Challenging slate to start 2011 for Ole Miss volleyball

Following an NCAA tournament bid in 2010, Ole Miss Volleyball has high hopes its improved talent will take them further.

Last season, the Rebels finished 19-11, earning the school’s third NCAA Tournament in five years. 

“We are really excited,” head coach Joe Getzin said. “We could be a little healthier, and (we) have lost a couple of back row specialists.”

After fighting the injury bug last season, this years’ Rebels are looking to stay healthier, especially with senior Regina Thomas back, who was named third team All-American and first team All-SEC last season and suffered an ACL tear 23 games in. 

“Regina really burst onto the nation scene last year,” Getzin said. “It is nice to get her presence back on the floor. She is close to the level of production she was last season when she got hurt.”

Thomas cannot wait to get back onto the floor and, along with her teammates, is looking forward to a strong showing this year.

“We have a great group, with four new freshmen and 11 returning players,” Thomas said. Our level of experience is really good, and our intensity in the gym has been awesome.”

Along with Thomas, rising star Allegra Wells will also be counted on to provide leadership and consistent play.

“Allegra is a powerhouse hitter,” Thomas said. “She is really going to come out of her comfort zone this year and step up.”

Wells, a junior, has started since her freshman year and this past summer had the chance to play for the USA National A2 program as part of the USA Volleyball National Open Championship.

“It was a good experience for Allegra,” Getzin said. “The program takes the top 30 kids in the country with Olympic potential and trains them. It showed her what the next step is, and she is arguably one of the best right side blockers in the country.”

The Rebels are loaded with talent this season, not only with Thomas and Wells, but also with the likes of juniors Whitney Craven and Courtney Cunningham, who also return from injury this season.

The road to the top will not be an easy one for the Rebels, however, and their first test is quite the challenge. In this weekend’s Burnt Orange Classic at the University of Texas, the Rebels will begin play with the Israeli National team.

“It’s going to be great,” Thomas said. “It is a big challenge, and you always want to challenge yourself.”

Along with a challenging first weekend, which also includes Final Four participants Texas and Pepperdine, Ole Miss has scheduled arguably one of the toughest schedules in the country. Fourteen of the 29 teams the Rebels will play this season reached the NCAA Tournament last season.

“We scheduled aggressively,” Getzin said. “You have to play the best in the country to get a championship team.”

Getzin also believes the Rebels will have a new look with the 2011 team.

“You will see a scrappier defensive team with a lot of excitement,” he said. “If you haven’t been to a game in the Gillom Center, it is a small venue where you are close to the action. It is an intense and high-flying sport. 

“Once we get you there, we have a lot of repeat fans, and they have a big impact on the game.”