IU's strength, conditioning up to par for '06 season

The IU women's volleyball team begins its season Friday at the West Virginia Tournament in Morgantown, W.Va. The Hoosiers will face the \nUniversity of Akron at 5 p.m. and take on Oakland University and West Virginia University Saturday.\nWhile IU students are just settling back in for the school year, most members of the volleyball team never left town.\n"Most players stayed (in Bloomington) and worked out over the summer," IU coach Katie Weismiller said. "I like the players to stay and work with the strength and conditioning coach."\nJosh Eidson, the strength and conditioning coach, helped the players work their way into what Weismiller calls "volleyball shape."\n"Our trainer did a great job putting together strength and conditioning workouts for our team," said sophomore outside-hitter Emily Zulauf. "Lifting, cardio and sprint workouts helped us get stronger and faster this summer."\nBesides strength and conditioning, the Hoosiers simulated real volleyball action, including an intra-squad scrimmage Aug. 19.\n"The scrimmage is a great way to prepare for big teams because it allows us to experiment with different lineups and play combinations," said senior outside-hitter Anne Grabow.\nZulauf said a couple of the Hoosiers' main strengths heading into the tournament are their offense and team chemistry. \n"We have great team chemistry this year that is going to help us get wins," Zulauf said.\nWeismiller said she knows there will be some weaknesses and knows who their most formidable opponent will be this weekend: themselves. \n"In the first weekend, IU will be our biggest opponent," Weismiller said. "We can't scout the opponent as much, but the toughest opponent will be IU."\nWith a difficult Big Ten schedule awaiting the team later in the year, Weismiller said she knows the squad must narrow its focus to one game at a time to keep itself headed in the right direction.\n"We haven't set specific team goals yet, but we must take the season one match at a time," Weismiller said.