Volleyball Southern Conference

Chattanooga Embarks On Road Trip

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The Chattanooga volleyball team will pack its
collective suitcases to start an 11-game road odyssey this weekend. The
Lady Mocs road warriors will play in five different states beginning this
weekend at the Super 8 Hotel Invitational in Charleston, Ill., as they
officially begin the 2002 season.

Chattanooga begins its quest for Southern Conference supremacy with a
wicked non-conference schedule which will pit the Lady Mocs against
Conference USA foe DePaul, Ohio Valley Conference power Eastern Illinois
and Mid-America Conference member Toledo. UTC meets DePaul Friday at 4 p.m.
and then on Saturday it takes on host Eastern Illinois at 1 p.m. and Toledo
at 4.

"This is a great opportunity for me to evaluate where we are," said
Chattanooga head coach Lisa Rhodes, who is entering her ninth year at the
helm. "We will have had 21 practices before we play so it's time to take
what we've been doing in practice and put it to the test."

The Lady Mocs return eight players, including four starters, from last
year's squad that finished 19-14 overall and made a strong late-season
charge to play in the SoCon Tournament championship game. UTC was the first
seventh seed to ever make to the final game.

Despite UTC's experience, Coach Rhodes said the starting lineup is still in
doubt and it could vary from game to game this weekend. "I expect to play a
lot of people, but after this tournament maybe I'll have a set starting
lineup," Rhodes said.

Two players expected to be in the lineup on a regular basis will be newly
named captains Kari Krouse and Emily McGinnis. Krouse, a junior outside
hitter, is a two-time All-SoCon pick and was third in the nation last
season in service aces. McGinnis, a sophomore, took over the setter spot
early last season and she finished with 996 assists, which ranked as the
sixth most in school history.

The addition of the libero position will alter every team's approach and
Rhodes said the Lady Mocs' battle is currently between junior Kyra Bryant
and sophomore Amanda Smith. The libero is a designated back-row player
intended to be used as a ball-control specialist and there are special
rules governing her play.

Among UTC's seven new players, Rhodes said freshman middle blockers Liz
Inskeep and Kelley Smith have been impressive. "Liz has shown great
progress with her offense and she hits the ball well," Rhodes said. "Kelley
has been really strong blocking."

The 2002 Lady Mocs squad is Rhodes' first that is void of seniors. UTC has
five juniors, five sophomores and five freshmen. "I'll probably lean on the
veterans like Kari and Jody (Steinberger) to provide our leadership,"
Rhodes said.

Chattanooga is looking to continue an impressive streak that no other SoCon
team can match. In the last six years, UTC has the league's best overall
record (139-67, .673) and the best league record (82-26, .759). The Lady
Mocs have won at least 19 games each of the last six seasons and they have
finished first or second in the regular season or tournament every year, a
feat no other league school can match.

"A lot of things have to fall right for us this year," Coach Rhodes said.
"We can't afford an injury at setter and the libero is very key to us
because we don't have a lot of experience there. We're deep at outside
hitter and right-side hitter. We'll be living out of a suitcase for several
weeks, but we're definitely ready to play."