Volleyball set to serve up winning season

The MTSU volleyball squad returns this year looking to continue its recent surge of success under Head Coach Matt Peck.

"We're very excited about this season," Peck said. "We have a great group of athletes here. We have some seasoned veterans as well as some outstanding athletes."

The team enters the season with a target on its back as it was voted the favorite to win the Sun Belt Eastern Division by the league's head coaches.

Last season, the Blue Raiders spiked their way to their third Sun Belt Tournament Championship in four years, and in turn, made their fourth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.  MT finished the season with a 25-10 record including a 15-2 mark in conference play – good for second place in the regular season.    

With the transfer of junior Marie Szivos, MT now boasts three returning All-Conference players to lead the team back to championship contention, as senior outside hitter Izabela Kozon and junior middle blocker Stacy Oladinni also earned Sun Belt honors last season.

The three girls have been named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team for this year as well.   

Kozon and classmates Sasha McGlothin and Alyssa Wistrick, both middle blockers, hope to take the team back to the Sweet Sixteen they got to experience together as freshmen when they knocked off then 9th-ranked Hawaii.

The trio will also serve as team leaders for a squad featuring five newcomers.  

"We have a lot of new people on the court, but it doesn't change a lot," Kozon said. "We're as good or even better than we've been in other years."

As has been the case in recent years, in order to get there, MT will play some of the toughest competition in the country.

"We want to play the best teams we absolutely can," said Peck. "It makes us better, it makes the conference better, and I think a number of conference teams have decided to do the same thing."

Sixth-ranked Illinois will join top programs including Long Beach State, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Miami and Duke on the 2010 slate.

MTSU is also serving as the host school for this year's conference tournament Nov. 18-20.