The University of Mississippi Athletics
Morgan Hopes To Help Rebels Against Mississippi State Sunday
9/30/2011 | Volleyball
by Morgan Adams
Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations
Sept. 30, 2011
OXFORD, Miss. - Freshman athletes usually do not play their first year on a collegiate team, especially in a hard hitting game like volleyball. The first year is used to soak up information, hone a player's skills and adjust to the fast paced action of a collegiate sport.
Kara Morgan, a sophomore from Pickens, S. C., went against the odds as a freshman at Ole Miss. She played in all 30 volleyball games her first year with the Lady Rebels and has continued to aid them on the court.
The sophomore outside hitter hopes to continue to build on that freshman experience as she takes the court for the Rebels on Sunday when Ole Miss hosts in-state rival Mississippi State at 4 p.m. in a match televised nationally by ESPNU.
"Coming in and playing as a freshman was really cool," Morgan said. "Being able to play through things that I wasn't the best at really improved me as a player. It was a great experience."
Morgan wasn't your average incoming collegiate freshman and had already racked up awards during her high school career. She was the first and only varsity girl at her high school to score more than 1,000 career points.
Morgan lettered four years at Pickens High School under head coach Jennifer Gravely and was named team MVP and an All-Region selection all four years.
In 2008 she was named the Class 3A State Player of the Year by High School Sports Report and in 2009 she was named to play in the CAWS All-Star Game.
Morgan's collegiate career has also been impressive. In 2010, she tallied five double-digit dig performances, including a season-high of 15 digs against Southern Miss at the Magnolia Invitational. Morgan hit .615 with a season-high of nine kills in the Rice Invitational and put down a season-high 5.0 blocks in a group against Alabama.
Morgan knows she couldn't have accomplished all her achievements on her own, it was a team effort. In a game that requires extreme mental and physical toughness, it helps to have people you can count on and she attributes her success to her teammates and the camaraderie they share.
"I thought coming in last year as a freshman that the team would be separated by upper and lower classmen. But it is not like that," said Morgan. "We are like a family. We hang out on the weekends, eat lunch together and I know that I could go to one of my teammates and they would help me with anything."
Morgan and her teammates have already started off the 2011 volleyball season and are looking forward to constantly improving, hitting harder and making plays. The team wants to win every game and is excited about competing against every opponent. In the SEC there isn't an easy team and each win is well earned. However, one particular rivalry is stronger than the rest and victory against them is a little sweeter.
"We look forward to playing every SEC school, but Mississippi State is a huge game for us, they are our biggest rivals," said Morgan. "This Sunday (Sept. 2) is going to be very exciting"
Ole Miss swept the Bulldogs last year, taking both meetings with Mississippi State and leads the all-time series 51-20.
Morgan and her teammates are prepared for Sunday's match and ask that the fans come out to support and that they are loud. The Lady Rebels are playing toward a successful year of volleyball and look forward to every game they get to play in front of their fans in Oxford.
"I absolutely love Ole Miss, I have never questioned my decision to come here," said Morgan. "To play for a big school with big fans is an awesome experience."
