May 1, 2008

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss volleyball team capped off its spring training season by hosting its own tournament and enjoying some competition on the sand courts.

Southern Miss defeated Southeastern in volleyball action before the Lady Eagle players competed against each other and against players from Southeastern Louisiana on the sand volleyball courts.

The Lady Eagles also played in two other tournaments during the spring at LSU and Tulane.

According to head coach Ricci Luyties, "The players were in great shape and worked hard the entire spring season. The team appears to have bonded together. We have set some high goals for ourselves for the upcoming fall season."

Several players finished the spring season on high notes. "Angela Hlavaty was playing as good as ever and Katie Matlock improved a great deal during the spring," Luyties said. "Amy Flarity and Maia Ivanova played some great defense. Maia's passing was phenomenal. Stevi Cherry played well and added some great shots to her game. Ashley Petrinec just continued her great all-around performance. She took some good swings. Lauren Broom also played well and did a great job of being a leader on the court. Ashley Mell showed improvement even though she is recovering from an ACL injury. We expect her to be 100 percent in the fall."

The Lady Eagles return seven letterwinners from last year's team. Southern Miss opens the 2008 season at the Air Force Academy Tournament, Aug. 31-Sept. 1.