Published: August 13, 2008 10:43 am      

’Cats Back on The Court

College Volleyball

San Marcos — Newcomers to the Texas State volleyball team are often taken aback when head coach Karen Chisum tells them to run “F’n’Gs.” What seems like a vulgar term turns into an obscene workout for the players.

Players begin on the basketball baseline and proceed to run a simple up-and-back or as they are known, “suicides.” Once the players reach the opposite foul line, they sprint up the steps of Strahan Coliseum to touch the back wall of Section F. They go back down the steps and then touch the wall of Section G.

Each repetition must be completed in less than one minute. It’s a wake-up call for freshmen, especially Whitney Rodden.

“It was crazy,” Rodden said. “I had nothing like this back in high school. It really put our minds to the test.”

The Strahan step workout was only one of several physical tests the Bobcat coaching staff put its players through on Monday. Newcomers and returners, alike, participated in a vertical leap challenge as well as a one-mile run.

A small portion of players struggled during conditioning, but Chisum said the majority did well. Strong conditioning is needed as Texas State opens its 2008 fall practice schedule.

“We told them, day one, practice one, it’s going to be as intense as we’ve ever done,” Chisum said. “We’ve got seven top-80 teams that we’ll play in the first two or three weeks. We have a good shot at doing some good things this year, but it begins today.”

The Bobcats open the 2008 season with the CenturyTel Premier before heading to the Sheraton Four Points Invitational in Arizona. Texas State will play Arizona, Texas Tech and Santa Clara in Tuscon. Before the preseason wraps up, the Bobcats also have dates with Texas and Georgia.

Texas State will need a lot to change for it to advance deeper in the postseason. With eight newcomers to the team, the Bobcats will need for upperclassmen to step up and take charge of the team. Texas State returns 10 players, including Emily Jones and Amy Weigle.

“It’s really important to have leaders showing (the newcomers) the way,” Weigle said. “We haven’t had a lot of strong leadership before, so the seniors are trying to step up this year.”

The freshman class of Rodden, Bianca Endersby, Becky Belt and Amber Calhoun will need to adapt quickly. Physically, they should be able to step on to the court and perform at a high level, but mentally, they need to know the pressure of a big game.

Sure, many played in state tournaments and championship games, but when you add the pressure of repeating as Southland Conference champion or advancing past the first round in the NCAA Tournament, the urgency builds. Chisum will need to test her newcomers early, to find out which ones she can rely on down the stretch.

“I know I need to push myself and work so much harder here, all the time,” Rodden said. “Just putting on that jersey, will feel, I mean whenever I think about it, I get goosebumps, but it will be an amazing experience.”