MOREHEAD, Ky. -- It's not often a head coach has the luxury of having an entire roster returning from a previous season, but that's just the situation for Morehead State Volleyball head coach
Kyrsten Becker-McBride in her second season. With the entire complement of student-athletes back, it's made for a highly competitive and fun preseason.
The Eagles are working out, preparing for the season opener on Aug. 30 in Lexington versus nationally-ranked Western Kentucky. They'll also have a tune-up opportunity at home on Aug. 24 when Miami (Ohio) visits Johnson Arena for an exhibition match. Tickets are available now. The Ohio Valley Conference will release its preseason predictions and preseason all-conference team on Aug. 22.
"We have a highly competitive gym this year," said Becker-McBride. "The skill level of everyone has given us the opportunity to move people around, and created a lot of combinations. The versatility of our athletes is a strength, and creates for a lot of fun options."
As mentioned, the Eagles return 12 athletes who saw action in 2023 and are thrilled to see the return of middle blocker
Sydney Wyman, who missed the previous campaign with injuries.
M.E. Hargan and
Irene Wogenstahl return as well after both earning First-Team All-OVC last fall.
Other key returnees include defenders
Peighton Isley,
Courtney Fitzgerald,
Shea Hefner and
Ellie Whiteside. Up front, standouts include
Maycie Welborn and and
Avery Ray, and in the middle, fans will see
Amelia Nott,
Hollan Everett and Wyman.
Brenna Bommer and
Sydney Sennett shared setter duties in 2023, and both are back. Newcomers for 2024 include outsides
Sarah Heath and
Ruby Klusman and defensive specialist
Tinsley Brown.
Becker-McBride is eager to see how this year's team identity will develop, but early on, the words that have risen to the top are authentic and fun.Â
"While we have yet to see what the identity of the team is, we have been very clear on our purpose and mission. A word that has come up multiple times is authentic, and that speaks to the way people can conduct themselves on and off the court," she said. "Anyone who spends time around our team knows that they are truly themselves, and that allows them to fail, grow, and laugh a lot. Not only is it an incredibly fun team to be around every day, they are going to be a fun team to watch."
MSU's schedule for this year includes the first four matches against in-state foes, including the aforementioned Hilltoppers, plus Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky and Northern Kentucky. MSU also hosts its annual Comfort Inn-Vitational and will have a home-and-home weekend against Big 12 foe Cincinnati.
"We've worked to put together a non-conference schedule that challenges us in a variety of ways," Becker-McBride added. "There are matches like Kentucky where we will be the less physical team, and need to find ways to score when we can't rely on our size. There are other matches on the schedule that will be challenging because teams won't give free points, similar to teams in the OVC. Our home and home with Cincinnati mimics an OVC weekend, where we play the same team back to back. Our pre-conference schedule is about facing adversity head on, because we know the OVC will be an incredibly competitive conference this year."
The OVC ledger begins Sept. 25 with a home battle against Tennessee State.
