Mississippi State’s volleyball program has been climbing the SEC ladder since head coach Tina Seals has been at the helm, and hopefully, the fourth time will be the charm.The Lady Bulldogs are entering their fourth year under the guidance of Coach Seals, who has posted up a 46-41 record so far at State.
Seals will have to deal with several obstacles if she plans on having a solid year in MSU volleyball, the biggest right now being injuries.
There are five key returning players on the MSU squad that are currently nursing injuries.
“Everybody’s injured,” Seals said jokingly. “We’re just trying to get everyone healthy right now.”
MSU’s biggest injury right now comes in the package of senior setter Eva Kriegel, whom Seals calls the “quarterback of the team.”
Kriegel has missed several practices due to some back problems, but Seals believes rest will help her heal faster.
Senior libero Megan Lukasek has also missed a few practices with back problems.
Senior middle blocker Erin Seago had ankle surgery during the offseason in May and is scheduled to return soon.
Senior middle blocker Lauren Kowal, who transferred from Xavier University last season but didn’t play due to an injured knee, had surgery during the offseason and should see action this season.
Redshirt freshman Stefanie Joyner, sister of senior opposite hitter Jamie Joyner, will more than likely miss another season due to her nagging shoulder injury.
Seals said she will have a third surgery, which will sideline her for the season once again.
Other than injuries, the only thing Coach Seals must work around is filling in the team where players were lost from last season.
The Lady Bulldogs lost Orshi Kriegel to graduation and Martina Gregusova due to transfer.
To replace the letterwinners lost, MSU has
brought in five new players this season. Three of the players hail from the state of Alabama, which is Seals’s home state.
Seals said the most impressive freshman so far has been middle blocker Ashley Newsome, of Florence, Ala.
“Ashley is very athletic and has been doing exceptionally well, even past what we thought she would this preseason,” Coach Seals said. “We look for her to contribute on the court immediately.”
Seals also applauded freshman Meaghan Schlueter, of Lampasas, Texas, for her preseason work.
“Meaghan has been moving around the court to different positions due to all of our injuries, and once we find her best position, I see her contributing on the court soon as well,” Seals said.
MSU not only welcomes five new players this season, but also one new coach to the coaching staff, as the team parted ways with former assistant coach Joszef Forman during the offseason.
This season, the Lady Dawgs welcome Don Perkins, a graduate of Syracuse University and a resident of New York.
“We’ve brought in Don Perkins from the New York area, and he’s going to be working with our defense,” Seals said. “He’s well-organized and works well with our coaching staff. He’ll bring a new perspective in to this team.”
New players aren’t the only way Seals is filling in the holes.
Returning players will be looked to provide the leadership needed to carry the team to success.
“I feel like we’ve got a great nucleus coming back,” Seals said. “We’ve lost two of our biggest players on the outside, and we’ve got the personnel to step up and take over those spots. That’s what our preseason has been about.
Christina [Jucan] has a lot of experience on the outside, and Ioana [Demian] has moved over to the outside and has adjusted well too.”
The Bulldogs finished the 2006 season with a 17-13 mark, posting an 8-12 SEC record.
Mississippi State finished fifth in the SEC West and did not make the cut for the NCAA tournament.
Seals said, however, that the past is behind them and she is focusing solely on this season.
“We specifically want to improve on everything we did last year,” Seals said. “These seniors have worked very hard and have grown up together. They came in when I came in, and we want to go a level higher. We want to make the NCAA playoffs of course, but we’re taking one day and one match at a time.