2021 Season Preview: Centenary Ladies Volleyball
Following an abbreviated season due to the impact of COVID-19, the Centenary Ladies volleyball team is eager to hit the court this weekend and hopes to enjoy a normal and traditional season with a great deal of success.
Shreveport- Following an abbreviated season due to the impact of COVID-19, the Centenary Ladies volleyball team is eager to hit the court this weekend and hopes to enjoy a normal and traditional season with a great deal of success.
Ashley McDonough enters her third season as head coach of the Ladies program and also serves as the head coach of the Men's Competitive Club Volleyball team which is entering its second season. McDonough, a native of Chicago, led the Ladies to a 3-11 record (all conference matches) last season. The Ladies were picked to finish ninth in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference this season with 12 total points in the preseason poll released last month.
The Ladies, however, are poised to surprise the rest of the SCAC as they return a solid nucleus of talent paired with a deep group of incoming freshmen. Leading the returnees is senior OH Alyssa Davis (Van Alstyne, Texas), who was named to the 2020-21 All-SCAC Third Team last season as she became the first Centenary player to be named All-SCAC since 2018 and became the third Ladies' player to earn all-conference recognition in the division III era (2011-present).
Davis finished the season third in the conference in kills (166) and ranked 41st in the nation in division III in the category. She also averaged 3.19 kills per set and led the Ladies in kills and kills per set and recorded 132 digs this season which ranked second on the team. Davis enters the season ranked in the top seven all-time in the Division III era in six statistical categories. She ranks second in kills, kills per set, and points per set, fourth in both attack attempts and points, and seventh in hitting percentage.
"Alyssa is coming off of a strong, modified spring season where she was named to the SCAC All-Conference team," said McDonough. She is a leader on and off the court and came back this fall in the best shape I've ever seen her in. She's really to bring a new level of physicality we haven't seen from her before."
Fellow senior Elizabeth Epley (Nashville, Tenn.) played in 14 matches and 52 sets last season and ... ranked fourth on team in kills with 80. She averaged 1.54 kills/set, added 31 digs, and recorded double-digit kills three times. Another senior, OH Lauren Kelley (Fort Worth, Texas), missed the 2020-2021 season as she stayed in her native Texas as a remote student due to COVID-19 but played in 33 matches and 114 sets as a sophomore. She ranked second on the team in kills (268) and total attacks (1,002) and third in kills per set (2.35) and also registered 141 digs.
"Elizabeth also came back in great mental and physical shape after spending the summer training her former high school program," said McDonough. She has the energy and the fire to lead this program to a very successful season."
"Kaye is a high flyer and can swing over and around the block," said McDonough. She's already started mentoring underclassman and is going to be a key player this fall."
Sophomore DS/L Jaycie Proctor (Paris, Texas) had a fantastic rookie season and established herself as one of the top young players in the conference as she played in 13 matches and 45 sets and led the team with 230 digs and also led in digs per set (5.11). She ranked fourth in the conference in digs and recorded a season-high 32 digs on March 20 versus Schreiner. She tallied 20 or more digs in a match six times and recorded double digits in digs 11 times. Fellow sophomore DS/L Tori Ligman (Bossier City, La.) saw action in nine matches and 20 sets as a rookie last season. She recorded 68 digs and averaged 3.40 digs/set. The former Airline High School product tallied double-digits in digs three times and recorded a season-high of 22 in her collegiate debut on Feb. 28 at St. Thomas.
Our young and impressive DS/Libero duo of Jaycie and Tori were crawling out of their skin to get back on the court," said McDonough. When these two are playing next to each other, it's extremely difficult to put a ball down. They are very quick, hyper-aggressive, and excellent communicators. Alone they are amazing but together they are unstoppable."
The Ladies add seven freshmen to bolster the already talented roster, headlined by MB Elizabeth Canady (League City, Texas) and RS Jaylin St. Martin (New Orleans, La.).
"Lizzie Canady is a quick and powerful middle blocker from Clear Springs High School," said McDonough. Her 2020 team made it to the Texas 6A state quarterfinals and she played for my former club (GCVA) and Texas Hurricanes VBC.
Jaylin St. Martin is a Louisiana State Champion (2019), a State Runner Up (2020), and a former Under Armour All-American Watch List nominee. She brings a very high level of athleticism and volleyball IQ.
L'Muriell Thrower is also joining the staff as as assistant coach, as the former Grambling State University student-athlete will assist McDonough with both the Ladies and the Gents club team.
Thrower, who was born in Houston but grew up in Shreveport, prepped at Evangel Christian Academy before her successful collegiate career at Grambling. She was a member of the Dean's list in 2016 and the President's List in 2017. She also received the "2018 Overachiever award" and "Heart of the Team" award in 2019. She was named the 2015 MVP of her Evangel squad and helped lead the Lady Eagles to the district title. She was also named the 2015 Regional Volleyball Player of the Year.
The Ladies will take a unique approach to the start of their season this weekend as the roster will be split evenly, with half of the team headed to the Highlander Invitational hosted by Lyon College in Batesville, Ark. and half participating in the Millsaps/Belhaven Invitational in Jackson, Miss.
The Ladies will face Jarvis Christian at 9 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 3 in the Highlander Invitational to begin the season and then meet host Lyon at 2 p.m. Centenary's matches on Friday at the Millsaps/Belhaven Invitational are set for 1 p.m. against LeTourneau and 5 p.m. against co-host Millsaps.
Saturday's schedule features four matches (two in each location), beginning with a match at 10:30 a.m. versus College of the Ozarks at the Highlander Invitational, then a match versus co-host Belhaven at Noon in Jackson. The final two matches of the tournaments are at 2 p.m. in Jackson versus Mary Hardin-Baylor and against Mid-America Christian College at 6 p.m. in the Highlander Invitational.
Centenary opens its home schedule on Saturday, Sept. 11 with a non-conference doubleheader versus Williams Baptist (11 a.m. and 3 p.m.) and then remains at home for three consecutive matches, Wednesday, Oct. 15 versus Jarvis Christian at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 21 against Grambling at 6 p.m. and then Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. versus Louisiana College.
The Ladies will play host to a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Divisional event Oct. 1-2 as four fellow SCAC member schools come to town for 10 matches over the two days. Centenary will face Mississippi University for Women in a home doubleheader on Saturday, Oct. 23 (11 a.m. and 3 p.m.) and then meets Dallas Christian on Wednesday, Oct. 27 on Senior Night at 6 p.m.
See the complete Ladies' schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/wvball/2021-22/schedule
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests but be advised of current COVID-19 protocols for fans. Live stats and live video stream are available for all Centenary home contests.
#GoCentenary #CTheOpportunity
