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| Maddie Owak |
ROLLA, Mo. – The day is almost here.
The inaugural season of volleyball at the University of Missouri-Rolla is right around the corner and fans will get their first opportunity to see the team Monday night when the Lady Miners will hold their Silver and Gold intrasquad scrimmage at the Gale Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.
The scrimmage will start at 7 p.m. and will be free of charge to the public. The team will also be available for autographs following the event.
Head coach Jason Holt, who has spent the last year putting together the squad, is more than ready to see the Lady Miners get into game action.
“Each of the players within the program knows how great of an opportunity this is to be a part of,” Holt said. “They have all worked very hard this past summer preparing to put this new program on the volleyball map.”
A total of 17 players are on the first Lady Miner roster, 14 of whom are freshmen in eligibility. But while the team may be youthful in its makeup, there is plenty of talent in that group which has made for a spirited pre-season as everyone has been trying to make an impression to earn roles on the team.
“With everyone on the roster being new, we will have a lot of competition for playing time at every position this year,” Holt said. “That will help us take the first steps in the right direction for this new and exciting program.”
The Lady Miners have three liberos and defensive specialists on the roster. Stephanie Harman (Carl Junction, Mo.), a junior who made the team through a tryout session last fall, heads up a group that will also feature freshmen Annie Smith (Florissant, Mo./Incarnate Word) and Bridget Williams (Topeka, Kan./Hayden).
UMR also has three setters in the fold this fall in redshirt freshman Tory Smiley (Springfield, Mo./Glendale) and incoming freshmen Ashlyn Balensiefer (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) and Lisa Bradley (Littleton, Colo./Columbine).
The deepest position for the Lady Miners this season is at middle hitter, where five players – all of whom stand six feet or above – are competing for playing time.
Lynsey Jorgenson (St. Louis, Mo./Lindbergh), a sophomore who will be the Lady Miners’ captain this season, joins four freshmen in the competition for time at that spot. A pair of 6-1 players, Hope Mooberry (Morton, Ill.) and Samantha Klump (Ash Grove, Mo.), will contend for spots along with Katie Herington (Kalona, Iowa/Mid-Prairie) and Kaci Herron (Jonesboro, Ark.), a duo that garnered numerous honors at the high school level.
The last of the players who were on campus last year, sophomore Lisa Robinson (Lake Charles, La./St. Louis Catholic), is among the four outside hitters on the roster. Freshmen Leandra Pelae (Dunlap, Ill.), Jessica Laughary (Wheaton, Mo.) and Kit Spears (Valley Center, Kan.) are also expected to compete for time at that role.
On the opposite side, freshmen Lauren Summerville (Fenton, Mo./Rockwood Summit) and Maddie Owak (Tinley Park, Ill./Chicago Christian) will contend for the right side hitter position.
UMR’s first regular season match is scheduled for August 24 as it will take part in the Christian Brothers Classic. The Lady Miners will play four games in that event, four more over Labor Day weekend in a tournament at Colorado School of Mines and a match at Washburn before their home opening weekend.
The Lady Miners will start the home slate Sept. 7 against Drury and Sept. 8 against Rockhurst.
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