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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Volleyball Announces Three Signees For 2001
4/30/2001 | Volleyball
April 30, 2001
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss women's volleyball team is pleased to announce the addition of three new faces to the 2001 roster. The signees are Mary Nell Bennett, Elena Garcia and Stacy Spears.
The Lady Rebels are bringing in a right-side hitter, a middle blocker and an outside hitter in the three incoming freshmen.
"All three of these girls will challenge for playing time," said Ole Miss head coach John Blair. "This group has distinguished itself as a definitive group of student-athletes. All three were singled out as both All-State athletes and great students.
"I think this group will be a great addition to the University of Mississippi and the volleyball program. I look forward to working with all three of them."
Bennett is a 6-0 right-side hitter from Louisville, Ky. She led Assumption High School to six-straight state titles and a No. 2 national ranking at the end of the 2000 season. She was named All-District, All-Region and All-State in 2000 and was also named the MVP of the Kentucky state tournament. Bennett was coached by Ron Kordes at Assumption and also played for the Kentucky Indiana Volleyball Academy club team.
"Mary Nell brings an unbelievable amount of tradition to our program," said Blair. "She comes from one of the top 10 high school programs in the nation and was the MVP of that team. She has a great understanding of the game and will be a strong addition to our team."
Garcia is a 5-9 outside hitter from Austin, Texas. She played for Al Bennett at Westlake High School and was named to the 2000-01 Texas Girls Coaches Association 5A All-State Team. She also played for the Austin Juniors club team.
"Elena has a tremendous volleyball background," said Blair. "She played for one of the top high school coaches in Texas and on one of the perennial top high school teams in the state of Texas. She should be able to come in and immediately contribute for us at the outside hitter position."
Spears is a 6-2 middle blocker from Atlanta, Ga. She was named the 2000 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Player of the Year after her senior season at North Springs High School. Spears was coached by Lynne Malloy and was named the 5-AAAA State Tournament MVP in 2000. She played for the Atlanta Juniors club team.
"Stacy has unlimited potential," said Blair. "She is a player that works really hard to get better everyday. She is very physical and has the desire to win that we need her at Ole Miss."
The three newcomers will be joining the 10 returning lettermen from last season's 15-16 team that advanced to the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals. The Ole Miss volleyball team will begin the 2001 season at the James Madison Classic on Aug. 31.
