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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Weekly Volleyball Release
9/5/2002 | Volleyball
Sept. 5, 2002
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A NEW ERA BEGINS: Ole Miss launched a new era in Ole Miss volleyball Aug. 30, when they opened the season against Eastern Kentucky in the first round of the Ruby's Invitational hosted by Montana. The new era officially began on Jan. 28 when Joe Getzin became the sixth head coach in the program's history. Since his arrival, he has assembled a top-notch coaching staff and seen the Gillom Sports Center undergo some changes. With 11 returnees including five seniors, and six newcomers, the Lady Rebels are ready to takeoff. Ole Miss went 2-1 in the tournament, defeating Eastern Kentucky and Boise State 3-0, before falling to Montana 3-1 in the title match.
MEET JOE GETZIN: Known for his outstanding recruiting and on-the-floor coaching, Getzin came to Ole Miss after serving the previous two seasons as the top assistant coach at South Carolina. During his two-year stint, the Gamecocks reached the NCAA Tournament twice and posted an overall record of 42-13, 22-6 in the SEC. He previously served for the Gamecocks from 1993-95 and assisted in recruiting several top players, including Ashley Edlund, Heather Larkin and Shani Abshier. Larkin and Edlund were named All-SEC four consecutive years and Abshier was the 1998 Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete-of-the-Year. Getzin has started out of the gates with success, leading Ole Miss to a 2-1 record after the first weekend of competition.
TOP-NOTCH COACHING STAFF: Joining Getzin courtside is a bevy of experience on the international level and the Division I level. Kris Grunwald, no stranger to the SEC, spent two seasons as the head coach at Auburn University. In his first year, Grunwald led the Tigers to a 22-9 overall record, 9-6 in the SEC. In 1999, Auburn posted a 19-11 overall record, 8-7 in the SEC. Prior to being named the head coach at Auburn, Grunwald served as the assistant coach from 1994-98. While he was an assistant coach, the Tigers went 73-47 overall. During his last two years as an assistant, Auburn posted a 21-9 record in the SEC. Kim Crandall, a former high school All-American, brings a wealth of experience with a successful program, having played at Nebraska, one of the nation's top programs. During her four-year career as a setter, the Cornhuskers won three Big 12 titles and advanced to the NCAA Final Four twice (1996, 1998). Derek Schroeder will serve as the volunteer coach. He brings plenty of international experience coming from Canada.
BAYLOR UP FIRST: The Lady Rebels will face Baylor in the first round of the Baylor Classic at 1 p.m. on Friday. The Bears, coached by Brian Hosfield, is a young team with no seniors on the squad adn six letterwinners returning from the 2001 season. The host Bears are 0-3 on the season after opening at the Mizuno Classic at Long Beach State. Baylor posted an 18-12 record in the 2001 season, going 9-1 in non-conference matches with a perfect 6-0 record at home. The Bears finished 9-11 in the Big 12, a sixth place overall finish. The Lady Rebels have faced Baylor twice, once in 1992 and once in 1999, with Ole Miss dropping both decisions to the Bears.
SCOUTING UT-ARLINGTON: Ole Miss will meet UT-Arlington at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The Lady Rebels have a 2-0 record against the Mavericks. The defending Southland Conference champions, UT-Arlington opened the season on the road, picking up a win against American University, while dropping matches to Arizona and Louisville. The Mavericks were led by senior outside hitter Amber Pack, who recorded a double-double in each of the three matches on the weekend. UT-Arlington returns all six starters from last years squad.
MEET UALR: The Lady Rebels final opponent for the weekend will be UALR. The two teams will square off at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Ole Miss has squared off against the Indians twice before, coming away with a 2-1 record. UALR opened the season with two victories over Nicholls State and Northwestern in the ASU Classic. THe Indians were led by two freshmen and a sophomore in the outing with Ivana Kuzmic, Larisa Durmisevic and Ivana Vracar leading the way. UALR returns three starters off of the 2001 team.
LADY REBS PICKED FOURTH IN SEC WEST: Ole Miss was picked by the league coaches to finish fourth in the SEC Western Division this year. Arkansas was voted to win the West followed by Alabama and LSU. Mississippi State and Auburn round out the West. Florida was the league's choice to claim the overall title.
Up Close With Each Position ...
SETTERS
The setter is as important to a volleyball team as the quarterback is to a football team. They are at the center of everything that goes on offensively. Getzin is glad to have someone with experience back at such a crucial position. That someone is Jade Polonich, who has two seasons of playing time under her belt including starting 21 matches as a sophomore last year. Polonich garnered All-Tournament team honors at the Ruby's Classic in Montana, where she recorded 112 assists, four service aces in three matches. She also posted career-best marks of 6 kills and 3 blocks vs. Boise State. Freshman Katie Griffin (Austin, Texas) has been a pleasant surprise so far, and Getzin expects great things from her down the road.
OUTSIDE HITTERS
With the loss of Jaime Burns at outside hitter, Getzin will turn to sophomore Elena Garcia, to set the tone. Garcia gained plenty of experience her freshman year playing in 24 of 25 matches and starting 20. She finished second on the team in kills and digs with 250 and 235 respectively. In addition to Garcia, the Lady Rebels have a pair of seniors in Cheryl Wilson and Erica Tricco that bring plenty of experience to the court. Wilson is in her third year in the program and possesses great athleticism. Tricco has played in 80 matches during her career. Junior Karla Zschau will figure into the mix as well as sophomore Mary Nell Bennett. Freshman Katherine Jensen also could see some playing time.
MIDDLE BLOCKERS
In the middle, Ole Miss is fortunate to have two seniors in Erin Newsom and Sarah Lansden. Newsom had some catching up to do in the fall after missing the spring with a broken hand, but she is ready to go. In her first weekend of competition, Newsom turned in solid numbers as she recorded 26 kills, 14 digs, and earned All-Tournament Team honors along with Polonich. Lansden started 23 of 25 matches a year ago and worked extremely hard in the offseason to improve her defensive skills. Freshman Rachel Refenes has impressed the coaches in the early going She earned her first start in Montana and led the team on the weekend, with 33 kills and 15 total blocks. She has tremendous size and athleticism, and the coaches are excited about her prospects for a great career.
WORTH TAKING NOTE...
* The Lady Rebels are off to their first 2-1 start since the 1999 campaign.
* Ole Miss began the 2002 season with two-straight victories (defeated Eastern Kentucky and Boise State) for the first time since 1995.
* The Lady Rebels won their first two matches by scores of 3-0 and 3-0, marking the first time Ole Miss had posted consecutive shutout victories since the 1999 squad did so against Rice at the Baylor Invitational.
* The back-to-back shutout wins to start the season was the first time the Lady Rebels had done so since the 1984 campaign. That squad began the season with four-consecutive shutout victories.
* Freshman Rachel Refenes made her first collegiate start in Ole Miss' second match of the season. In the two-day tournament, Refenes led the Lady Rebels with 33 kills and 15 total blocks.
LIBERO/DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST: A new position in college volleyball this season is the libero (LEE-bah-ro). A defensive position that has been used in international play for several years, the libero is a permanent back row player that is prohibited from serving or attacking a ball above the top of the net. The libero also wears a different color jersey from her teammates to make the distinction for the officials easier. Sarah Lansden will be the primary libero, as the best defenseive player on the team. Senior Amie Ewing, sophomore Megan McCune and freshman Nikki Veach will figure into the mix as well.
OH CANADA: The Lady Rebels boast two players and one coach from across the border. Junior setter Jade Polonich hails from Calgary, Alberta, freshman Katherine Jensen comes from West Vancouver, British Columbia, and volunteer coach Derek Schroeder calls Ontario home.
DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS: The 2002 roster has a Texas flavor to it with five players from the Lone Star State. Senior Sarah Lansden calls Kingwood home and fellow senior Erin Newsom is from Argyle. Sophomore Elena Garcia and freshman Katie Griffin hail from Austin. Freshman McKamy Tiner is a native of Dallas.
ALL IN THE FAMILY: Sophomore Karla Zschau is the last in a long line of volleyball players in her family following sisters Kristen (Tampa), Kim (Kansas State, USA National Team and Grand Rapids Force) and Kira (Ole Miss). Karla and Kira played together in 2000 at Ole Miss, while Kira was a senior on the team.
NEXT UP: Ole Miss travels to Orlando, Fla., Sept. 13-14 for the UCF Classic. The Lady Rebels will meet a tournament field including Charleston Southern, host, Central FLorida and Montana. It will be a rematch of the title match of the first tournament of the season for the Lady Rebels when they meet the Grizzlies on the neutral court in Orlando.
