At the beginning of the season, the ASU volleyball team (10-2) was picked to finish eighth in the conference in the coaches’ preseason poll.

One of the reasons for the low ranking was the assumption that ASU did not have any offensive weapons other than junior outside hitter Sarah Reaves, and if Reaves could be shut down, the ASU offense could be shut down.

It appears that the coaches forgot somebody, though.

In fact, the person they forgot is someone good enough to be selected to represent her country in international competition.

That person is sophomore outside hitter Sofie Schlagintweit.

Schlagintweit, who is from Abbotsford, British Columbia, was selected to be a member of the Canadian senior women’s national team last summer and competed in two international tournaments for Team Canada in the offseason.

She was the youngest person on the team by a full year and was playing with teammates whose average age was 25.

Playing with and against older players helped make Schlagintweit a better player over the summer, she said.

“I was the youngest, everyone was just finishing university or had already finished,” Schlagintweit said. “The team captain was 29 as well as one of the veteran middles, and they had so much experience in everything. They had been playing since I was born. You just pick up so many little pointers from them.”

After two weeks of intensive tryouts, the team began training for a month and a half straight.

The team’s practice headquarters were held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and the team stayed in the dorms at the University of Manitoba.

Once training finished, it was off to Miami for the Women’s Pan-American Cup. Even though she was the youngest player on the team, Schlagintweit played in every match as Team Canada finished seventh.

After the Pan-American Cup, the team traveled to Puerto Rico to participate in the World Championship qualifying tournament. Once again, Schlagintweit played in every match as the team qualified for the World Championships.

Playing so much volleyball over the summer undoubtedly made Schlagintweit a better player.

“Every day working in the gym helps you get better and get to new levels,” Schlagintweit said. “The Canadian national team kept me getting ball touches and lots of great coaching, and it was just a really great experience.”

ASU coach Jason Watson noticed Schlagintweit came back a much more confident player following her time with the Canadian team.

“I think she had a phenomenal summer,” Watson said. “I think it gave her an enormous amount of confidence, and that confidence has just carried itself over into this season.”

In her freshman season, Schlagintweit played in only 39 sets the whole year, and recorded only 26 kills. Her power was evident, but she couldn’t control that power, as evidenced by her 16 errors.

Her time with the Canadian national team taught her control.

“I was a little bit sporadic, and balls would fly everywhere,” Schlagintweit said. “I was just kind of trying to harness my power into getting the balls in the court, and every touch of the ball helps. Don’t think, just hit, and just go for it and don’t get tentative — otherwise you start making mistakes.”

The control she learned during her stint with the team has paid enormous dividends.

Schlagintweit is currently second on the team in kills with 122 and leads the team in service aces with 16. In addition to her offensive contributions, Schlagintweit has been a stout defender, tying for third on the team in digs and is fourth in blocks.

She was also named the MVP of the ASU Sheraton Classic and has been named to the All-Tournament team in two other preseason events.

“It is nice having two really talented and athletic outside hitters,” Watson said. “I think she complements Sarah Reaves quite nicely. She’s vocally competitive, and as we are working to create an identity, that certainly has helped us.”

Her development as an offensive force has been a key reason that the volleyball team is off to its best start since 1993, and if ASU is to make a run at the NCAA tournament, it will be Schlagintweit who has to step up to take pressure off of Reaves.

So far, she has stepped up, and ASU has reaped the rewards of her development and time with the Canadian national team.

Reach the reporter at kyle.glaser@asu.edu.