The Ole Miss volleyball team hopes to bounce back from a lackluster season in which the Lady Rebels placed 5th in the SEC Western Division. The team posted a record of 12-17, including 6-14 in the conference.
“The good news is we’re undefeated at this point,” head coach Joe Getzin said. “We made it through our preseason and two-a-days healthy. That’s always a great start. We brought in seven new players. Two of them are junior college athletes and five are freshmen. We’re excited about the level of play that they bring to the gym every day.
“After losing (six) seniors, these kids are doing their share to replace them and help our program to grow. We’re very excited about that. It looks like several of them will earn starting positions.
The Ole Miss offense should have no problem producing as it returns its top three statistical leaders including senior Kara Morgan who led the Lady Rebels in all scoring categories. However, a big loss to the team was the departure of Amanda Philpot, who accounted for 989 assists last season, while the entire Ole Miss squad accounted for 1,287.
Morgan had surgery in March to repair a tear in her labrum, but Getzin is still looking to get a lot of production from the Pickens, S.C., native.
“She’s done an amazing job getting back,” Getzin said of Morgan. “She has herself healthy again. She’s probably at about 85 percent. She’s someone that we’re going to rely on heavily right from the beginning. She’s been awesome.”
Aside from Morgan, the rest of the team is fighting for playing time. Getzin has been pleased with the incoming freshman class and looks for them to make a big impact on the court this year.
“It’s good news when you have problems like this, but we have a lot of depth,” Getzin said. “There isn’t anyone that isn’t competing for a starting role. The hard part now comes down to the coaches and letting them know exactly what their role is going to be. We’re 15 players deep with one injury that occurred outside of preseason. All 14 are going to see some playing time this fall. We have a lot of depth.”
The Lady Rebel volleyball team kicks off its 2013 season on Saturday at the George Washington/Nike Invitational in Washington, D.C. The Rebels open the season with a match against America East foe UMBC at 4 p.m. at the Smith Center before returning on Saturday to take on ACC opponent Maryland at 11 a.m. and tournament host George Washington at 6 p.m.
“We’re very excited about the season,” Getzin said. “We have the talent to compete for an SEC championship. Obviously, that’s everyone’s goal. The personnel is there. It’s just going to be a matter of chemistry and how they are meshed together.
“To start out, we made some great strides in that area. It’s time to play someone else and stop beating up on ourselves. We’re excited.”
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