Aug. 9, 2012

OXFORD, Miss. – Aug. 9 was a day Ole Miss volleyball head coach Joe Getzin had been waiting to see on his calendar for a long time. Thursday was the first day of volleyball practice for the Rebels, and it was a very good day in the eyes of Getzin.

“I thought we had a great first day,” Getzin said. “I thought the kids were really focused and had lots of great energy. It was really neat to see the senior leadership and see them teach the newcomers and help them get up to speed.”

Getzin said the focus of Thursday’s two practices was to shake a bit of the rust off. After a long summer of hard work, Thursday provided an opportunity for the Rebels to get everyone on the same page.

It also gave the five incoming freshmen an opportunity to see what Southeastern Conference volleyball speed looks like. The key to get them up to speed, Getzin said, is to see a lot of reps.

“We’re bringing in kids who are experienced players, but it’s just the speed of the game at this level that takes getting used to,” Getzin said. “Our terminology may be a little different also, so that could take some getting used to as well.”

One student-athlete who is very familiar with the speed of SEC volleyball is senior outside hitter Ashley Anderson. Getzin praised the Southlake, Texas, native after practice for the hard work she put in over the summer months.

“Ashley Anderson had a great day,” Getzin said. “You can see she worked hard over the summer because you can see a lot of improvement from her. I think it is maturity more than anything else. She just made plays out there today.”

Ole Miss will open the season Aug. 24 against Miami (Fla.) at 6:00 p.m. CT in Coral Gables, Fla., at the Hurricane Invitational. The Rebels’ first home match of the season comes at the Magnolia Invitational, where Ole Miss will play a doubleheader against Alabama A&M and Rice on Sept. 7 at 1:30 p.m. CT and 7:00 p.m. CT, respectively.