University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Volleyball Opens 2010 Season With Home Tournament
8/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 25, 2010
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss officially kicks off the 2010 season, when the Golden Eagles host their annual Invitational, Aug. 27-28.
Play gets underway Friday with Southern Miss taking on South Alabama at 12 p.m., followed by Kennesaw State and Nicholls State at 2:30 p.m. First day action concludes at 7 p.m. with Southern Miss and Nicholls State.
Play resumes Saturday at 12 p.m. with South Alabama against Kennesaw State followed by Nicholls State and South Alabama at 2:30 p.m. Southern Miss and Kennesaw State play at 7 p.m.
Southern Miss is coming off a 27-5 season in which the Golden Eagles won the program's first Conference USA title while producing a plus-10 turnaround over 2008.
First year coach Abbey Sutherland returns 10 letterwinners including five starters. Heading the list are juniors Ashley Mell (6-3, OH, Yorba Linda, Calif.), Kelsea Seymour (5-8, S, Long Beach, Calif.), Sarah Jane (SJ) Bowden (6-1, MB, Sioux City, Iowa), Lauren Sears (6-2, MB, Ashburn, Va.), Lisa Knecht (5-5, L, Metairie, La.), Amelia Hendrickson (6-0, MB, Belle Chasse, La.) and Bridget Whalen (5-5, S, Littleton, Colo.), to go with senior Lauren Broom (6-0, MB, Mandeville, La.) and sophomores Halie Ecker (5-10, OH, Moline, Ill.), and Elizabeth Rinaudo (5-8, UTL, Mandeville, La.). Sutherland added one newcomer, Shelby Schacher (5-10, OH, Lone Tree, Colo.).
Mell and Seymour earned first team all-conference accolades last season, while Seymour was tabbed Co-Setter of the Year. Both garnered AVCA All-American honorable mention as well as All-Region honorable mention honors.
Bowden and Sears return as the top blockers for the Eagles, accumulating a combined 192 blocks and 427 kills.
South Alabama opens the 2010 season against the Golden Eagles. The Jaguars return 10 letterwinners, including four starters from a year ago. Coach Nicole Keshock enters her eighth season with South Alabama. Outside hitter Juliana Almeida is the top returnee, finishing the 2009 season with 312 kills. Also returning is outside hitter Samia Salomao who led the team in digs. South Alabama leads the series 21-18.
Nicholls State opens the 2010 season against Kennesaw State. The Colonels return 10 letterwinners including three starters from last year's team. Coach TeAna Tramel enters her first season with Nicholls. Leading the way Colonels is sophomore Jennifer Brandt and junior Rachel Yezak. Southern Miss leads the series 31-14.
Kennesaw State enters the 2010 season with five letterwinners returning, including three starters. Coach Karen Weatherington is entering her second season at the helm of the Owls. Leading the way for KSU will be senior Sabrita Gulley and juniors Rachael Albright and Holly Knight. Gulley tallied 360 kills and 310 digs last season. Southern Miss leads the series 1-0.
Following the Southern Miss Invitational, the Golden Eagles travel to Murfreesboro, Sept. 3-5, for the MT Blue Raider Bash with teams Georgia Southern, Middle Tennessee, Miami (FL) and Auburn.
