In the season opener for the NIU women’s volleyball team, freshman Laura Baetzel got the starting nod – for the time being at least.

Early Wednesday morning, coach Ray Gooden informed Baetzel of his decision to start her over freshman Amy Ward against Western Illinois.

“I was so excited about getting the starting job,” the 5-foot-11-inch former middle blocker said. “It ended up being a good icebreaker because before the game, I was so nervous, but once the game started, the nerves just went away.”

Starting all three games, Baetzel ended with two kills and a -.158 hitting percentage, but was third on the team with 10 kills.

Though Baetzel got the start, Gooden said her starting spot is still very much up in the air.

“The Baetzel-Ward adventure is going to be undetermined for a while,” Gooden said. “Both need as much experience as possible in order to improve and contribute. But that’s going to be the key in getting production from those two.”

Influencing Gooden’s decision for the opener was that Ward missed almost all of last week’s practice because of a pulled abdominal muscle, but he plans to switch things up a lot in NIU’s Invitational this weekend.

Despite watching most of the match from the sidelines, Ward was optimistic about her position and her competition for the starting role.

“It’s still really up in the air right now,” Ward said. “[Baetzel] has been playing really well lately, and she continued that tonight, but nothing is for certain.”

For now, Gooden was pleased with the pairs’ performance and figures to continue seeing results.

“The two were very nervous, but the main thing is that they both made positive plays for the team, and that’s all that you can ask for,” Gooden said.