All journeys begin with a first step. Thus, the Saint Louis
University volleyball team’s 2003 season begins Friday at 6:30
p.m., at the Bauman-Eberhardt Athletic Center against the Purdue
Boilermakers.

“The girls are ready. We had a great spring and have really
worked hard since being back at school, and we just can’t wait to
get started,” coach Marilyn Nolen said.

Purdue will be the first team the Billikens first opponent
during their own season opening tournament, the Billiken
Invitational.

The other two teams coming to St. Louis, the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee and William and Mary, will play in the match
immediately before the Purdue-SLU match Friday evening.

Purdue, like SLU, showcases a very young squad this season. They
are also being led by their third coach in the last eight years.
Despite this, they are a very solid team overall and should put up
a great fight for the Billikens.

“They will have good fundamentals, and their new coach is
excellent,” Nolen said.

On Saturday at 1:30 p.m., the Bills will square off against the
highest ranked of the three tournament participants,
UW-Milwaukee.

Milwaukee brings in a team laden with juniors and seniors and
has five of its starters from last season returning.

As if the steamy Bauman-Eberhardt Center needed to be any
hotter, Milwaukee is bringing the firepower to raise the
temperature even higher.

“They are such a seasoned team. They go to the post season every
year and just have that swagger that winning teams have, which
gives them an added advantage in matches,” Nolen said.

To close out their annual season kickoff tournament, the Bills
will welcome William and Mary to the hardcourt at 7 p.m.
Saturday.

Even though this year’s tournament field looks as stiff as ever,
the Bills are holding high expectations for themselves.

They all look ready to get this year off on the right foot.

Aside from the freshman class, which seems to have matured at a
rapid pace and is ready to contribute immediately, one surprise so
far this fall has been lone senior Alyson Merchant.

“Alyson is showing a lot of poise. She is pretty confident on
the floor and she gives us a lot of options when she is out there,”
Nolen said. “Our freshmen and our transfers have also been great.
We knew they would be good, but they are even better than
advertised.”

Transfer setter Erin McClanahan is who Nolen will rely on
heavily to set the pace for the Bills this season and keep the
youthful squad focused.

McClanahan came to Saint Louis from Texas A&M- Corpus
Christi last year and participated with the team in their
astounding spring season.

McClanahan and fellow sophomore Lauren Boissevain will usually
be on the court together, which bodes well for the Billiken
offense.

Boissevain was a setter for the Bills last year but due to the
arrival of McClanahan she was able to move to outside hitter, where
she pummeled all takers in the spring season and showed a knack for
finding the soft spot in opposing defenses. This was represented by
her hitting average, which was well above .800.

All in all, this is a totally new-look team for the Bills, but
definitely a high energy and pumped squad.

They show great poise, especially considering their lack of
experience.

And come tomorrow, their grit will finally be put to the
test.