PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — If fans of Owls volleyball have a problem recognizing the 2017 version of their team, there may be a very good reason. A team that went 5-27 a year ago returns just four players and boasts nine new faces that have changed the way the Owls will attack this season.
Returning just four players is not normally a sign of a program on the rise, but second-year head coach Jonathon Bowman’s first recruiting class gives the Owls a sense of optimism they haven’t seen in years. Early-season practices have shown athleticism and height that have been absent in the program in recent years and the team will look to make a big jump this season.
UMPI starts its season on the road in the Husson University Invitational in Bangor, Sept. 2 and 3. The Owls’s first match will be against the Rutland, Vermont-based College of St. Joseph on Saturday.
The Owls will look to their four talented returners from last year’s team for leadership. Hannah Williams, a junior from Park Falls, Nova Scotia, took advantage of moving outside last season after spending her freshman year as a setter. She was second on the team with 131 kills in 2016, and also was credited for 54 assists and 312 digs.
Cheyenne McMillen, a sophomore from Bells, Texas, looks to improve on her freshman season. As an outside hitter, she collected 86 kills and 166 digs.
Laura Aroz, a sophomore from Tuscon, Arizona, showed the team she can handle the setter position. Last year, she amassed 444 assists.
Esmeralda Galvan, a sophomore from Bullhead City, Arizona, also returns and was a key piece last year as the libero, or roaming defensive player in the back. She racked up 283 digs and 39 service aces in 2016.
Bowman’s recruiting class brought in young women from all over the country, with only one of the nine new faces coming from the state of Maine — Margaret Dickinson of Brunswick.
Marissa Arriaga of Lawrenceville, Georgia; Cynthia Figueroa of Marlborough, Massachusetts; Brooke Franklin of Nottingham, Maryland; Brittany Harper of East Mountain, Nova Scotia; Taylor Johnson of Eagle, Idaho; Ashlon Stroub of Bakersfield, California, Madison Thweatt of Middleton, Idaho; and Miranda Washinawatok of Shawano, Wiscosin; are the other freshmen now part of the UMPI program.
The new recruits have raised the level of play this preseason, which leaves the outlook for the upcoming season bright, according to Bowman.
“I am looking forward to seeing how good the team can be this year,” he said. “This is the beginning of the turnaround for UMPI volleyball.”
The Owls schedule does them no favors, as they will host matches on just two dates this season. On Wednesday, Oct. 4, Aroostook County rival University of Maine at Fort Kent will square off with the Owls in Wieden Gymnasium. UM-Machias will visit on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
