Posted: Jun 16, 2015
"I feel that we have a challenging schedule for 2015," said Blair Trail, who enters her 17th season at her alma mater. "Our three tournaments hosts several solid teams each year that will prepare us for the strong competition that we will face in the ODAC."
The volleyball program has been in existence for over 40 years, totaling 545 wins, including 192 ODAC victories since joining the conference in 1980. Roanoke has produced 24 All-ODAC performers, 16 under coach Blair Trail, and six VaSID College Division All-State players.
Head Coach - Blair Trail '99
Blair Trail '99 is just 13 wins shy of reaching 300 career wins while she already eclipsed 100 ODAC wins last fall. The 17-year coaching veteran has more than half of the program's total wins and ODAC victories as well. Trail is the longest tenured and winningest coach in program-history, while second among active ODAC coaches in overall wins. Prior to Trail taking over as head coach, the Maroons only had two seasons with a then-record 17 wins. Since 1999, the program has enjoyed 11 seasons with 17 or more wins, inclduding six 20-win campaigns. Trail has taken her alma mater to three of the four ODAC Championship games (1999, 2001, 2009) with the other coming in 1995.
About Last Season
The Maroons eclipsed their sixth 20-win season in 2014, all under Trail's tuteledge. Freshman Brooke Bostwick was named the programs' first ODAC Rookie of the Year honoree, while departed senior Sarah Long garnered Third-Team All-ODAC honors. Roanoke improved its record in each of the past four seasons entering the 2015 campaign. The 21 wins last fall is the best since the 2010 season, including the best start since the 2008 season. The highlight of the season was defeating Washington and Lee for the first time ever in a regular season match. The only other victory over the Generals was in the 2009 ODAC Tournament, knocking off the eight-time defending champions in a thrilling five-set match which is still considered the biggest upset in ODAC Volleyball tournament history.
The 2015 Schedule
The Maroons will start their season with a home match against North Carolina Wesleyan on Sept. 4 that will be before their two tournaments over the following two weekends. Vicky Gentile will be in her first season at NC Wesleyan after serving four years as an assistant. She helped guide the Battling Bishops to back-to-back 20-win seasons (2011-12). Roanoke will play in the 21st Annual Cougar Invitational, which will be held in Danville, VA hosted by Averett University on Sept. 5-6. The Maroons will take on William Peace and Greensboro the first day, followed by ODAC foes Shenandoah and Emory & Henry the final day.
They will turnaround next weekend to host the Roanoke College Maroon Classic, which will be held in the C. Homer Bast Center Sept. 11-12. The women will take on Ferrum and Meredith the first day, followed by Mary Baldwin and ODAC crosstown opponent Hollins the final day. Meredith finished 25-8 last season, 16-3 in the USA-South Conference and will content for the title this fall. The Avenging Angels have enjoyed back-to-back 20-win seasons. Ruthanne Duffy will take over as Ferrum's head coach this fall, after serving three years as assistant coach for the Panthers. Ferrum had a four-win improvement from last season. Katherine Lawson takes over Hollins in her first season as head coach.
After the two tournaments, the Maroons will start conference play with three road games against Bridgewater (9/15), Guilford (9/18), and Emory & Henry on Sept. 21. Roanoke was victorious last year against Bridgewater and Guilford, but lost in a contest to E&H last year. They will then host Shenandoah in their first, home conference game of the 2015 season. Bridgewater has won five ODAC Championships and played in the ODAC final nine times. Guilford has claimed two ODAC titles while Emory & Henry won 18 matches last fall and have improved over the past two seasons.
The team will then travel to Staunton, VA to face Mary Baldwin in a non-conference contest, then pick back up the conference schedule with matches against Eastern Mennonite (9/30), Randolph (10/2) and Randolph-Macon (10/6). Eastern Mennonite, led by first-year head coach Carrie Bert, has been a perinnial power in the ODAC, claiming eight ODAC Championships, appearing in all but three ODAC finals from 1982-98. Randolph will be played at home during Family Weekend at Roanoke College. Randolph-Macon has been the new power in the conference, winning three-striaght ODAC Championships (2009-11) and appeared in the championship game from 2004-06.
The Knights' Fall Classic will take place at Newmann University on October 9-10. The women will take on Scranton (PA) on Friday. They will turnaround and play both St. Mary's (MD) and tournament-host Newmann on Saturday. Scranton finshed 23-11 last fall, the most victories for the program since 2008, 11 more than the previous years' total under second-year coach Jamie Spangler. Under first-year head coach Jeremy Sands, St. Mary's earned its ninth winning season in 10 years. The Seahawks took #9 CNU to five-sets in the CAC Semifinals, ending the year 17-10. Newmann finished 23-14 last year, advancing to the CSAC Championship match and a trip to the ECAC Southeast Tournament under first-year coach Alicia MacGlaughlin. The Knights tied a program-record in wins (23) for a third-straight year, appearing in the conference championship four-consecutive seasons. They won the conference title and made the NCAA Tournament in 2012.
Roanoke then will play the remaining six games of their season which will include two non-conference opponents at Meredith for a second time on Oct. 15 and against Averett in the regular season finale (Nov. 1). The remaining conference games will include contests at Washington and Lee (10/13), vs. Lynchburg (10/17), at Hollins for a second time (10/26) and vs. Virginia Wesleyan in a tri-match with Averett on Nov. 1.
Washington and Lee is the three-time defending ODAC Champions, claiming 15 total since 1995. The Generals, who have made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, fell to the Maroons last fall at the Bast Center. Lynchburg ended Roanoke's season in the ODAC Tournament in 2014. The Hornets finished 19-13 on its way to the ODAC Championship game for the third-straight year. Averett won 22 games last year, falling to eventual conference champion Maryville in the USA-South Tournament. The Cougars boast 14 conference championships, four NCAA Tournament appearances, and have enjoyed 20-win seasons in 23 of the last 24 years. Virginia Wesleyan finished with a school-record 24 overall and nine conference victories last season, along with a program-best second-place finish in the ODAC Standings.
The Maroons lose two of their top players in ODAC Rookie of the Year Brooke Bostwick and senior Second-Team All-ODAC selection Sarah Long. They will return Allison White, who had 248 kills which was good for second on the team. They also return their two assist leaders in Jessica Block (640) and Alexandra Martin (404).
