Reb Duo Part Of Rebuilding Ole Miss Volleyball

By Bill Bunting
Assistant Director, Athletics Media Relations

When faced with the challenge of rebuilding a program and taking it to a new level of success, there are lots of things that must come together. The right coaching staff must be assembled, the recruiting must be in place and the program needs solid leadership and performance from its players on the court.

In their senior season as the first two players to play all four seasons under Rebel head coach Joe Getzin, Kristen Carroll and Jaclyn Toohey have helped provide that level of performance and leadership and have the Rebels headed down the path to success.

Getzin accomplished two of those goals, bringing in athletic ability and leadership, with the recruitment of Carroll and Toohey to campus prior to the 2003 season.

Part of the first recruiting class in Getzin's first full year with the program, the pair made an impact early and proved their worth on the court. Both played significant roles in the offense in their freshman season and have seen those roles grow over the course of the past three seasons.

"Jaclyn and Kristen were part of our first true recruiting class, and they have matured along with the program," said Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin. "They have been a big part of our success this season. Both of them have played all four years and have added a lot as they have grown as athletes and as human beings."

An All-State selection in Texas out of high school, Toohey came in and led all freshmen in kills with 251 and was third on the team offensively. Carroll, also an All-State selection in Alabama, was hot on her heels with 170 kills for the year as both players worked their way into the starting lineup early in the season.

Their freshman campaign included posting sweeps of the season series with Auburn and arch-rival Mississippi State and a win over LSU. The five wins tied the most SEC wins for the program since 1997. Since that time, the pair have continued to step up for the Rebels and helped the team achieve goals not seen on the court at Ole Miss in recent memory.

As sophomores, Carroll and Toohey helped the Rebels take another step down the path of success. Ole Miss went on the road and picked up big wins over LSU and Kentucky - places the Rebels hadn't seen success in nearly a decade.

In 2005, the Rebels proved the program could compete on a national level as Ole Miss hosted perennial national-power Texas at the Magnolia Invitational. The Rebels went toe-to-toe with the nationally-ranked Longhorns before falling.

This season has been no different as Ole Miss stormed out of the gates posting wins in all venues against team from power conferences like the Big 10 and the Big East. Ole Miss has also served notice in the SEC, picking up wins over Kentucky and Arkansas.

The most recent win over the Lady 'Backs of Arkansas added another signature win to the list of accomplishments for the seniors and Getzin as it was only the second ever over Arkansas in the 30-year history of Ole Miss volleyball.

"It's been a real challenge the past four years being a part of rebuilding a program, but I have learned a lot from it," said Carroll. "It's been exciting to be a part of something and seeing the results and hard work pay off."

"It's been a lot different than I expected, but we have things going now," Toohey said. "You have to survive the struggles to achieve anything worthwhile in life. There has been a lot of work put into this volleyball team and it is worth it. It's great to know that others have bought into what this coaching staff believes Ole Miss volleyball can be and that we are getting better players to continue to build on our success."

The list of individual accomplishments shows what Carroll and Toohey have meant to the Rebel program. Toohey has been one of the most prolific offensive players at Ole Miss, as she is closing in on the 1,000 kill mark for her career. Toohey laid down a career-high 27 kills in helping lead the Rebels to the 3-2 win over Arkansas last weekend.

Despite that, it's not the most memorable match of her career. That distinction belongs to a tough 3-2 loss to LSU as a sophomore that saw Toohey put down a then career-best 25 kills. She also tripped and fell on an approach to the net to make an attack, drawing attention from the crowd.

"I think that LSU match is my most memorable because I had my best performance of my career and my dad had come into town to surprise me," Toohey said. "But I also had a moment where I tripped on the approach. So it was neat to have my most outstanding athletic performance and most embarrassing moment as part of the same match."

Carroll has been dominant on the right side for the Rebels. She broke the 500 kill mark as a junior and with almost 200 kills to date, is also pushing for the 1,000 kill mark for her career. She put down a career-high 20 kills against Kentucky to help lead the Rebels to victory earlier this season.

"That match against Kentucky was one of my favorite because we played in front of such an amazing crowd at home, and of course I had one of my best matches of my career," Carroll said. "It was also great because I knew that what I saw as a freshman - that I could come to Ole Miss and be part of building something special in the SEC - was what I was actually a part of now."

While the team is making big strides, the trip is nowhere near over for these seniors who see lots of achievements on the horizon for them as Ole Miss continues on the path to success in 2006. They also feel that the success seen so far this season is only the beginning of where the program can go for the future.

"I really only expect us to continue to get better each time out on the court and build on each week's success," Carroll said of the future. "I definitely think this team can finish in the top half of the SEC this year and become one of the conference's better programs."
Toohey agreed with her teammate.

"This past weekend at Arkansas is an example of the fight this team has and the desire to reach higher," Toohey said. "To come back and win after being down like we were is unheard of in volleyball. I see this program being an NCAA program. I think that because of what we've all done as coaches and players, this program will continue to get better and see more success in the future."

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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