Coming from Division I schools such as Florida State, Duke and Jacksonville, Courtney Draper only knows how to think big.
Eckerd College may be a Division II school with no rich volleyball tradition, but that doesn't stop the first-year coach from aiming high.
Armed with scholarships for the first time, Draper hopes to improve recruiting and bring the Tritons to the top of the Sunshine State Conference.
"(Athletic director) Bob Fortosis has given us the resources we need to compete," Draper said. "If we make the right adjustments, we can eventually be a top-20 team and perhaps be one of those teams that competes nationally."
For now, Draper will settle for her team being competitive in the conference. The Tritons are struggling with a 2-4 conference record and are 7-6 overall.
It will be a difficult task to get to the top in a conference that includes national powers Barry and Tampa. But Draper, 25, has time on her side.
She came to Eckerd in April after one year as coach at Jacksonville. Before that she was a player, then an assistant coach at Florida State and an assistant at Duke. Now she finds herself in a tough conference with only three full scholarships available, which is three more than previous coaches had.
This is the first year select athletic programs at Eckerd have had scholarships. More are planned for each program down the road, which is why Draper decided to go down to Division II instead of staying at Jacksonville.
"(Scholarships) were a huge part of me accepting this position," she said. "I don't know how they were as competitive as they were with no scholarships. It makes a big difference."
Draper still is discovering the strengths and weaknesses of the players, most of whom she did not recruit.
The Tritons took a bit of a blow when freshman outside hitter Angela White sprained her ankle while warming up before the season opener.
But junior Brittany Kauss and freshmen Leigh Badoyen, Michelle Whitney and Shannon Ruby have looked good. "We're still trying some different things," said Draper, who is assisted by former Clearwater and FSU standout Alex Sevillano.
"We really don't have a starting setter yet. We're rotating three players. And we're still searching for the right combination in the middle. But I do think we're getting better."
RECORD SETTER: Clearwater Christian College senior middle hitter Jenny Goodson became the school's all-time kills leader Saturday when she recorded her 2,025th kill. Goodson surpassed Julie Hubbard's mark of 2,004 (1997-2000).
Goodson is a three-year starter for the Cougars and was named a National Christian College Athletic Association first-team All-American. She was the MVP at the NCAA Tournament last season.
Through Saturday, the Cougars were 15-4.
SPJC VOLLEYBALL: The Titans swept past Hillsborough CC Tuesday night to improve to 12-6, 6-4 in the Suncoast Conference.
The Florida Junior College Tournament takes place in Jacksonville this weekend. The regular season wraps up Oct. 26 against Clearwater Christian College.
