University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Seniors Ready to Lead Volleyball Program To The Top
8/25/2021 3:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Kinsley Hanback, Duquesne Moratzka, Lauren Talbert, Kellie Garraway, Addie Ashton and Chloe Klusman hit the floor this season as senior leaders of the Southern Miss volleyball program.
The seniors in this year's class bring a unique perspective and leadership quality to the locker room. Moratzka, who earned Second Team All-Conference USA honors and led the Golden Eagles in kills with 236 during the 2020-21 season, spoke about how crucial each member of the senior core is to the team, and how their differences aid the program in its growth.
"We all have leadership qualities, even if they are different from one another," Moratzka said. "For example, Chloe is really outgoing, and I'm not as much, but we both lead in different ways. We all have our different traits that help lead this team and I don't think it would be the same without all of us."
Talbert heads into her senior season after serving as a consistent performer for the Golden Eagles during her junior year. She started 18 of 19 contests in 2020-21 and led Southern Miss in service aces with 18. She hopes that her senior class can instill a winning culture at Southern Miss for many seasons to come.
"We want to leave Southern Miss with a strong culture," Talbert said. "We want to create a winning culture and leave it after this season saying that we are proud of what we created here."
The strength shown by the veterans of the program has not gone unnoticed by head coach Stephanie Radecki. She feels a sense of pride in her seniors and is confident in their leadership capabilities.
"All of our seniors have shown leadership in many areas both on and off the court.," Radecki said. "They are strong student-athletes and I am proud to have them representing our program."
Klusman echoed Talbert's desire to leave a lasting, winning culture in Hattiesburg. As she prepares for her fifth season of NCAA competition, the Cincinnati, Ohio native hopes to leave behind a legacy that her younger teammates can follow and lead when their time comes.
"The biggest part of being a senior is making sure what I do this year leaves a lasting impact on my teammates," Klusman said. "They will take the reins next year and we want to help them be the best teammates and players that they can be."
Ashton, a Zionsville, Ind. native, sees tremendous potential in the team Radecki has assembled. Her goals for this season include a postseason push in the Conference USA tournament.
"I want to see growth in our class and in this program this season," Ashton said. "We've been building for a few years. I believe we can make an impact this year, our team is really deep. We want to push forward to the conference tournament and beyond. That is a huge goal for us."
Beyond the athletic talent and depth the Southern Miss program houses, Ashton says that the team's ability to raise the bar every day is what makes this unit special.
"We're great at holding each other accountable," Ashton said. "It's a day by day process, we're still learning about each other on and off the court, but I think we do a great job of raising the standard every day we are here."
Garraway has seen the influx of new talent that Radecki has brought into the program for the 2021 season and believes the team's depth will be instrumental to its success. Her biggest objective was to have the different personalities build relationships with one another to perform well on the court.
"We have a lot of new players coming in this year," Garraway said. "The biggest thing we needed to do was to build chemistry and trust between each other. I think, so far, we've done a great job, we have a lot of girls that play well together. We have a lot of talent and depth on this team, so I think if we can get the right lineup we'll be golden."
Southern Miss' volleyball program features ten athletes that have spent time at other higher learning institutions. Talbert, who transferred to Southern Miss after two seasons at Presbyterian College, says that this program uses those experiences to its advantage.
"It brings a lot of new perspectives into the team," Talbert said. "There's a lot of knowledge that we gained at our last school and we can use that and the new things we learn from the coaches here to come together as a unit. It's beneficial for us."
Hanback also mentioned how her teammates' various backgrounds bring a unique spark to each of their practices. The Golden Eagles will look to use that spark and translate it to wins during the season.
"Everyone brings their own personal experiences to the gym," Hanback said. "Since we're not all the same, we can compete against each other a little bit more. It's been fun to see the growth that has come from that."
The ideas of a strong team culture and grit are important to Klusman for her senior campaign. She wants to help build a hardworking unit that is built for success this season and beyond before she leaves the program and says that is a goal shared by each member of the senior class.
"We all hope to leave an impact of positivity, hard work and grit," Klusman said. "That is so important for us this year. If we can incorporate that from our practices into our games, we're going to be successful."
Moratzka, a Cheyanne, Wyo. native, wants to lead her team through her composure on the floor. She hopes to set the standard of consistency for her team this year
"I want to be easy and consistent on the court," Moratzka said. "I don't want to get too high or too low. I just want to be that person that's steady for my teammates. I think that's my biggest goal for the season."
Hanback, who led the Golden Eagles in hitting percentage last season, hopes to impact her teammates not only in their athletic careers, but in their personal lives as well. She mentioned how her Christian faith brings her joy that she wants to impart on the program.
"I want to have been the light in all of these girls' lives," Hanback said. "I hope they can see the joy in my life that I get from my faith and that can motivate them in their lives through things they might be struggling with. I want to help them reach their fullest potential and to know that they have a purpose."
After looking up to her past senior leaders, Garraway wants to inspire her teammates to become better athletes and people.
"I hope that I can be known as a good teammate and as someone who was solid to be around," Garraway said. "When I was an underclassmen I always looked up to the seniors. I hope I can be that person to look up to for the younger girls."
Radecki has seen the work the entire program has put in for the 2021 season. She is ready for a strong season, and that all starts with the Southern Miss Classic this weekend at home.
"I know the seniors along with our staff and entire team have high expectations for this group," Radecki said. "They all have demonstrated that so far. We look forward to kicking off our season at home this weekend and hope we continue to draw a great crowd."
The seniors in this year's class bring a unique perspective and leadership quality to the locker room. Moratzka, who earned Second Team All-Conference USA honors and led the Golden Eagles in kills with 236 during the 2020-21 season, spoke about how crucial each member of the senior core is to the team, and how their differences aid the program in its growth.
"We all have leadership qualities, even if they are different from one another," Moratzka said. "For example, Chloe is really outgoing, and I'm not as much, but we both lead in different ways. We all have our different traits that help lead this team and I don't think it would be the same without all of us."
Talbert heads into her senior season after serving as a consistent performer for the Golden Eagles during her junior year. She started 18 of 19 contests in 2020-21 and led Southern Miss in service aces with 18. She hopes that her senior class can instill a winning culture at Southern Miss for many seasons to come.
"We want to leave Southern Miss with a strong culture," Talbert said. "We want to create a winning culture and leave it after this season saying that we are proud of what we created here."
The strength shown by the veterans of the program has not gone unnoticed by head coach Stephanie Radecki. She feels a sense of pride in her seniors and is confident in their leadership capabilities.
"All of our seniors have shown leadership in many areas both on and off the court.," Radecki said. "They are strong student-athletes and I am proud to have them representing our program."
Klusman echoed Talbert's desire to leave a lasting, winning culture in Hattiesburg. As she prepares for her fifth season of NCAA competition, the Cincinnati, Ohio native hopes to leave behind a legacy that her younger teammates can follow and lead when their time comes.
"The biggest part of being a senior is making sure what I do this year leaves a lasting impact on my teammates," Klusman said. "They will take the reins next year and we want to help them be the best teammates and players that they can be."
Ashton, a Zionsville, Ind. native, sees tremendous potential in the team Radecki has assembled. Her goals for this season include a postseason push in the Conference USA tournament.
"I want to see growth in our class and in this program this season," Ashton said. "We've been building for a few years. I believe we can make an impact this year, our team is really deep. We want to push forward to the conference tournament and beyond. That is a huge goal for us."
Beyond the athletic talent and depth the Southern Miss program houses, Ashton says that the team's ability to raise the bar every day is what makes this unit special.
"We're great at holding each other accountable," Ashton said. "It's a day by day process, we're still learning about each other on and off the court, but I think we do a great job of raising the standard every day we are here."
Garraway has seen the influx of new talent that Radecki has brought into the program for the 2021 season and believes the team's depth will be instrumental to its success. Her biggest objective was to have the different personalities build relationships with one another to perform well on the court.
"We have a lot of new players coming in this year," Garraway said. "The biggest thing we needed to do was to build chemistry and trust between each other. I think, so far, we've done a great job, we have a lot of girls that play well together. We have a lot of talent and depth on this team, so I think if we can get the right lineup we'll be golden."
Southern Miss' volleyball program features ten athletes that have spent time at other higher learning institutions. Talbert, who transferred to Southern Miss after two seasons at Presbyterian College, says that this program uses those experiences to its advantage.
"It brings a lot of new perspectives into the team," Talbert said. "There's a lot of knowledge that we gained at our last school and we can use that and the new things we learn from the coaches here to come together as a unit. It's beneficial for us."
Hanback also mentioned how her teammates' various backgrounds bring a unique spark to each of their practices. The Golden Eagles will look to use that spark and translate it to wins during the season.
"Everyone brings their own personal experiences to the gym," Hanback said. "Since we're not all the same, we can compete against each other a little bit more. It's been fun to see the growth that has come from that."
The ideas of a strong team culture and grit are important to Klusman for her senior campaign. She wants to help build a hardworking unit that is built for success this season and beyond before she leaves the program and says that is a goal shared by each member of the senior class.
"We all hope to leave an impact of positivity, hard work and grit," Klusman said. "That is so important for us this year. If we can incorporate that from our practices into our games, we're going to be successful."
Moratzka, a Cheyanne, Wyo. native, wants to lead her team through her composure on the floor. She hopes to set the standard of consistency for her team this year
"I want to be easy and consistent on the court," Moratzka said. "I don't want to get too high or too low. I just want to be that person that's steady for my teammates. I think that's my biggest goal for the season."
Hanback, who led the Golden Eagles in hitting percentage last season, hopes to impact her teammates not only in their athletic careers, but in their personal lives as well. She mentioned how her Christian faith brings her joy that she wants to impart on the program.
"I want to have been the light in all of these girls' lives," Hanback said. "I hope they can see the joy in my life that I get from my faith and that can motivate them in their lives through things they might be struggling with. I want to help them reach their fullest potential and to know that they have a purpose."
After looking up to her past senior leaders, Garraway wants to inspire her teammates to become better athletes and people.
"I hope that I can be known as a good teammate and as someone who was solid to be around," Garraway said. "When I was an underclassmen I always looked up to the seniors. I hope I can be that person to look up to for the younger girls."
Radecki has seen the work the entire program has put in for the 2021 season. She is ready for a strong season, and that all starts with the Southern Miss Classic this weekend at home.
"I know the seniors along with our staff and entire team have high expectations for this group," Radecki said. "They all have demonstrated that so far. We look forward to kicking off our season at home this weekend and hope we continue to draw a great crowd."
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