It’s a gross understatement, to say the least.
But second-year Lady Crusaders coach Kecia Davis is quickly beginning to put her stamp on the program with her players. Of the 17 roster players, 12 are freshmen. Only two are seniors.
The Lady Crusaders are 3-5 coming out of a pair of tournaments in Plainview and Mississippi.
UMHB will enjoy both its American Southwest Con-ference and home opener when its plays East Division favorite Texas-Dallas at 11 a.m. Saturday at Mayborn Campus Center.
“We have youthfulness and hopefully we will be ready,” said Davis, who guided the Lady Crusaders to the ASC’s postseason tournament last year. “That match should set a precedent for how we do the rest of conference play.
“I’ve been very pleased from Day 1 with how our girls are working and coming along. Record-wise I’d like it to be better. We are playing better - slowly but steadily.”
At one point during a recent match, Davis looked up and realized she had six freshmen on the floor. Several are already making a significant impact.
Davis likes the play of Kyleigh Thurman, a 5-8 outside hitter from Bertram who leads the team with 67 kills.
Katy Pierce, a 5-6 hitter from Lamesa, has 51 kills. Davis said Pierce makes up for her lack of height with an “explosive vertical. We needed someone who could terminate the ball and she can do it.”
Melanie Daniell (Florence) is also adjusting well to the college level with 36 kills. Libero Erin Maenius (San Antonio) has been impressive, averaging almost five digs per game.
“She reads the ball so well and communicates well with her teammates as to where the ball should go,” Davis said.
Only six players have participated in each of the 30 games the Lady Crusaders have played. All six are freshmen, including Jade Norwid and Erin Davis, who have looked strong filling in as setters while senior Stephanie Little was out with an injury. Davis leads the team with 129 assists in 30 games and Little has 54 in 14.
Lindsay Deringer is the only other senior and has returned to the program after a one-year hiatus.
Sophomore Ally Jones is becoming more dominant as a middle blocker. She leads UMHB with 10 blocks along with 46 kills. At 5-10, she’s the tallest Lady Crusader. Davis is hoping to add some 6-footers in future recruiting classes.
Saturday’s match is one of only five home matches on the schedule. Davis said she hopes to rectify that shortage in coming years with more single home non-conference matches and possibly hosting a tournament.
The Lady Crusaders could solve that to a great extent this year by winning the ASC’s East Division. The winner from the East will be bestowed the honor of hosting the postseason tournament this year.
That would take some doing, as UMHB is picked fourth in the six-team division. The top three advance to the playoffs. UT-Dallas is favored to repeat, followed by East Texas Baptist and Texas-Tyler.
“Being in the middle of the road puts us in the position of a dark horse,” Davis said. “But our ultimate goal is to be the first-place team and get to host that tournament. The girls’ mindset is on being the host school.”
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