Carrollton, GA - After one of the longest preseasons in school history, the West Georgia volleyball team is ready to take the court this Friday at the Saint Leo Invitational in Saint Leo, FL.
2010 Volleyball Gameday
The Wolves return the bulk of the 2009 roster this year, with all starters from the season finale back in uniform in 2010. In addition, head coach
Gary Lee and his staff hit the recruiting trail hard in the offseason, bringing in a load of talent to add to the mix for the coming year. Leading the way for the returners is a pair of seniors in
Lisa Ogide and
Jasmine Dotson.
Ogide had a hitting percentage of above .300 last year and with another year of collegiate volleyball under her belt, she will be ready for the rigors of Gulf South Conference volleyball. Dotson begins her final season in Carrollton as the lone player on the roster who has spent four years in a West Georgia uniform. She joined the Wolves for the 2007 season and enjoyed the success of that year, but began to blossom as a hitter last season after moving from middle blocker to outside hitter. She had a career-high 180 kills last season, with a 1.88 kills per game average.
Junior
Casey Niles returns for her third season at West Georgia after a successful run as a sophomore. Last season, she led the team with 2.26 kills per game and had a career-high with 212 total kills. She is the Wolves’ current career active leader in service aces, kills and blocks.
An impressive group of sophomores had to grow up quickly last year, and did well, helping to give the Wolves one more victory than the 2008 season. One big reason for that was in the defensive game, where now sophomores
Ellie Murphy and
Mary K Krueger were a huge shot in the arm a year ago.
Murphy was Miss Versatility for the Wolves last season, leading the Wolves in digs with 3.72 digs per game and 379 total digs. That number may have been higher, but she stepped in to help the Wolves out when setter
Taylor Mense went down with a bout with mono at midseason. In her four games as the UWG setter, Murphy was a solid fill-in, leading West Georgia to likely the most dramatic victory of the year, a 3-2 home win over Valdosta State.
For Krueger, she is an emotional leader on the floor and a solid leader in the stat column. She had 2.08 kills per game on the year, good for third on the team and was tied for second with 212 total kills. In addition, she led the squad at the net with 79 blocks, including 11 solo blocks.
A big combination offensively for the Wolves last season was Mense to fellow freshman
Audrey Hipple, UWG’s leader in total kills with 227. Now sophomores, the Wolves look for many more connections between Hipple and Mense. That pair was also killer on the service line, as Hipple led the way with 36 aces and Mense was right behind her with 29. Niles was right behind with 26 aces and Dotson put up 20 of her own.
Newcomers will play a big role for the Wolves in the coming year, as Lee is looking to add depth to his lineup. In the spring, he added transfer
Cassaday Cook, who has a chance to be either a setter or a left-handed hitter in 2010. The recruiting class included a pair of talented players who had success on the national club level over the summer as well as a couple of Georgia players.
California product
Emily Reul has had solid success at the club level and has the opportunity to step in and fight for a starting spot at the outside hitter position immediately. Georgia recruits
Reagin Boggs (Setter) and
Mandy Black (MB/RS) could see time early. Lee also expects to see big this from Virginia prospect Melissa Holt, who has experience both as a hitter and a setter. In addition, Lee has added depth at the outside hitter position with Fayetteville area hitter
Katie Holland and Florida import
Krystle Sullivan.