For the past 11 years Debby Colberg has taken the Hornet women’s volleyball team to the Big Sky Conference. After 32 years of service as head coach, she announced her retirement in August of last year. Now that she has retired and assistant coach Ruben Volta has taken the mantle, will the Hornets be able to uphold their championship title?

During her service, Colberg had 799 victories, two national titles, 17 conference championships and 19 NCAA Tournament appearances. She has also been awarded 15 coach of the year awards.

“I really have no words of wisdom for Ruben,” Colberg said. “He and I have coached together for several years and have become friends. He is most definitely a very capable coach in his own right.”

Volta, a Sacramento State graduate, starred for the Hornet men’s volleyball club team, which went undefeated and won the National Club Championship in 1995. Volta was awarded All-American Honors as a setter. In 1995 he opened the High Voltage Volleyball Facility in Sacramento and began running a junior volleyball league.

Some of his former club players with High Voltage included past Hornets Sandra Bandimere, Tasman Dwyer, Kazmiera Imrie, Jackie Coudert and Brenda Moorlag. In addition, recently expired Sac State middle hitter and first team all-Big Sky selection Michelle Franz.

After the 2007 season, five senior starters left the program along with Colberg, leaving Volta with a fresh team hurtling into the Fall 2008 season opener. Middle hitters Lindsay Haupt and Michelle Franz, as well as outside hitters Missie Stidham and Jennifer Ferguson all had their eligibility expire last year forcing them off of the team.

“This will be a rebuilding year for the program with the loss of five very talented players,” Colberg said.

The Hornets lost four starters and a libero from last year’s team, setting up a number of battles for starting positions. The three players almost certain of starting are senior setter Rose Burke, junior outside hitter Desiree Hoyum and sophomore middle hitter Maddison Thivierge. Senior Katie Van Der Wende will step into the vacant libero spot.

Fourth-year senior Brittany Ferguson is the front runner to play on the right side, with a number of players also competing for the spot. Should Volta decide to run a 6-2 offense, junior setter Melissa Melcher and Burke will take up the setter positions. If the Hornets employ a traditional 5-1 offense, Melcher will play the right back defensive position, as could newcomer Breanne Menees.

In fact, the Hornets’ only returning player starting at the same position is Burke. Every other starting position on the floor featured a player that has yet to start more than eight matches in their particular position during the length of their Hornet career.

“The new girls are going to have to look to me to show them the kind of volleyball that Sac State’s known for,” Burke said. “And they’re stepping up to a huge role because this team is expected to do really good things.”

This season will also introduce Volta’s new assistant coach Sarah Chlebana as the team’s recruiting coordinator. Chlebana, a Sac State graduate, played Hornet volleyball from 1997-2000. She is one of only nine players who, in the history of the school, have accumulated 1,000 career kills and digs.

“I am very excited to have Sarah join our coaching staff,” Volta said. “She brings four years of experience coaching at the collegiate level which will be invaluable in helping our program continue to move forward.”

At Colberg’s retirement party, it was announced that the floor of the Hornet gymnasium would be renamed in her honor.

“I am just totally honored and appreciative of such a special gesture from the university,” she said. “I did see the floor the other day and it seems a little strange to see my name along the sideline – just very, very special.”

Christopher Neuschafer can be reached at [email protected]