Eastern’s volleyball team is relatively young. That much is numerically true, after the team lost five seniors from last year and have brought in four new freshmen.

The team has been infused with some young blood on the front lines. With only two seniors on the team, starting setter Chrissie Albers and starting libero Brittany Wallace, the team will need younger players to step up as leaders on the court and off if they are going to succeed in 2011.

The Panthers have gotten this sort of contribution in just their first weekend of non-conference action, as freshman outside hitter, Katie Kirby stepped up to lead the team with 31 kills en route to being named All-Tournament in the Indiana State Quality Inn/ASICS Classic in Terre Haute. Despite being over 2,000 miles from home and playing in her first collegiate matches, Kirby was able to step up statistically to lead Eastern to a pair of wins in its first four matches.

This is exactly what this year’s team is going to need more of if they are to have a good year. Some other Panther underclassmen whom will look to prove themselves as leaders include sophomore outside hitter Reynae Hutchinson, who started last year, but missed last weekend due to illness.

Hutchinson was medically cleared Monday to return to practice and she could very well be in the lineup this weekend in Louisville, Ky. The seniors the Panthers lost included several major team leaders, and those roles will simply need to be filled by other players, not all of whom will be upperclassmen.

Kirby’s big play in her first weekend was a prime example of the stepping-up, take-charge leadership this entire team is looking for, and it will need to continue coming from either Kirby or other underclassmen if the Panthers are to continue their early success.

Another key to Eastern’s future success that was not present throughout the weekend is a lower kill rate on swings. Too many Panther errors were made and that jet their attack percentage down below where they would like it. Kirby, while leading the team in kills, had nearly as many attack errors, which kept her attack percentage down below .100.

Volleyball is a sport where hitters must be aggressive, no doubt, and while it sounds cliché, the Panthers need to be more disciplined with their aggressive attacks.

That, coupled with young leadership, should carry this year’s team to the promised land of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament at season’s end.

Brad Kupiec can be reached at 581-7944 or bmkupiec@eiu.edu.