Talented freshmen serve up skills for team

The IU women's volleyball team has needed, like many other teams across the country, to call on younger players to contribute early on in their careers and make the smooth transition from high school athletics to the collegiate game.\nAll four of its freshmen have stepped up and played in one of the toughest conferences in the country, but IU coach Katie Weismiller's hand has not been forced to insert the freshmen into the lineup out of necessity. \nWeismiller has the luxury of having such a talented group of younger players that she is undeterred by the player's year, whether it be freshman or senior, and simply plays the athlete that gives the team the best chance at winning.\nIU's four freshmen for the 2003 season, Tasha Arsenych, Lindsay Cochrane, Sara Diehl and Katy Jo Mroski, have answered their coach's call and done their part so far this season in keeping the Hoosiers at the top of their game.\n"The freshmen have been wonderful," Weismiller said. "You look at Lindsay, who has gotten the most playing time among the freshmen, she's been great. I think what you have to look at is the leadership of the freshmen class. They're all coming in early, coming in extra, and they work hard. Tasha is going to be a great setter, Sara has done a fabulous job coming in when she's been called upon, and Katy Jo obviously is doing her end of it as well."\nAll four of IU's freshmen come to Bloomington with accolades and high praise, and will try to translate their high school successes into wins for the Hoosier program. \nArsenych, a setter from Plano, Texas, was her team's captain and was named her team's most valuable player for three consecutive seasons. She was a three-time first team All-District selection, and in 2002 she was named to the Academic All-State Team. So far this season Arsenych has seen action in nine games as she learns the Hoosier offensive system behind junior setter Victoria Zimmerman. \nCochrane was named to the all-conference squad in 2001 and 2002. She was recognized as her team's most valuable player in 2002. The Geneva, Ill., native was also named to the academic all-conference squad in 2001. Cochrane has played in 54 of the possible 73 games the Hoosiers have played in this season. She ranks fifth on the team with 86 digs and also ranks fifth in service aces with 10. Cochrane credits the IU coaches for preparing the younger players to make the transition from high school to Big Ten volleyball.\n"The coaches have prepared us pretty well during preseason just by working out all the time for at least three weeks," Cochrane said. "We got a good idea how our life would be a lot more volleyball based than it was before."\nDiehl, a Bloomington native, was her high school team captain and earned all-conference honors as a senior. She earned her team's most valuable player honor and appears to be continuing the Hoosiers' tradition of excellence in the classroom. She was a member of the 4.0 honor roll for all four years and earned the Conference Indiana Scholar-Athlete Award. Diehl has played in 44 of IU's 73 games this season and has started six out of 19 matches. Diehl explains what has been done to prepare the freshmen to adapt to the college game. \n"We did a lot of hard training during the preseason," Diehl said. "Going from almost eight in the morning to eight at night some days. We have practice, full workouts, lifting, conditioning and we've gotten a lot of good basic information in technique."\nMroski, a native of Hubbard, Ohio, led her high school team to a 26-1 overall record her senior year. She was a first-team All-Ohio selection as a junior and senior after being named to the second team as a sophomore. Mroski's abilities are not limited to the volleyball court. She holds her school record for career points and rebounds in basketball. Mroski has seen time in nine of the Hoosiers' games and has nine kills and three blocks so far this season. \n"Playing time and experience are important, but they are seeing a pretty high level of competition in practice as well and are doing just fine," Weismiller said. "This is going to be a very strong class."\n-- Contact staff writer Matt Glenesk at mglenesk@indiana.edu.