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South Dakota State University Athletics
Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen
Q & A with Volleyball’s Nicole Cirillo
8/10/2017 7:59:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
As the 2017 Jackrabbits' volleyball season gears up, GoJacks.com sat with head coach Nicole Cirillo to discuss the upcoming season. Cirillo talks about her team, and the nonleague and The Summit League schedules. The Jackrabbits kicked off practice Tuesday and their first match is on the road at the Panther Tournament in Milwaukee, Wis., Aug. 25-26.
GoJacks.com: You have a large number of newcomers this year. How do you merge the newcomers with the veterans and keep track of all their names?
Nicole Cirillo:
Names will be the tough part. Our veterans have already done such a great job of incorporating the newcomers since the spring through texts, group chats, Snapchat, etc., that I think most of the ice has been broken already. The playing perspective will be my biggest role and making sure that they feel comfortable on the court with each other by August 25. Bonding by hard work and sweat (and a good laugh here and there as we can't be serious all the time) is the common goal.
GJ: You have one senior in Ellie Benson. What kind of leader is she?
Nicole Cirillo:
She is a ball of energy and just the teammate that you want to play hard for. Every time she steps on the court, you can tell she loves what she is doing and it is contagious … what a great role model for so many newcomers.
GJ: With the number of newcomers at all of the positions, how do you figure out your starting lineup for the season opener?
Nicole Cirillo:
Ha, ha. Great question. We have very talented student-athletes in our gym and I have no doubt they all are going to be able to contribute. With a very youthful team, we are not going to be the most polished volleyball team, but we have to own that and use it as our strength. Even some of our returners will be in some new positions, so it's going to take someone who is going to learn, apply and be consistent in the roles we ask them to play. If a player can do that, she is going to find herself in the starting lineup.
GJ: The Jackrabbits have struggled with their serve receive game. What are stressing during the preseason?
Nicole Cirillo:
Serve receive was something we started tackling in the off-season. It was breakdown the skill and our thought process. This continues to be a big topic for us. Our struggle with serve receive last fall is also why we added three libero/defensive specialists to the roster. We are capable of having more offensive threats this year than this program has seen in a while, but that doesn't mean anything if we can't pass the ball.
GJ: Junior Sierra Peterson has showed her versatility by moving from an outside attacker position to a middle hitter spot last year. Where will you have Sierra this season?
Nicole Cirillo:
Sierra is a very gifted athlete, and I'm thankful for that. She can really do it all when it comes to the front-row positions. We didn't know she could be such a good middle for us until injuries forced us to find out. This season she will be fighting in all positions. With players like her, I believe that I would be doing her and the team a disservice if I limited her capabilities to one position.
GJ: Ashlynn Smith and Makenzie Hennen were both named to The Summit League All-Freshman Team last year. What are your expectations for them this year?
Nicole Cirillo:
They have a year under their belt and are two of the few returning players on this team. Kenzie did a wonderful job of stepping in and taking on such a big role as a freshman outside hitter last year. Kenzie hits the ball hard and I expect her to continue to do that at an even higher percentage. Ashlynn played middle for us last season, but we have moved her to the outside now, so I'm excited to see what new dynamic she adds to that position with very good ball manipulation and the ability to add another power hitter.
GJ: What do you see as the Jackrabbits' biggest strength in 2017?
Nicole Cirillo:
I said this last year and it came back to haunt me, but depth will be our biggest strength. Not only do we have good numbers at each position, but we have quality numbers at each position. Every person on this team will have an opportunity to fight for a position on the floor and I couldn't tell you right now who is going to start. We are that talented all the way around and because of the versatility, it's going to be a struggle coming up with a starting lineup … and I wouldn't have it any other way.
GJ: When you built the nonleague schedule, what was your goal?
Nicole Cirillo:
With such a young team, we need to start learning how to win. We can't always learn by winning, but this season's nonleague schedule is based around that idea. We are playing teams that are much more our level. Like I said, that doesn't guarantee anything for us, but I want to reassure the student-athletes that all the hard work they put in is starting to translate to our ultimate goal of winning.
GJ: With the departure of IUPUI, how do you see The Summit League shaping up this season?
Nicole Cirillo:
I think we lost a good team in IUPUI, so it completely shakes up the league and opens a big opportunity for a team to fill its spot in the top few of the conference. A lot of the teams in The Summit League are going to look so different that it's hard to tell what is going to happen. I think Denver and South Dakota are going to be fighting for the top spot, but after that, I'm really conflicted on who could be in the next few spots. Time will tell who will rise to the occasion.
The Jacks play their annual Alumni scrimmage Aug. 19 at 6 p.m. in Frost Arena.
For more information on South Dakota State volleyball team, follow the Jackrabbits on Twitter (@GoJacksVB) or like South Dakota State Volleyball on Facebook.
GoJacks.com: You have a large number of newcomers this year. How do you merge the newcomers with the veterans and keep track of all their names?
Nicole Cirillo:
Names will be the tough part. Our veterans have already done such a great job of incorporating the newcomers since the spring through texts, group chats, Snapchat, etc., that I think most of the ice has been broken already. The playing perspective will be my biggest role and making sure that they feel comfortable on the court with each other by August 25. Bonding by hard work and sweat (and a good laugh here and there as we can't be serious all the time) is the common goal.
GJ: You have one senior in Ellie Benson. What kind of leader is she?
Nicole Cirillo:
She is a ball of energy and just the teammate that you want to play hard for. Every time she steps on the court, you can tell she loves what she is doing and it is contagious … what a great role model for so many newcomers.
GJ: With the number of newcomers at all of the positions, how do you figure out your starting lineup for the season opener?
Nicole Cirillo:
Ha, ha. Great question. We have very talented student-athletes in our gym and I have no doubt they all are going to be able to contribute. With a very youthful team, we are not going to be the most polished volleyball team, but we have to own that and use it as our strength. Even some of our returners will be in some new positions, so it's going to take someone who is going to learn, apply and be consistent in the roles we ask them to play. If a player can do that, she is going to find herself in the starting lineup.
GJ: The Jackrabbits have struggled with their serve receive game. What are stressing during the preseason?
Nicole Cirillo:
Serve receive was something we started tackling in the off-season. It was breakdown the skill and our thought process. This continues to be a big topic for us. Our struggle with serve receive last fall is also why we added three libero/defensive specialists to the roster. We are capable of having more offensive threats this year than this program has seen in a while, but that doesn't mean anything if we can't pass the ball.
GJ: Junior Sierra Peterson has showed her versatility by moving from an outside attacker position to a middle hitter spot last year. Where will you have Sierra this season?
Nicole Cirillo:
Sierra is a very gifted athlete, and I'm thankful for that. She can really do it all when it comes to the front-row positions. We didn't know she could be such a good middle for us until injuries forced us to find out. This season she will be fighting in all positions. With players like her, I believe that I would be doing her and the team a disservice if I limited her capabilities to one position.
GJ: Ashlynn Smith and Makenzie Hennen were both named to The Summit League All-Freshman Team last year. What are your expectations for them this year?
Nicole Cirillo:
They have a year under their belt and are two of the few returning players on this team. Kenzie did a wonderful job of stepping in and taking on such a big role as a freshman outside hitter last year. Kenzie hits the ball hard and I expect her to continue to do that at an even higher percentage. Ashlynn played middle for us last season, but we have moved her to the outside now, so I'm excited to see what new dynamic she adds to that position with very good ball manipulation and the ability to add another power hitter.
GJ: What do you see as the Jackrabbits' biggest strength in 2017?
Nicole Cirillo:
I said this last year and it came back to haunt me, but depth will be our biggest strength. Not only do we have good numbers at each position, but we have quality numbers at each position. Every person on this team will have an opportunity to fight for a position on the floor and I couldn't tell you right now who is going to start. We are that talented all the way around and because of the versatility, it's going to be a struggle coming up with a starting lineup … and I wouldn't have it any other way.
GJ: When you built the nonleague schedule, what was your goal?
Nicole Cirillo:
With such a young team, we need to start learning how to win. We can't always learn by winning, but this season's nonleague schedule is based around that idea. We are playing teams that are much more our level. Like I said, that doesn't guarantee anything for us, but I want to reassure the student-athletes that all the hard work they put in is starting to translate to our ultimate goal of winning.
GJ: With the departure of IUPUI, how do you see The Summit League shaping up this season?
Nicole Cirillo:
I think we lost a good team in IUPUI, so it completely shakes up the league and opens a big opportunity for a team to fill its spot in the top few of the conference. A lot of the teams in The Summit League are going to look so different that it's hard to tell what is going to happen. I think Denver and South Dakota are going to be fighting for the top spot, but after that, I'm really conflicted on who could be in the next few spots. Time will tell who will rise to the occasion.
The Jacks play their annual Alumni scrimmage Aug. 19 at 6 p.m. in Frost Arena.
For more information on South Dakota State volleyball team, follow the Jackrabbits on Twitter (@GoJacksVB) or like South Dakota State Volleyball on Facebook.
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