(U OF I RELEASE)
INDIANAPOLIS – Instead of a normal fall season, the University of Indianapolis volleyball team, as well as several other athletics programs, are adjusting to hosting a regular season this spring.
The Greyhounds are coming off a 2019 campaign that featured 21 wins and a trip to the NCAA DII Midwest Regional – their first in five years – before coming to a close in a five-game thriller versus a top-10 Hillsdale team in the regional quarterfinal.
Jason Reed will enter his eighth season as head coach for Indianapolis with a 129-95 (.567) career record under his belt.
"We're excited to be back in the gym at full strength," Reed said. "Thankful that we are able to play volleyball,"
STRONG NUMBERS
The Hounds will have a relatively young roster this spring, with 12 underclassmen (5 freshmen and 7 sophomores) and only six upperclassmen. The three seniors include outside hitters Katie Furlong and Taylor Jacquay, and middle blocker Emily Ellis.
Ferlong, an All-GLVC and All-Midwest Region honoree, led the team in kills in 2019 with 453 while becoming the 14th player in school history to surpass 1,000 career kills. Jacquay earned all-conference second team accolades in '19 after amassed 330 kills, while Makenna Barnhart topped the Greyhounds in both digs (456) and services aces (22).
With the loss of All-GLVC First Team setter Alyssa Spears, the Hounds will look to fill the important roll in the upcoming season. The two setters listed on the current roster are returning-junior Alex Equihua, who missed the 2019 season due to injury, and freshman Natalie Thom, who was a four-time all-conference winner from Okemos High School in Michigan.
"The returners are doing a good job with teaching culture, teaching system, the things we're doing in the gym, the way we want to go about our business," said Reed. "Every year the new folks bring in a different and new energy.
"That's one of the most exciting things about coaching and being on a team ... is every year even if you've got all these people that are back, someone's bringing in something different."
DAY-BY-DAY
"Each day we are hoping to get into the gym and just get a little better," Reed stated. "We're dedicating a lot of time to the first-ball contact … a lot of passing and defensive stuff.
"I don't like looking at the outcome; we worry about getting better each day."
The Hounds were picked to finish second the GLVC East Division and earned three first-place votes in the league's preseason coaches poll, released this week.
"I think that this will be a year of upsets in a lot of different directions," added Reed. "I think it's going to be a crazy year in the sense of what teams can overcome some of the obstacles, both on the court and off the court."
The Greyhounds will open their season against Illinois Springfield on Friday Jan. 29, followed hosting preseason East Division-favorite Lewis a day later.
"I'm a liar if I say that we don't get more excited about certain matches than others," admitted Reed, "but when we're in practice, we're worried about just getting a little better each day. If we can keep our focus there and ignore the stuff that everybody else is talking about – the wins the losses – then that stuff will take care of itself."
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