STATESBORO– Georgia Southern volleyball, fresh off a 16-12 record and a second-round appearance in last year's Sun Belt Tournament, is looking for continued growth in 2023.

Despite losing some of the squad's premier players from last season due to graduation, Chad Willis' crew is ready to go for the 2023 campaign – which begins on Friday night.

"Last year was another solid step forward for the program, specifically in culture," Willis said. "We're always trying to build relationships and challenge the program daily, and the results will take care of themselves. While I was pleased with the record and pleased to take a game in the tournament, there is always a desire to get better."

Before the team gets set to host East Carolina and UNCG this weekend, it had one final exhibition tune-up at Furman, which ended as a come-from-behind five-set thriller.

While five sets were scheduled no matter the results of the first four, the decisive fifth frame was ultimately needed to decide the match, and Willis noted the match itself was a solid foundation to build upon heading into the grind of the regular season.

"Our balance and resilience as a group were what I took away from that game," he said. "Balance is that there are a lot of looks we can throw at teams this season, and resilience to come from behind in that environment. Furman had about 300 people in the gym, and to be in that sort of environment, it really challenged us and allowed me to see what our team's resolve looks like."

Willis brought in a few transfers this season, including middle blocker Ally Barnhart, who comes over from South Florida. Barnhart is no stranger to the team, growing up in Kansas alongside Ashlyn Lovett and Reagan Barth.

"You talk about competitive maturity and a sense of humor, Ally's got both," Willis said. "She's definitely been a jolt of energy, and that experience has helped us."

Honing in on the leadership of upperclassmen this year, Rebekah Farthing, Callaway Cason, Chamblee Russell and Ainsley Clifford have all been steadfast in their growth in that area, which is important due to the experience that was lost in the offseason.

"Coming into this year, that group has an understanding of what our expectations are and how we operate," Willis said. "I am especially proud of the way they've connected this group and cultivated this 'we' mentality, where I am pretty confident regardless of who I put on the floor that we have a group that will support each other and achieve more as a team."

The team had a chance to spend ten days in Argentina together this offseason, which Willis points to as another bonding moment for the group that could pay dividends during the regular season.

"We got to spend ten days there and really got to see some people come out of their shells," he said. "Many grew into their roles both on and off the court and to the point where when we got to preseason, we were already connected as a group."

The Eagles will open with ECU on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and have a chance to see both teams competing in the Bash in the Boro before the first game. Willis is not focusing on the opponent, but rather, on other intangibles as the squad opens its 2023 campaign.

"My focus going into the non-conference schedule is what it always has been; focusing on what we can control," he said. "If we can dial into what we have worked on this preseason, we will be in pretty good shape."

ECU and UNCG match up at noon on both days of the weekend, while the Eagles will take the court for the night portion of the tournament on both days.