Aug. 10, 2006

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The best way to describe the 2006 Southern Miss Volleyball team is fresh, with a lot of newness surrounding the program. This is especially good this season, as Head Coach Ricci Luyties continues to mold the Lady Eagle program and lay a foundation for success.

Luyties' first two years have not been up to his high standards, as he has experienced growing pains while installing his system and vision for the program. Now in his third year and with a completely different team in 2006, he believes that this year will be an important building block for the future.

But to build a solid foundation among fresh faces, Luyties believes that a base must be built. That base will come in the form of team chemistry and confidence, two key components Luyties believes is crucial if success is to be had.

"Our number one goal is to have team chemistry," Luyties said. "We have to have chemistry and believe in one goal of being a team. We lacked that cohesiveness as a team last season. Team unity is one goal we need to strive for this season."

The 2006 squad also looks to erase the bad memories of 2005, as the Lady Eagles finished the season with a 6-19 record and did not win a conference match, for the first time since the 1994 season.

Southern Miss returns only five letterwinners, including three starters. But Luyties has added nine newcomers to give the "veteran" players needed support.

The team will have to replace six letterwinners who accounted for 40 percent of the offense and 32 percent of its defense. Jazzmien Stephens and Leslie Robertson were four-year letterwinners for the Lady Eagles, while Ednali Serralta and Amber Bloom played only one season. Both made an immediate for the Lady Eagles in their first season as starters.

Also gone from last year's team is Kaitlyn Deutsch, the backup setter, who played in 83 games and recorded 24 aces and 169 digs. And with the loss of Cassie Conley, Luyties will have to find another go-to player off the bench.

"Cassie was one of our versatile players," Luyties said. "We used her in situations where we needed a big block. She did that for us."

Conley was a key reserve, playing in 22 matches and 57 games.

"With nine players coming in, basically, it's going to be another new team from last season," Luyties said. "Just like last year's team was different from the year before."

Heading the list of returnees are senior Amanda Blunck and junior Morgan Johnson. Blunck spent the last three seasons playing the libero position. She has led the team in digs for three seasons and on track to record her 1000th dig in her career.

"Amanda is one of the harder workers on the team," Luyties said. "We will move her to the outside hitter position this season, giving us more strength because of her experience."

Johnson was one of only two players to start all 25 matches. She finished the season second on the team in kills and blocks.

"Morgan had a very good spring season," Luyties said. "She has been a starter for the past two seasons and we are expecting more from her. She has a lot of experience and is probably our most versatile athlete."

Also returning are senior Nicole Rock and sophomores Ashley Petrinec and Stevi Cherry.

Rock played in 20 matches last season, starting three contests, also posting 22 total blocks.

"Nicole had a good spring," Luyties said. "Her game improved a lot. She has all the skills to play the middle and we expect her to continue to contribute to the team."

Petrinec started all 25 matches and played in all 90 games. She led the team in kills and was second on the team in digs. Cherry was one of five players recording 170 kills or more last season. Both were named to the all-tournament team at the Jaguar Challenge.

"I thought Ashley and Stevi had a great first year," Luyties said. "We put the leadership role on them as freshmen and they responded well. I believe they are going to do even better."

According to Luyties, Cherry turned out to be a pleasant surprise in 2005 and should be better this season.

"I wasn't sure how much playing time Stevi was going to get, but she kept impressing me during practice," he said. "Every time I put her in a match, she played well. Physically, she is not that tall, but she is a strong and explosive hitter. She will be good for us."

Luyties will rely on several newcomers for the 2006 season to replace Stephens, Robertson, Bloom, Deutsch, Conley and Ednali Serralta. With the loss of Serralta at the setter position last season, the Lady Eagles will have to depend on an untested one.

"All of our upperclassmen will have to step up in order for us to be a success this season," Luyties said. "All of them need to take leadership roles and lead us."

Southern Miss welcomes nine new faces that include six players standing at 5-10 or taller. The group also includes four transfers, juniors Amanda Huntoon of

Encinitas, Calif.; Kristen Metz of Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada; and Mari Ruddick of Santa Clarita, Calif., with sophomore Cassie Lavery of Arma, Kan., and freshmen Angela Hlavaty of Lincoln, Neb.; Amy Flarity of Mobile, Ala.; Megan Gable of Mobile, Ala.; Mia Ivanova of Sofia, Bulgaria; and Jennifer Peyton of Houston, Texas.

"We've gotten bigger," Luyties said. "That will help us tremendously. We should see our offense score better and our defense look better because we are bigger at the net."

Huntoon comes to Southern Miss following a two-year stint at Palomar College, where she was a first-team all-conference selection. She recorded 252 kills as a sophomore and averaged 1.14 blocks per game.

"Amanda can play any position for us," Luyties said. "She can play the middle or outside. She brings a reputation of being a hard worker in practice and I believe that will be an asset to our team."

Metz played at Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kan., where she played the setter position and earned all-region honors.

"Kristen has not been a setter very long," Luyties said. "She has a lot of potential and we will work hard with her in preseason to get her ready for the season."

Another transfer, Mari Ruddick, will give the Lady Eagles more depth and experience on the outside. Ruddick played one season at Utah State, where she received all-freshman honors in the Big West Conference. She played in all 30 matches and 109 games as a freshman at Utah State.

"Mari is just what you are looking for in an opposite, a 6-3 lefty," Luyties said. "She gives us a big block and hitter and the opportunity to do more on the right side."

Luyties added a late addition to the squad with the transfer of Lavery, who earned second team All-American honors while playing at Neosho County Community College. Lavery recorded over 1,250 assists last season and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

"We definitely got a steal in Cassie," Luyties said. "We were looking for some help late and we were very excited to get her. She had a good freshman season at Neosho County."

Along with the transfers are five talented freshmen, Hlavaty, Ivanova, Flarity, Megan Gable and Peyton.

Hlavaty, a 6-4 middle, set a school and state class record with 448 kills during her senior season.

"Angela has the potential to be the best middle that we've had in a long time," Luyties said. "She is a great hitter and a big block. We look for her to be an impact player."

With the addition of Peyton at outside hitter, the Lady Eagles have strengthened their front row.

"Jennifer is a good find for us," Luyties said. "She has been playing volleyball for a long time and she is a good all-around player."

Luyties added a trio of defensive specialists - Ivanova, Flarity and Gamble - to provide depth in the back row.

"We are going to have some small scrappy people in the back row," Luyties said. All three players will push each other to vie for playing time.

"Maia is a good ball control player," Luyties said. "She is everything you would want in a defensive specialist, quick and low to the ground. She has good lateral movement. She reads hitters very well."

Flarity stands at 5-4 but brings excellent credentials to the Lady Eagle program, having recorded 2,900 digs in her high school career.

"Amy is another good ball control player and passer," Luyties said. "She is going to push everybody and will be a factor in the back row."

Gable, a two-year letterwinner, recorded 920 digs while playing at McGill Toolen High School.

"Megan gives us an additional depth, something we haven't had in recent years," Luyties said.

The Middle

Production will determine who gets the starting nod or the majority of the playing time in the middle. There should be plenty of competition for the starting position as five players - Hlavaty, Huntoon, Conley, Johnson and Ruddick - battle for the playing time.

"We are going to have a lot of competition for that position between the players," Luyties said. "Production is the key to who earns the playing time."

The Outside

With Blunck moving to the outside hitter position, the Lady Eagles will have more depth and experience. The squad has two of the top three outside hitters returning, in Petrinec and Cherry. Peyton, Huntoon and Blunck also will push for playing time and add depth to the position.

"We will have a solid group competing for playing time at the outside hitter position," Luyties said. "By all standards, we have small people at this position, but we should be able to make up for that with the ball control."

Setter

The biggest concern coming into the 2006 season is the setter position. To fill the void left by Serralta and Deutsch, Luyties will have to rely on a pair of junior college transfers in Metz and Lavery.

"The setter position concerns me because we don't have the numbers or the experience," Luyties said. "We may have two setters with one year of experience, but I believe they are both capable of running the offense because I believe we have the passing, the hitters and ball control. It's just a matter of the setter being able to grasp my concept."

The Libero

Numbers will not be a problem for the Lady Eagles at the libero position. Luyties bought in a solid group, including Ivanova, Flarity and Gable, who should provide ample depth and ball control at that position.

"I believe that we have improved ourselves in the back row," Luyties said. "Each player is capable to playing the back row. We now have the numbers that we have lacked for the last two years."

The Schedule

Southern Miss will once again play a 16-match conference schedule. The Lady Eagles will compete in three tournaments and host non-conference opponents South Alabama, Troy, UNO and Southeastern Louisiana.

"The schedule is tough again," Luyties said. "We will be tested early in the Colorado tournament. They are always in the top 25. We also play Cincinnati, another proven winner."

Southern Miss plays C-USA foes, UCF, East Carolina, Marshall, UAB and Memphis, in a home-and-home series, and travels to SMU, Houston and Rice on the road. The Golden Eagles also will host Tulsa, Tulane and UTEP.

"We want to be able to compete in Conference USA," Luyties said. "Last season, before we started our C-USA schedule, we were finishing some tight matches and coming up with some big plays. We were feeling good about ourselves as a team. But when the conference schedule started and we started to lose, we didn't finish those matches.

"I believe our conference is tough," Luyties continued. "We had only one team advance to the NCAA Tournament last season, but I believe our conference is capable of putting more in.

"I know we didn't have the best year last year, but I am excited about having a fresh start," Luyties added. "It's good to have new people coming in and changing the outlook of the team."