“She’s really good at recognizing defenses when they happen,” Sheffield said. “At one point toward the end, I walked over and said, ‘All right, they just changed on you. They’re going outside (on block attempts).’ She said, ‘I see it, I see it. Sit down.’ ”
Laughing, Sheffield added: “That means, A, she obviously has tremendous recognition, and, B, she has no problems communicating with her coach.”
Yanz had 35 assists in a straight-set win over the 49ers (25-14, 26-24, 25-18) before about 1,000 fans. And she has plenty of options while sending the ball near the net.
Rachael Krabacher had 13 kills and All-American Lindsay Fletemier 12.
“It’s nice to have a full arsenal out there,” Yanz said. “They’re all competitive, saying, ‘Give me the ball, I want the ball.’ It’s nice to have that luxury to be able to set to whoever in any situation. I love it.”
The 18th-ranked Flyers (18-3, 9-0 Atlantic 10) have won 13 matches in a row. Their three losses have been to top-20 teams away from the Frericks Center: Minnesota, Nebraska and Illinois.
“They’re solid in every way,” Charlotte coach Chris Redding said. “They pass good, they serve good, they play great defense and their side-out is strong. They’re a tough match-up.”
NEW LOOK: After reaching the second round of the NCAA tournament last season, UD women’s basketball coach Jim Jabir is tinkering with his team’s style of play.
Like the Flyer men began to do two years ago because of superior athleticism, Jabir is going to a faster tempo.
“We want to be able to put pressure on our opponents on both ends of the floor,” he said. “If you can run and get a good shot or offensive rebound before they set up, that’s a good thing.”
After the volleyball match, the Flyers played two eight-minute quarters at UD Arena against a squad of male students and prevailed, 36-23. Justine Raterman led the way with eight points.
UD, which returns four starters, is ranked 10th in Slam Magazine’s Top 25 and has a shot of cracking the major preseason polls.
“It’s great recognition for the school and the kids, but you have to go out and prove that,” Jabir said.
THUMPS UP FOR ARENA: Sheffield and his squad relished playing at UD Arena, and they hope it’s not their last match in the building this season.
The NCAA volleyball regionals will be held on the same floor. And unlike in men’s basketball, the host team can play in front of its home fans.
“The Frericks Center is awesome. It’s cozy, it’s loud, it’s tight. ... But this is a cool place to play,” Sheffield said.
“One of the things I said when I went in the locker room (after the match) was, ‘Do you want to play here again?’ They were like, ‘Yeah, man, in a month. No question we want to be back here in a month.’ ”
PUT IN PLACE: The UD assistants each took a team in the men’s scrimmage, and Billy Schmidt had a playful moment with Chris Wright after venturing on the floor to shout instructions.
Wright was ready to in-bound the ball and put a hand in the coach’s chest to push him back. Schmidt quickly slapped it away.
BACK ON COURT: One of the officials for the men’s scrimmage was Edwin Young, a former UD player from 1996-2000.
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