In the last few seasons, experience has been rare to find on the Mississippi State University volleyball team. But for the 2014 squad, Head Coach Jenny Hazelwood said experience and leadership are not hard to come by.
“We actually have more upperclassmen this year than we usually have,” Hazelwood said. “We have so many upperclassmen that are stepping up in strong leadership roles.”
Hazelwood, who is in her sixth year as head coach, believes her younger players and incoming freshmen will adapt more quickly with the help of her team leaders.
“Many of our young players have a lot of experience in the volleyball world,” Hazelwood said. “I really feel their adjustment to this level of play is not going to be as hard as it looks on paper, just because we have key leadership in the right places for the first time.”
The Bulldogs look to improve from their 2013 season, where they tallied a record of 12-20, but went just 3-15 in SEC play. 
For a volleyball team to succeed, it must be able to communicate on the court. That is where junior setter Katlyn Mataya has jumped in to help.
“Katlyn has really grown with the confidence in her abilities,” Hazelwood said. “When she speaks up about the team needing to be more vocal in a drill, people know what she is saying is correct, and they follow her lead.”
The setter, according to Hazelwood, has to be the “quarterback” on the court, and for Mataya, leadership comes naturally with the position, even leadership advice in the classroom.
“We are trying to be the best role models we can,” Mataya said. “Whether it be volleyball, or in school. We aren’t here just for ourselves, we are here for each other.”
Mataya was second on the team in assists last season, averaging 5.09 assists per set. With her new role as the vocal leader of the team, she anticipates that number will rise even higher for the 2014 season.
Junior middle blocker Alex Warren is another leader who will develop a key role on the court. Warren, who tallied 188 kills in her sophomore season, may not be as vocal as Mataya, but Hazelwood said she leads by example.
“She is a great go-to kind of player,” Hazelwood said.
Along with Mataya, Hazelwood said Warren has also added confidence in her abilities.
“Anytime a player has that much confidence in what they do, it gives them that much more confidence in their abilities to lead as well,” Hazelwood said.
Going into the first week of the season, Warren said the the team’s moral is at an all-time high.
“I feel like we have no limits,” she said. “We are positive on the stuff that we can do, and we know that anything can happen.”
The upperclassmen are not the only ones who have impressed coaches this preseason. Returning starting middle blocker Chelsea Duhs will be a major contributor for the Bulldogs if they can find success.
“We try to lead by example,” Duhs said. “We let players know that this is the system, and to be here, you have to follow it.”
Duhs will come into her sophomore season with a good track-record. As a true freshmen, she led the team with a .256 kill percentage in 2013 while totaling 165 kills for the year.
Other incoming players to keep an eye on this year are a pair of junior transfers Shelby Anderton and Emily Howard, who have both impressed Hazelwood during practices.
“They come in with unbelievable natural talent,” Hazelwood said. “There is no problem with work ethic for these girls.”
The Bulldogs will travel to Huntsville, Texas on Friday to compete in the Sam Houston Invitational to open their season. The squad will have their home-opener in the Newell Grissom Building on Sept. 11 as they take on South Alabama to kick off the annual Maroon Classic.