Volleyball looking to three-peat trip to national championship

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (Sept. 10, 2020) – After qualifying for back-to-back trips to the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship, including hosting an opening-round match last season, the Milligan University volleyball team will start the 2020-21 season with a third straight trip in its sights.

The journey to the national championship starts Tuesday, Sept. 15, as the Buffaloes head to Kentucky Christian to start their Appalachian Athletic Conference-only slate. The schedule will feature nine road matches and 10 home matches, culminating with the regular-season finale at Montreat on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Head Coach Doneva Bays says the team is hungry to get the 2020 season started.

"Our main goal is to play," she says, "but we always want to finish at the top of the AAC and make it to the national championship. We are still hungry from our last match at the first round of the national championship last year. We also didn't get our spring season so we are ready for competition."

Although the season has been pushed back to a Sept. 15 start and limited to conference-only matches, Bays notes it still feels like a full schedule and will help the team better focus on conference competition.

"We still get 19 matches and a conference tournament so our season won't be that short," Bays says, "and the conference-only part will help us as our conference continues to get stronger each year. It should be a very competitive season."

Among the returners

Milligan graduated a pair of all-conference and all-region performers in Kellee Geren and Julie Dockery but returns a handful of Buffs who helped the team finish with a 24-12 (16-4 AAC) record. Carley Gregory highlights the offense coming off a junior season in which she led Milligan with 390 kills. After Gregory and Dockery (292 kills), Julia Codispoti followed third on the team with 232 kills and an attack percentage of .284.

Codispoti and Layla Grant led last year's defensive effort with 78 blocks and 618 digs, respectively, both leading the team.

"We have a lot of returners," Bays says. "Carley has worked hard in the offseason and looks stronger than ever. Julia is coming off an injured shoulder but is beginning to get back to 100 percent. We also have senior hitter Abby Falcone back on the right side and our defense anchored by returners Layla and Cameron McConnell."

Falcone tallied 158 kills and 30 blocks last year while McConnell recorded 350 digs, second most to Grant in the libero spot.

Among the newcomers

Bays' recruiting class brought in four newcomers, including two true freshmen. Greyson Stevens, a 6-foot middle from Fall Branch, Tennessee, and Taylor Pavich, a 5-foot-11 setter/RS from Breese, Illinois, join the team for their first year of collegiate volleyball. Abigail Byington, a 5-foot-9 junior middle from Kingsport, Tennessee, and Sydney Hurd, a 5-foot-8 setter/DS from Kingsport, come in with previous playing experience.

"Greyson Stevens and transfer Abigail Byington will give us depth in the middle," Bays says. "Taylor Pavich and Sydney Hurd are setters/RS that have shown a lot of promise in the preseason."

Preseason and beyond

"We have had a great three weeks of preseason so far," Bays says. "We have much needed depth in a lot of positions, and I have been very pleased with our overall competitiveness."

After preseason, Milligan will turn its focus toward the regular season with sights ultimately set on the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship.

The national championship, along with all other fall national championships, has been moved to spring 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dates for the national championship are currently set for April 17 (opening round) and April 27 – May 1 (final site). Location of the final site is set for Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, where Milligan ended its 2018 season.

Last Season's Profile

Record: 24-12
AAC Record: 16-4
Longest Winning Streak: 13 (Oct. 1 – Nov. 15)
AAC Tournament Result: AAC Championship Runner-Up
NAIA Championship Result: Lost in Opening Round
High Kills: 390 from Carley Gregory (returning)
High Assists: 1,316 from Kellee Geren (graduated)
High Digs: 618 from Layla Grant (returning)
High Blocks: 78 from Julia Codispoti (returning)
High Aces: 53 from Layla Grant (returning)