TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE CONTINUES FOR PIRATE VOLLEYBALL
Posted: Aug 23, 2010
GEORGETOWN, Texas – A tradition of excellence has been
established in the Southwestern University volleyball program and
this season should be no exception as the Pirates hit the court for
the start of the 2010 season. With a preseason ranking of #16
nationally, SU will put their reputation and tenacious play to the
test as they face nine of the teams named in the preseason AVCA
Division III Top 25 throughout the year (Emory #3, Colorado #5,
Trinity #12, Christopher Newport #15, Eastern #18, UT-Dallas #20,
Puget Sound #25, DePauw RV, Austin RV) and will face Maryville (TN)
who earned a bid to the NCAA tournament last year.
Southwestern comes into the 2010 season as the reigning Southern
Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) champions after going 35-4
including an SU record 30 match win streak. Despite having just one
senior on the team they are a very experienced group. "Our
veteran leadership will pace our offense," states Head Coach
and South Region Coach of the Year 2009 Hannah Long. "They
are who we will look towards to defend our SCAC title."
Among the returners are juniors, setter Christina Nicholls and
middle blocker Lindsay Thompson, who were SCAC First Team
All-Conference, AVCA All-South Region First Team, and AVCA
All-American Honorable Mention selections. Nicholls started all 39
matches last season and was instrumental in the diverse offensive
attack of the Pirates, recording 1428 assists at 10.5 per set, with
just 45 ball handling errors. She recorded 33 aces on the year and
was second on the team in digs with 393. Thompson was a
consistently effective attacker for SU in 2010, playing all 39
matches and led in kill percentage at .338. She recorded 393 kills
at just over three per set, both second on the team.
Also returning for the Pirates is senior Lauren Brown who missed
the 2009 season thanks to an early injury. In 2008, Brown was third
on the team in kills/set with 2.68 and second with a .279 kill
percentage and will add another strong hitter to the front row.
Southwestern welcomes one of the largest newcomer classes to the
mix to make this one of the deepest teams the Pirates have put on
the court. "We brought in a lot of talented players who will
see playing time in their first season with our team," notes
Coach Long.
The 2010 season looks bright for the Pirates and the buzz
surrounding the team in palpable, and deservedly so. This
year's schedule will give fans an opportunity to see the
Pirates in action at home more times than in previous years as they
have 13 home matches including the season opener on September 1
against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor at 4:00 pm and
Schreiner University at 8:00 pm.