Aug. 17, 2010

Allendale, Mich. - With the opening week of the fall sports season underway and the 2010 Grand Valley State volleyball team reporting for preseason practices, here is the first look at this season's Lakers. The four-part series begins with the four-player quartet that forms the team's senior class, led by 2009 All-American Rebeccah Rapin.

In 2009, GVSU finished with a 16-13 overall record (11-5 GLIAC), posting a winning record for the 17th consecutive season. The Lakers advanced to the GLIAC Tournament and earned a berth in the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament for the 10th straight year.

It is the third consecutive season that Grand Valley State has four seniors on the roster, but head coach Deanne Scanlon posts an interesting declaration about this year's senior class. "We have two fifth-year seniors and two fourth-year seniors," explains Scanlon, who is entering her 16th year at GVSU with an all-time record of 403-115 (.778). "I think it's pretty safe to say that this is the most diverse group of seniors we've ever had here. We have every range of personality in these four girls."

The four seniors consist of middle blocker Rapin, outside hitter Leslie Curtis, outside hitter Krysta Kornack, and setter Meghan Scanlon.

"Meghan is definitely outgoing and kind of boisterous, while Krysta is more reserved and calm," Scanlon describes. "Rebeccah is fun too, but she is a tad more serious and is definitely the motherly one of the group. Leslie is a free spirit and just gets along with everybody. The different personalities will help with the leadership aspect we expect of our seniors. Each of the four girls can bring some different things to the table and they all have pieces that will form some really good leadership."

There is no doubt that the unquestioned leader on the court is Rapin, who is easily one of the top players in recent memory at Grand Valley State. Her playing resume is tremendous: 2009 AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, two-time All-Midwest Region selection, two-time First Team All-GLIAC choice (14th Laker to achieve this feat), Great Lakes Region Freshman of the Year (first in school history), GLIAC Freshman of the Year (first in 16 years at GVSU), and a member of the Elite Eight, Great Lakes Region, and GLIAC All-Tournament Teams as a freshman in 2007.

Rapin enters her senior season ranking seventh in Laker history in career block assists (323), ninth in total blocks (385), and ninth in hitting percentage (.307). She needs 176 kills this season to enter the career Top-10 in that category, which looks extremely likely. In her first three seasons, Rapin racked up 984 kills and never fewer than 326 in a season.

"Rebeccah is the one kid in this group who is a four-year starter," said Scanlon. "She was our region and conference freshman of the year and she has lived up to that standard ever since. She's working on the blend between being a go-to person and the leadership responsibility we put on her. We're fully confident she'll do that. That is definitely how her teammates see her...as that go-to person on the court."

Curtis has battled a nagging shoulder injury during the last few years, but has shown some promise over her career. Her top season was in 2007 when she produced 102 kills, 33 digs, and 16 blocks, while playing in 30 matches as a true freshman.

"Leslie really had a promising spring season and it was the best three to four months she has put together solidly during her career," Scanlon noted. "She has a constant nagging 'old shoulder' as I like to call it, but she's working through it and we're really looking for her to be on the court this year. She's very mature beyond her years and that's more than just volleyball-related activities. Leslie spearheaded the Headbands for Haiti project and she's always been a positive influence, working on giving back to the community."

Kornack had a breakthrough junior season in which she started 22 of 28 matches, ranking second on the team in solo blocks (13), third in total blocks (79), and ninth in the GLIAC in blocks per set (0.82). The 6-2 Kornack totaled at least one block in 26 of 28 matches, including a career-high (and team season-best) 12 blocks (three solo, nine assists) in a 3-1 home victory over Northwood last September. She was also third on the team with 18 service aces and was very consistent as an attacker, notching five or more kills in 18 matches last season.

"Krysta has really had some great moments in our program over the past few years," Scanlon pointed out. "Our focus in the spring was to get her to see herself in a different light. There were times when her teammates looked to her to step up and do things that she didn't think she could...but her teammates knew she could do them. We know that she can be a presence and a constant terminator, whether that is in blocking opponents or putting the ball away on an attack."

Meghan Scanlon saw the most playing time of her career in 2009, as one of just two players (along with Rapin) to start in every match and play in every set the entire season. She led the team in assists (580), service aces (34), and finished third in digs (202), while ranking 11th in the GLIAC in assists. Scanlon tallied double-digit assists in all 29 matches and at least 20 helpers in 14 contests last season. As one of the team's better servers, she notched an ace in 22 different matches, including nine multi-ace matches.

"It's kind of two-fold with Meghan," said Scanlon of her daughter. "From the coaching aspect, we look to her as an anchor and an emotional leader out on the floor. She really brings energy to the court. Last season was really her first year playing a lot and with another year under her belt, it should be a little easier as a setter for us. From the mom point of view, I have the unique perspective to see her in the final year of her playing organized volleyball. From her playing AAU and now here at Grand Valley, it's neat for me to have had those experiences with her. I might have some extra urgency or an incentive to really want this class to do well. I always want us to do well, don't get me wrong, but I'm a little more emotionally tied to this class."

The four seniors may vary athletically and personality-wise, but the common bond amongst them is to keep the winning tradition of Laker volleyball alive. Scanlon believes Curtis, Kornack, Rapin, and Scanlon can - and will - do just that.

"We're looking at them to be good mentors and good teachers of the game," explained Scanlon. "We have seven incoming freshmen this year. I think something slipped away recently where maybe we didn't do a good enough job of having our players understand the legacy of our program and how they should feel playing for Grand Valley State. It's not a gift that is given by just playing here, it's something that needs to continue to keep building toward the future. We need players here to say 'I'm not here because Grand Valley is great, I'm here because I want Grand Valley to be greater'. We're hoping we turn it around so our players understand not to live off of the spoils of what we've done before, but create their own legacy."

Wednesday: Junior Class

Thursday: Sophomore Class

Friday: Freshman Class