Volleyball team riding on newcomers

Maher Kawash, Volleyball Reporter

Allissa Danosky goes for a kill in the annual Bleu/Grey scrimmage at Lantz Arena on Sunday.
Justin Brown
Allissa Danosky goes for a kill in the annual Bleu/Grey scrimmage at Lantz Arena on Sunday.

After five graduates and one transfer the Eastern volleyball team has just seven Panthers returning from last season.

With that being said, the Panthers are entering this new campaign with six new faces from all across the country, and will be expected to compete right away according to Eastern coach Sam Wolinski.

“On Friday some of those girls are going to be stepping onto the court for the first time in a collegiate setting,” Wolinski said. “It’s important for Coach Green and I to maintain that positive disposition with them.”

Katie Sommer, Morgan Matusik, Lindsey Powers, Alissa Danosky, and Maggie Runge are the five freshman filling out some key positions on the roster.

Joining that recruiting class is junior Hayley Richardson transferring from Jefferson College in Missouri.

These newcomers are all coming from different parts of the nation as only one, Danosky, is from Illinois as she was recruited out of Batavia High School.

Regardless of where they came from, these new Panthers are being placed in crucial roles on the team.

Sommer comes in as a right outside hitter, and comes with some accomplishments already under her belt.

Sommer was named “Middle-Blocker of the Year” as a junior at Boswell High School in Fort Worth, Texas, as well as being named to First-Team All-District during her senior season.

Matusik certainly brings some versatility to the Panthers as she was a three sport athlete at her high school in Chelsea, Michigan.

While Matusik was also a member of the track and softball team, she led her high school volleyball team to a conference championship title in 2014 and 2015.

As she led her team to success throughout her career at Chelsea High School, Matusik was named to the All-Conference team as well as an honorable mention for the All-State team.

Powers comes in as the new Libero of the Panthers, and is coming in with a storied high school career.

Throughout her high school career Powers was named to the All-State, All-Area, and All-Conference teams twice while also appearing in all-star games during her final two seasons.

Runge will be expected to provide some help in the middle with her blocking abilities.

Runge led her high school team in kill efficiency and blocks as a senior while also participating in the Iowa vs. Illinois All-Star game.

While those five freshman establish themselves, the Panthers will also receive the talents of Gina Furlin.

Furlin comes into this season as a redshirt freshman after sitting out last season and gaining another year of eligibility.

Furlin will be expected to fill the role as a setter on the team, and comes in as a high school record setter.

She once set a single-match school record with 52 assists in one game leading to a single-season school record of 988 total assists.

The Panthers will hope to see more of the same from here at Eastern as the team lost two of its setters from a year ago.

These newcomers will all take the court Friday as the Panthers open the season with a tournament in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Following the weekend tournament, Eastern will return to Lantz Arena Aug. 30 for its home opener against Butler.

Maher Kawash can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].