer. They have transition into college volleyball very well and their games are already at a high level.
The dynamic on our team is a special one, true hard work and effort. The team and coaching staff are all after the same goal, and we plan to complete those.
There are many leaders on this year’s team and I think there will be many more leaders on the court this year. I hope to help lead this team to our goals this year. Pitt volleyball is ready for the 2017 season and ready to fight as a family.
Angela Seman
Redshirt-Junior Libero
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