After enduring the growing pains associated with the first season under a new head coach, the members of the Skyhawk volleyball team are a year older and a year wiser.

Like last year, the team features only one senior, but unlike 2005, there is a full class of juniors with playing experience under second-year coach Amy Draper.

“I expect our experience to be a major factor in the way we play this year,” Draper says.

Libero Tammy Konitzer is the only senior on the roster this year.

She will be aided by seven juniors, including Anna Gautreau, who missed the entire 2005 season due to injury.

“I think Anna will be a huge addition to our team with her energy and leadership as well as Taylor Noland who is a transfer from Mississippi State. Both of them will see a lot of court time along with the returners. We have a really strong core group of players and together they are very dynamic and should work well together to suprise a few teams this year,” Draper says.

Also returning for the Skyhawks is Albany, Calif., native Dimphy Sasse, who was a key component to the Skyhawk offense a year ago.

The team faces a schedule that is sure to provide several tests this season. The Skyhawks have already gotten off to a positive start by winning two out of three matches in the UNC Wilmington tournament and one of three in the Troy State Tournament.

In Wilmington, UTM opened with a 3-1 loss to UNC Greensboro before sweeping both the host school and Winston Salem State by 3-0 scores. They then posted a third sweep against South Carolina State.

Junior Kathryn Sprague led the team with nine kills against South Carolina State while sophomore Sarah Jett and Noland each had six kills.

Against Winston-Salem State, Sprague led the team with 13 kills while Noland added 11.

Defensively, Konitzer and Sasse each collected four digs. In the loss to UNCG, Sprague had 13 kills and Jett had 12 kills. Gautreau picked up 15 digs on defense while Konitzer added 11.

In Troy, the ladies dropped matches to Memphis and the host school before finishing with a 3-0 win over Alcorn State.

The schedule also features tournaments in Indianapolis, where the Skyhawks will face Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis and Green Bay University; and Spartanburg, S.C., where they will face off against Campbell, Elon and host Wofford.

“I think our schedule will give us the preperation needed to compete in the conference and also give us ample time to let some new players step in and learn our systems,” Draper says.

The early results support Coach Draper’s assessment of her team’s improvement over last year.

“My early impression is that we are making ground much faster than last year and that is due to having so many returners and the new players are very skilled and experienced at playing at a high level so that will help their adjustment much faster,” she says.

Much of the blame for last season’s dismal 5-29 finish that included a 3-13 conference record went to the squad’s youth and lack of experience. With a year of development in a new system under their belts, this year’s squad should produce much better results.

The roster features three new faces this year, including two freshmen. Lauren Montague is a freshman outside hitter from Normal, Ill. Tabbi Runyon-Davis of Clarksville joins her as a first-year player. Also beginning her first year on the squad is sophomore outside hitter Taylor Noland of Duluth, Ga.

The Skyhawks will open their home schedule when they host the University of the South at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Skyhawk Fieldhouse.

The University of the South is an NCAA Division III school located in Sewanee, Tenn.

The Tigers are members of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Also visiting Martin in non-conference action this season will be Trevecca on Sept. 12.

The Skyhawks will also host eight Ohio Valley Conference matches this season, beginning on Friday, Oct. 6, when Eastern Kentucky comes to town.

That match will begin a season-long five-match homestand for the Skyhawks, who will also face Morehead State, Eastern Illinois, SEMO and Murray State during that stretch.

The Skyhawks’ remaining three home matches will be against OVC foes Jacksonville State, Samford and Tennessee State near the end of the season.

The Skyhawks face two separate four-game road swings during the season.

The first runs from Sept. 22-30. That stretch will include trips to SEMO, Eastern Illinois, Tennessee State and Austin Peay.

The Skyhawks’ other extended period away from the fieldhouse will be Oct. 20-28. During that period, the team will face Tennessee Tech, Morehead State, Eastern Kentucky and non-conference foe Lipscomb.