University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Volleyball Team Concludes Spring Season
5/21/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
May 21, 2012
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss volleyball team capped off its spring training season by hosting its annual sand tournament and enjoying some competition on the sand courts for a fundraiser.
Southern Miss finished the spring season with a 20-9 overall record while participating in three spring tournaments. The Golden Eagles played at Tulane in February and finished 2-4 against the Green Wave. In March, Southern Miss traveled to the LSU tournament posting wins over Southeastern, Southern University and Louisiana-Lafayette. USM lost to LSU. In the final tournament of the season, Southern Miss went undefeated in the Jackson State tournament with wins over Grambling, Millsaps, Louisiana Tech and host Jackson State. The Golden Eagles concluded its spring season hosting Southeastern Louisiana for six sets and came away with a 4-2 record.
According to head coach Abbey Sutherland, "The spring season is always challenging, both mentally and physically. There is an urgency to refine individual skills and also grow as a team. There is not a ton of opportunity to compete against other schools and practice can become redundant."
The Golden Eagles return nine letterwinners from last year's team that finished 19-12. Heading the group are seniors Elizabeth Rinaudo and Halie Ecker.
"Our two seniors will play a pivotal role for our young team this fall," said Sutherland. "Liz has been out all spring with an injury, but I have high hopes that she will come back as strong as ever come preseason. Halie continues to be a dominant outside hitter and she has the ability to be an all-around star this fall."
Also returning for her junior season is Shelby Schacher in addition to Katie Steelman, Alex Pfefferle, Jasmine Crowell, Kristen Fleming and Emily Sears.
"Shelby, Katie, and Alex were an integral part of our passing patterns this spring," Sutherland said. "I expect them to be very strong in defense, serving and passing. I am very confident in their ball control abilities on the court. Kristen has done a wonderful job of taking control of running the offense and Jasmine has emerged as a go-to hitter. Jasmine has transitioned to the middle well. Finally, Emily has continued to improve in all aspects of the game. She hits one of the heaviest balls I have ever seen. She is now beginning to add versatile shots and has become a more consistent player. I look forward to seeing her play again this preseason."
"They worked hard to stay focused and get better each and every day," Sutherland said. "It's difficult to notice progress from day to day, but when looking at where we were as a team at the beginning of spring, we have made a tremendous improvement in all aspects of the game. They are extremely fit, understand the game better and have bonded as a team."
Southern Miss opens the 2012 season hosting its own tournament, Aug. 24-25.
