Weishahn ready to lead Cowgirls

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming senior setter Tasha Weishahn gets ready to return a serve in a recent Cowgirl practice.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Tasha Weishahn likes the idea of being a free thinker for the Wyoming volleyball team.

As the setter for the last three years, Weishahn goes into her final season with a new coach, a new system and a new outlook on running the Cowgirl offense.

She “thinks” that she will do just fine.

The new offense under first-year head coach Carrie Yerty is a little more complicated, giving Weishahn a few more options.

“There is much more to think about, but as a setter, it is way-more fun to be that creative, to figure out what is going to work for your team,” Weishahn said. “That’s kind of the setter that I had been in the past. I’m really excited to get back into that; it’s a lot more fun to play that way.”

The Cowgirls will open the season Friday in Corvallis, Ore., in the Corvallis Invite. Wyoming faces Oregon State Friday at 7 p.m., Portland State Saturday at 11 a.m. and College of Charleston at 7 p.m.

Not that she didn’t like the previous offense under then head coach Pat Stangle, but Weishahn said when Yerty first introduced her system last spring, she said she fell in love with it.

“I get to be way-more of a setter and I get to do more things in the offense that I haven’t done in the past,” she said.

Weishahn said there were a few restrictions in the old offense; she said she could only set on certain plays and certain balls.

“We ran pretty much the same offense all of the time; the same set, the same rotation,” Weishahn said. “Whereas with this offense, we run tons of different crosses and stacks and it is a lot more free for me.”

Another new aspect of this season for Weishahn is the fact that, as one of three seniors on the team, she is a leader. She wasn’t called on to lead in the past.

“I think it is going to be great to take some of these young girls under my wings, helping them along,” she said. “All of our hitters are pretty much sophomores or younger this year There’s not a lot of experience, but they have a lot of heart and drive. They have a lot of passion to get better. It should be a lot of fun.”

Yerty said that Weishahn is an extension of the coaching staff on the floor.

“It’s interesting, because in the past, Tasha really hasn’t had to be a floor general. She just set her primary hitters and they pretty much did their deal,” Yerty said. “She has had to make a huge adjustment in leadership. She has to dictate what happens; she has to put up the butter for the hitters to hit because she doesn’t have the veteran hitters who were on this team last year. She is going to be the glue to this team this season.”

Weishahn goes into her final season with an opportunity to move up in the Wyoming record book. She is currently fifth in career assists with 3,279. If she hits her average this season, she’ll likely move up to third place behind Amy Doman (4,832) and Chris Lambert (4,767). Kim Smith is third at 3,655 and Jil Robins is fourth at 3,592. Weishahn is also tied for ninth with 95 service aces. Again, a good year could push her into the top three.

It’s a bittersweet feeling for the Cowgirl senior, as she enters her final season.

“It’s exciting going into this year; it’s going to be a really fun year and I’m excited about that. But it’s four months and I am done,” Weishahn said. “But I have the next part of my life to move on to and I am excited about that.”

Cowgirl lineup

Along with Weishahn, Yerty is expected to go with sophomore Dani Bedore at rightside hitter, sophomores Lauren Whitney and Jenna Arneson at outside hitters, senior Carissa Lee at libero and senior Samantha Eley and junior Jessica Kagarise in the back row.

“We will use every sub the NCAA allows us to use, so that we can get the most out of our defensive players,” Yerty said. “Generally, you don’t have four liberos on your team. That’s the cards we’re dealt with. We’re going to take our strengths and use them. That’s going to allow Jenna Arneson and Lauren Whitney to focus on their front-row play because both of them are very young in the game.”

Sophomores Chantilly Watson and JennaRae Jester will hold down the middle, Yerty said.

“We came in with two middles and two outsides; that’s what we have,” Yerty said. “We brought in Dani Bedore from South Carolina. She was a late signee and she is going to help us significantly. But in the middle, they have to play come heck and high water.”