Setter Kat Minnerly is one of five returning starters for the Eagles.
New Era for Georgia Southern Volleyball Begins in 2014
8/27/2014 3:11:00 PM | Volleyball
STATESBORO, Ga. – Expectations can be an interesting variable, especially when heaped onto the shoulders of a collegiate student-athlete. Sometimes, the expectations are embraced, and sometimes, they can become overbearing.
For the 2014 edition of the Eagles, the internal expectations are high. With five of seven starters back from a 28-6 team that won the Southern Conference title and went to the NCAA Tournament, those inside the program fully expect to be in the mix for a second consecutive NCAA Tourney bid, despite the fact that the Eagles will be moving into a new conference for the first time in 22 seasons as they begin their first campaign in the Sun Belt.
"We know what we're capable of, and we believe that if we play well, our best will beat their best," said head coach Dustin Wood, who enters his second season at the helm. "If we play well, we expect to win."
The program had its share of ups and downs in the SoCon but had more ups than downs recently and finished its time in the league with a flurry. The Eagles went 63-17 in league play in the last five years and won two regular-season titles and two tournament championships. Georgia Southern met three Sun Belt squads in 2013, topping South Alabama and Arkansas State and falling at Troy. Wood says the competition in the two leagues is similar.
"Top to bottom, I think the Sun Belt is a more competitive league, but if you take the top-4 or 5 from each league, it's very comparable," said Wood.
The coaches in the Sun Belt expect the Eagles to be a contender as Georgia Southern was picked third with two first-place votes in the league's preseason poll. Seniors Jamie DeRatt and Kym Coley were named preseason all-conference.
DeRatt was the MVP of the 2013 Southern Conference Tournament and a first-team All-SoCon selection. She was a two-time SoCon Offensive Player of the Week honoree and the league's Player of the Month for September. DeRatt ranked second in the league in kills (3.69/set), reached double-figure kills in 26 matches and recorded 19 double-doubles with kills and digs.
Coley was a 2013 first-team All-SoCon pick and earned all-tournament accolades. She ranked second in the league in hitting percentage (.381) and averaged 2.61 kills and 0.74 blocks per set. Coley reached double-figure kills in 14 matches. She posted 10 kills and hit .333 in the Eagles' NCAA Tournament match against Florida State.
Setter Kat Minnerly, middle Crysten Curry and right side Katie Bange, a trio of juniors who all started over 30 matches for the Eagles, are also back. Minnerly was a second-team All-SoCon pick after ranking third in the league in assists (11.18/set), and Curry was second in the conference in blocks (1.23/set). Bange was named to the SoCon All-Tournament team after hitting .545 and logging 13 kills against Samford in the championship match. She notched double-figure kills in 17 matches.
To make a return to the NCAA Tournament, Georgia Southern will have to fill the void left by outside hitter Nicole Jeschelnik, who graduated, and libero Alex Beecher, who will miss the season with an injury. Both players started over 30 matches for the Eagles, and the competition for starting roles at both positions has been intense in the preseason.
Redshirt freshman right side Megan Chevalier will see plenty of time in the rotation, and freshmen outside hitters Cathrine Murray and Ashley Jones will battle for playing time. On the back line, sophomore Avery Stephens and Bernetta Moore, a junior transfer from George Mason, will handle the libero duties. Freshman Erin Dobbeck will spell Minnerly at the setter position, while junior Meg Bright and sophomore Leah Joseph will push for playing time at middle.
"I think the strength of our offense is that we can spread it around," said Wood. "Jamie is playing very well, we have two big right sides who can bang a ball and our middles are consistent. We'll be young at the other outside position, but I think they will handle themselves very well."
The NCAA Tournament loss to Florida State was an eye opener for Wood and the Eagles. Georgia Southern was competitive in the match but a lack of experience in big-time matches with a big-time atmosphere proved too much for the Eagles to overcome.
To combat that, Wood adjusted the schedule, and the Eagles will meet three ranked teams in its non-conference slate (Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina) in addition to two more that are receiving votes in the Preseason American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll (Oklahoma, Colorado).
"It's a tough schedule, but I wouldn't have done it if we couldn't compete," said Wood. "We're going into every match believing we can win, and there are opportunities there to get our name on the map. We have to worry about what we can take care of, and we have to play as hard as we can on every single point. Our mantra this preseason is to always stay aggressive."
Wood likes to break the season down into three categories – pre-conference, conference and championship, and he hopes the three pre-conference tournaments will have the Eagles primed and ready for the conference schedule and the postseason. Maybe the biggest difference between the Sun Belt and SoCon will be the travel.
The SoCon was a bus league with Georgia Southern's furthest opponents located in the mountains of Western North Carolina. One of those opponents, Appalachian State, now becomes one of the Eagles' closest Sun Belt foes, and Georgia Southern will be on a plane for three of their conference weekends.
"Our staff is doing a great job with all the arrangements that go into travel, and we want to make sure to take that stress off the girls," said Wood. "I think that's going to be the key to the Sun Belt. Are you going to be able to win matches on the road?"
Much like the volleyball team, a majority of Georgia Southern athletics programs begin a new era by joining the Sun Belt in 2014, resulting in some playful competition inside the athletic department about which program will be the first to take home some Sun Belt hardware. Considering last season's success and the veteran group they have returning, the volleyball program is an early favorite.
"It comes down to one match at some point, and there will be pressure situations, and how will we handle it?" said Wood. "I think the big emphasis is playing well each and every night. Last year, there were some matches we probably didn't deserve to win but we got away with it. We found a way to win, which is a good thing, but I think our kids are maturing, and they know if they play the way they are capable of every night, we can get where we want to go."
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Fans can purchase tickets to Georgia Southern Athletics events by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting GSEagles.com.
For the 2014 edition of the Eagles, the internal expectations are high. With five of seven starters back from a 28-6 team that won the Southern Conference title and went to the NCAA Tournament, those inside the program fully expect to be in the mix for a second consecutive NCAA Tourney bid, despite the fact that the Eagles will be moving into a new conference for the first time in 22 seasons as they begin their first campaign in the Sun Belt.
"We know what we're capable of, and we believe that if we play well, our best will beat their best," said head coach Dustin Wood, who enters his second season at the helm. "If we play well, we expect to win."
The program had its share of ups and downs in the SoCon but had more ups than downs recently and finished its time in the league with a flurry. The Eagles went 63-17 in league play in the last five years and won two regular-season titles and two tournament championships. Georgia Southern met three Sun Belt squads in 2013, topping South Alabama and Arkansas State and falling at Troy. Wood says the competition in the two leagues is similar.
"Top to bottom, I think the Sun Belt is a more competitive league, but if you take the top-4 or 5 from each league, it's very comparable," said Wood.
The coaches in the Sun Belt expect the Eagles to be a contender as Georgia Southern was picked third with two first-place votes in the league's preseason poll. Seniors Jamie DeRatt and Kym Coley were named preseason all-conference.
DeRatt was the MVP of the 2013 Southern Conference Tournament and a first-team All-SoCon selection. She was a two-time SoCon Offensive Player of the Week honoree and the league's Player of the Month for September. DeRatt ranked second in the league in kills (3.69/set), reached double-figure kills in 26 matches and recorded 19 double-doubles with kills and digs.
Coley was a 2013 first-team All-SoCon pick and earned all-tournament accolades. She ranked second in the league in hitting percentage (.381) and averaged 2.61 kills and 0.74 blocks per set. Coley reached double-figure kills in 14 matches. She posted 10 kills and hit .333 in the Eagles' NCAA Tournament match against Florida State.
Setter Kat Minnerly, middle Crysten Curry and right side Katie Bange, a trio of juniors who all started over 30 matches for the Eagles, are also back. Minnerly was a second-team All-SoCon pick after ranking third in the league in assists (11.18/set), and Curry was second in the conference in blocks (1.23/set). Bange was named to the SoCon All-Tournament team after hitting .545 and logging 13 kills against Samford in the championship match. She notched double-figure kills in 17 matches.
To make a return to the NCAA Tournament, Georgia Southern will have to fill the void left by outside hitter Nicole Jeschelnik, who graduated, and libero Alex Beecher, who will miss the season with an injury. Both players started over 30 matches for the Eagles, and the competition for starting roles at both positions has been intense in the preseason.
Redshirt freshman right side Megan Chevalier will see plenty of time in the rotation, and freshmen outside hitters Cathrine Murray and Ashley Jones will battle for playing time. On the back line, sophomore Avery Stephens and Bernetta Moore, a junior transfer from George Mason, will handle the libero duties. Freshman Erin Dobbeck will spell Minnerly at the setter position, while junior Meg Bright and sophomore Leah Joseph will push for playing time at middle.
"I think the strength of our offense is that we can spread it around," said Wood. "Jamie is playing very well, we have two big right sides who can bang a ball and our middles are consistent. We'll be young at the other outside position, but I think they will handle themselves very well."
The NCAA Tournament loss to Florida State was an eye opener for Wood and the Eagles. Georgia Southern was competitive in the match but a lack of experience in big-time matches with a big-time atmosphere proved too much for the Eagles to overcome.
To combat that, Wood adjusted the schedule, and the Eagles will meet three ranked teams in its non-conference slate (Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina) in addition to two more that are receiving votes in the Preseason American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll (Oklahoma, Colorado).
"It's a tough schedule, but I wouldn't have done it if we couldn't compete," said Wood. "We're going into every match believing we can win, and there are opportunities there to get our name on the map. We have to worry about what we can take care of, and we have to play as hard as we can on every single point. Our mantra this preseason is to always stay aggressive."
Wood likes to break the season down into three categories – pre-conference, conference and championship, and he hopes the three pre-conference tournaments will have the Eagles primed and ready for the conference schedule and the postseason. Maybe the biggest difference between the Sun Belt and SoCon will be the travel.
The SoCon was a bus league with Georgia Southern's furthest opponents located in the mountains of Western North Carolina. One of those opponents, Appalachian State, now becomes one of the Eagles' closest Sun Belt foes, and Georgia Southern will be on a plane for three of their conference weekends.
"Our staff is doing a great job with all the arrangements that go into travel, and we want to make sure to take that stress off the girls," said Wood. "I think that's going to be the key to the Sun Belt. Are you going to be able to win matches on the road?"
Much like the volleyball team, a majority of Georgia Southern athletics programs begin a new era by joining the Sun Belt in 2014, resulting in some playful competition inside the athletic department about which program will be the first to take home some Sun Belt hardware. Considering last season's success and the veteran group they have returning, the volleyball program is an early favorite.
"It comes down to one match at some point, and there will be pressure situations, and how will we handle it?" said Wood. "I think the big emphasis is playing well each and every night. Last year, there were some matches we probably didn't deserve to win but we got away with it. We found a way to win, which is a good thing, but I think our kids are maturing, and they know if they play the way they are capable of every night, we can get where we want to go."
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Fans can purchase tickets to Georgia Southern Athletics events by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting GSEagles.com.
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