Troy University Athletics
Trojans Open Season On The Road
8/27/2008 10:00:00 PM | Volleyball
TROY, Ala. - The preseason is finally over for the Troy Trojans volleyball program as they head to Starkville, Mississippi for the MSU Classic this weekend.
The Trojans open the 2008 season with three matches on the Mississippi State campus, facing Colorado in the season opener on Friday afternoon, then facing the host-Bulldogs Saturday morning and Arkansas-Pine Bluff Saturday afternoon.
"We are really looking forward to the season and to this weekend," third-year coach Sonny Kirkpatrick said. "Practicing against ourselves in the preseason gets old after a while, so it will be nice to see someone else on the other side of the net. We are looking forward to playing teams from the power conferences this weekend and see how we match up."
Troy finished the 2007 season with a 16-17 record and 7-10 in the Sun Belt Conference, narrowly missing the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at the conclusion of the season.
They return five starters from last, including their top three offensive producers in Meghan Gilroy (346 kills), Jean McCarthy (344 kills) and Aubre Smith (327 kills). They also return their libero in Emily Strader (394 digs) and setter Megan Henderson (1,125 assists).
The Trojans also return six other players who have significant playing time, including senior Meghan Washlow who is fourth on the school's all-time list in assists with 2,117 and in the Top 10 in service aces.
"We gained a lot of experience last season," Kirkpatrick said. "All of our players got a lot of time on the court. I expect that we will continue to improve and look to challenge for a spot in the conference tournament."
The Trojans will also look to five incoming freshmen to provide depth and challenge for playing time this weekend, and throughout the season.
"Naturally I expect there to be nerves," Kirkpatrick said. "I like to challenge our younger players both on and off the court, I like to challenge them to be the best student-athlete they can be. Obviously, academics are their biggest challenge right now, but once we start playing on Friday I expect there to be nerves."
Last season, the Trojans recorded a nine-game turnaround that would leave any coach in the conference leary of what his team can accomplish the following season. But not Kirkpatrick, "One thing, this year, is that we won't be able to sneak up on teams. With the improvement that we've had, we'll be getting everyone's best match, but that is a great thing ... it shows that we're heading in the right direction."
The right direction starts this weekend at the MSU Classic, with the Trojans focusing on one match at a time.
"We are focusing all of our attention to Colorado and Friday," Kirkpatrick said. "We are putting all of our efforts into seeing how much we match up on Friday against a very good team in Colorado. We are looking forward to competing against them."
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