STATESBORO – Spend any time talking Georgia Southern volleyball with new head coach Chad Willis, and words like culture, effort, focus, contagious and ripple effect are bound to come up.

For the Eagle coaching staff, the key to any future success is establishing a new culture for the program. The thought is certain intangibles need to be laid down as corner stones, and if the Eagles maintain a high level of consistency in maintaining those intangibles, then the execution on the court will continually improve, thus improving the results on the court. Each student-athlete needs to bring a maximum effort and focus level to practice each day and be "good contagious" for the team.

So far, so good. 

"As a staff, we've been pleased with our focus and effort level," said Willis. "It's been pretty consistent all the way through preseason. I'm really pleased with our effort level and intensity and the tempo at which we do things in practice, and I think our level of execution will continue to increase as we continue to get more reps on the ball."

At the end of preseason, Willis used senior outside hitter Kendall Adams as an example of how his philosophy works. Adams tore her ACL in March of 2018, sat out all last year and returned to the court at the beginning of preseason. All told, it had been 502 days since she took the floor for volleyball activities. 

"'Is she where she wants to be as a player? No, but she never complained and always had a great attitude and a smile on her face, and when we talk about being a good contagious and having a positive ripple effect, this is what we're talking about," said Willis. "She is an example of everything we want our team to be about every single day in terms of pursuing excellence. We're so proud of her being able to come back the way she has."

The foundation looks to be in pretty good shape, and the Eagles have shown a competitive edge, which was evident in their exhibition match against College of Charleston and has been prevalent throughout the preseason.

"This team has a little bit of a chip on its shoulder and a little bit of an edge about them," said Willis. "We're going to be that team that will fight you tooth and nail to the bitter end. There will be times when we face some adversity and struggle a little bit, and that's okay. We just have to make sure we get in the middle of the ring and start throwing jabs. We may not be the most skilled, the most physical, the most athletic, but we will put our best foot forward and attack you with effort."

That fight and effort level has already manifested itself in improvement on defense. 

"On the defensive side of the ball, we're ahead of where I expected to be," said Willis. "We're chasing down some balls and putting ourselves into some good positions and we're starting to grasp the concepts of what we're trying to do defensively in terms of our priorities and how we're going to go about things."

Willis and the staff have been putting a lot of emphasis on first contact, whether the Eagles are serving or receiving, since they arrived on campus in the spring. 

"We talk a lot about first contact - both serve receive passing and serving - being a priority in our gym," said Willis. "We have to be a team that controls first contact, and we show moments that we can be really good and moments where we're not good. What's good for our team is that we recognize how important it is and how much emphasis we place on it and how much time we work on it, so they understand to do some of the things we're wanting to do offensively and defensively, it requires us to really dial it in on first contact."

The Eagles will put their new philosophies, principles and priorities to the test this weekend when they travel to the Mercer Bears Classic for three matches, starting Friday at 1 p.m. against Campbell. Below is a position-by-position preview as the Eagles head into the first week of competition.

Setters
Madison Brown, who gained a ton of experience as a freshman, is back for her sophomore campaign. She ranked fifth in the Sun Belt in assists with 9.3 per set, and started all 28 matches she played in.

"Madison has done a really good job of establishing herself as the one who is going to be quarterbacking us," said Willis. "She is doing a great job of handling our offense, and we're putting a lot on her plate. She is still relatively young as a sophomore so the more reps she gets and the more comfortable she gets, it will continue to pay dividends for us. She is clearly one of the most competitive kids we have in our gym, and she has really upped her game and started to take more of a leadership role for us, which is huge."

Sophomore Delaney DeCinces and freshman Abby Strong will push Brown for playing time. DeCinces played in 12 matches and started the first three contests of the 2018 season, while Strong has been out with an injury.

"I'm excited to get Delaney back, and she has a good amount of experience that she can build on," said Willis. "She will be able to catch up and compete. Abby has not been able to do much this preseason, and we're excited to add her to the mix when she gets back."

Outside Hitters
Adams and Carly Turner return for their senior seasons, and Turner is the most seasoned outside hitter on the roster. The senior played in 30 matches and started 10 contests, ranking fourth on the team with 252 kills and fifth on the squad with 43 blocks.

"Carly has had a really good preseason and has established herself as one of our top pin players," said Willis. "She is playing like it's her last year – determined to leave her mark. She's committed and dedicated to getting the most out of her senior year."

Maddie Bryant and Haley Fuller provide versatility in the lineup. Bryant played in all 31 matches and ranked third on the team with 261 kills and fourth on the team in blocks with 69. Fuller transferred in from UAB and led the Eagles with six kills in the exhibition match against College of Charleston. 

"Maddie and Haley both provide us a six-rotation pin presence, and both have had a lot of really bright spots this preseason," said Willis.

Senior Ryan Tuten, who played in 16 matches and made six starts, provides athleticism and versatility as she has played both outside hitter and in the back row. She has a good serve and with the priority placed on first contact, will be an asset for the Eagles. 

"Ryan is just so athletic, so we'll find some opportunities this season to work her in there when an opponent needs to see something different, and what I love about Ryan is that she just goes in there and gets after it," said Willis.

Middles/Right Sides
Willis likes to lump the middles and right sides into one position group and feels this is likely the deepest group on the team. 

"This is our deepest group from top to bottom so we're trying to utilize that depth and put as many point scorers on the floor as we can," said Willis.

Skylar Ball, one of the Eagles' top scorers from a season ago, averaged 2.37 kills per set and hit .206, ranking second on the team in both categories. The junior also ranked third on the team with 77 blocks and averaged 0.69 per set.

"Skylar is one of the top returners offensively so we're making sure we take advantage of putting her some in the middle and some on the right," said Willis. "She has been one of our more consistent players in terms of point scoring ability throughout preseason."

UNC Wilmington transfer Baylor Bumford, who tallied seven kills and four blocks in the exhibition match, has become one of the leaders of the group and the team. 

"Baylor has come in and added so much depth to that position not just in skill level but in leadership," said Willis. "She's a competitor and has a great IQ and great court presence, and she sets the standard pretty high for that group every single day."

Christina Walton and Maddi Ruble, who are true middles, saw limited time as freshmen last year put have put together good preseasons.

"Christina and Maddi have a little more catching up to do just because of their lack of playing experience, but they have done a good job of working hard through the reps to get better and both have had some really bright spots," said Willis. 

Mya Wilson will see playing time as a freshman and started the exhibition match, posting six kills and a pair of blocks. 

"Mya is competitive, she is vocal, she is coachable and wants to get better and she is passionate about keeping everybody moving in the right direction energy wise," said Willis. "She is doing all the little things you want a freshman to do to set a standard for herself and her teammates. We're excited about the growth potential she has."

Lauren Hager, who missed the second half of the 2018 season with injury, is still in the process of returning to the court. Another true middle, the junior posted 71 kills and 81 blocks in starting the first 16 matches of the year. 

"Lauren provides more stability in that position group based on her experience level," said Willis. "She is another player who has played a lot of points for this team when she has been healthy, and that experience is important."

Defensive Specialists
The Eagles had some turnover on the back line and with the priority being first contact, the ability to pass was an emphasis throughout the spring and preseason. 

"With us coming in as a new staff and prioritizing first contact, it was wide open, and whoever is going to pass consistently and well is going to earn those spots," said Willis.

Landon Jones, who played in 25 matches as a freshman and six as a sophomore, earned the libero spot in the exhibition match. She recorded 21 digs in five sets against the Cougars and looks to be the leader of the group both on and off the floor.

"Landon is hitting the benchmarks we're looking for in terms of passing and defensive numbers, and you can tell her stability as a player - she doesn't ride that emotional roller coaster and provides that emotionally stable presence for us in the gym and in the libero position," said Willis. "She is one of our top leaders and leads by example. Every day she wants to get better and wants everybody to get better and wants us to pursue excellence and achieve more."

Brooke Birch returns after leading the Eagles with 25 aces and ranking fifth on the team with 159 digs.
 
"Brooke wants to prove something her senior year," said Willis. "It's her last go around, and she is another one who leads by example and does whatever you ask her to do. She does a really good job setting the tone for us."

Freshmen Caitlyn Meeks and Meredith Eckard have shown good touch and come from good club programs that have prepared them well for the college game. 

"Caitlyn has a great touch on the ball and a good IQ and puts herself in the right positions to make plays," said Willis. "Meredith is a ball of energy. Her effort level is contagious in the right way, and she has a great touch on the ball as well."

Returning sophomore Nicoleta Meyer has transitioned from a setter to a defensive specialist and tallied a pair of digs in the exhibition. 

"The thing I love about Nico is that she's a team first kid," said Willis. "She goes hard and any opportunity she has to compete, she gets after it. She wants to get better. The effort level is there, and the execution level will get there as she gets more reps in the system."

A return to the Sun Belt Tournament in mid-November is the Eagles' team goal, but there are many baby steps to be taken to get there. Willis is encouraged by what he has seen so far.  

"We have a group that is really investing in wanting to pursue excellence every single day and that wants to be great," he said. 

The Eagles play their home opener against UNC Asheville Sept. 13, as part of the Georgia Southern Invitational, a four-team tournament that features five matches. GS also hosts seven Sun Belt matches, culminating in a 6:30 p.m. contest with rival Georgia State Nov. 12.

Season tickets for home matches are $50, and single-match tickets are $5-8 and $3-5 for youth ages 4-12. Group tickets for groups of 15 or more are available for $3 each and must be purchased prior to game day.