2015 VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULEROME, Ga. – There is little question that the Shorter volleyball team made a huge splash in their first season as a full NCAA Division II and Gulf South Conference member last fall.
An 18-2 conference record resulted in the Lady Hawks winning their first-ever GSC regular championship and a 21-5 overall record helped provide the program with the university's first-ever NCAA postseason berth.
The slate, however, is clean once again.
Another challenge awaits the head coach
Jon Moseley and the 2015 Lady Hawks, who have been picked to finish fourth this season in the GSC coaches' preseason poll and open the new season this weekend playing in the Bobcat Classic in Milledgeville with a showdown against Columbus State on Friday and clashes with Wingate and the University of Charleston on Saturday.
"The Gulf South Conference is a mix of teams who have been very strong recently," Moseley, who begins his 10
th season at the helm of the team and was last year's GSC Coach of the Year, said about the upcoming season, "and teams who are hungry and improving, so we know that every match will be very challenging.
"Our team enjoys playing strong competition, so this should be a fun season," he said. "Of course, we also know that we will have to work very hard to be able to have success in a conference with so many great players and coaches."
What has been the team's main focus during the off-season and the preseason was filling the vacancies left by the graduation of three all-conference hitters and finding the mesh between a core group of veterans and some skilled newcomers.
Anchoring the list of experienced returnees is junior
Elizabeth Dowd, a First Team All-GSC selection last season – she's a 2015 Preseason All-GSC choice – and a member of the GSC All-Academic Team. In 2014, the three-year starter was second on our team in kills and digs, and sixth was sixth in the conference in digs with the most of any non-libero. Has been a starter since her first match at SU.
Back for her final season as the Lady Hawks' lone senior on the roster,
Dena Pierce, who started her career at DS and has settled into the setter role for the last two years, ending 2014 with the most digs per set of any setter in the GSC.
Returning to join Pierce setting things up for the team will be junior
Cheyenne Frady, who was sixth in the conference in assists per set and seventh in aces per set – has started at setter for the past 2 seasons. Last season, she was 6
th in the GSC in assists per set and 7
th in aces per set. All told, the pair combined for an impressive 1,089 assists in 2014.
Sophomore
Cheyenne McLemore returns as well after starting at libero as a freshman, ranking third in the GSC in digs per set and eventually being named to the NCAA South Region All-Tournament team.
Hoping to add to the lineup includes
Lauren Meyer, who started at right side last season before suffering a knee injury, and sophomore
Kelsi Jones, who also started most of the year at right side as a freshman.
Among the newcomers expected to play a huge role for the Lady Hawks this season will be junior transfer
BreAnna Thompson of Piedmont, Ala., and freshman
Danielle Melton of Mobile.
"As a coaching staff, we're very excited about the new season," said Moseley, who will be joined on the bench by assistant coach
Noel Carper and graduate assistant
Anna Graham, "and I know that our players are, too.
"We also look forward to playing in front of our amazing crowds at the Winthrop-King Centre," he added. "We are blessed to be a part of this program, and we want to always give our best as an expression of gratitude for what God has given us."
After this weekend's season-opening matches, the Lady Hawks get a break to fine-tune their game before returning to action on Sept. 15 when Shorter hosts Christian Brothers in their first GSC test and home contest at the Winthrop-King Centre.
