One thing the Oswego State women’s volleyball team has done over the past couple of seasons is continue to improve year by year. This improvement was really shown when the team went from a 19-15 overall record in 2014 to a 25-10 overall record in 2015. In 2016 the team looks to continue this improvement and build off the success that they have had in recent years.

“Since I’ve gotten here in 2012 we’ve made additions of bigger, faster and taller players with more experience,” head coach J.J. O’Connell said.

This improvement is not lost upon players such as Megan Russell.

“I think everyone comes into practice and works very hard, so I think we can top last year, as our goal is to win the conference, then build on that,” Russell said.

The season will come with its challenges though, as five players from last year’s squad will not be returning. The graduates will certainly be missed.

“We lost some great passers from last year and the team chemistry was outstanding, so there will definitely be some challenges this year,” O’Connell said.

The loss of five seniors will definitely open up positions for both incoming freshman and returning players on the team. This is something O’Connell plans to focus on now as the season progresses.

“Players need to definitely step up because the expectations of this team remain the same,” O’Connell said.

There is one spot O’Connell will have difficulty filling.

“Kelsey Dillon, our outside hitter from last year, really filled a big role last year and did a lot for our team and filling her shoes has been a bit of an issue,” O’Connell said. “Players like Lindsey Champitto, as well Emma Moriarty and Isabella Winklestine, have stepped up to help the depth in the outside hitter. Isabella Winklestine is a player that has done a good job transferring from OCC [Onondaga Community College] to give us depth and also a good amount of experience going forward.”

According to O’Connell, Winklestine has also done a good job at “carrying the offense.”

There has also been a lot of transition from last year into this year with players taking new positions and stepping up to contribute more.

“Jessica Long is a player we moved from an outside hitter to a libero. We started grooming her in the spring and she’ll definitely will start off in that position,” O’Connell said.

O’Connell plans to focus on giving playing time early on in the season to those with the most experience.

“We will definitely have them [the freshmen] ready for the future and future seasons, but for right now the returning players with experience will get a lot of playing time,” he said.

Though this team is talented there are of course areas in their game that the team is working on and continue to work on, as reflected on by Russell.

“We can always improve upon our defense, I think our blocking has already gotten so much better, but serving, receiving and passing is something we need to build upon if we want to be one of the top teams in the SUNYAC,” Russell said.

There are also certain amount of goals and expectations surrounding this team set by O’Connell.

“We need to score more and get more kills against good teams,” he said. “We expect to compete for a SUNYAC Championship and along the way I want this team to get better everyday.”

The Lakers have hit the ground running with a 3-1 overall record to start the season. The season is still very young as this team has a lot to prove before they can say they are just as good if not better than they were last year.